Quito

My trip officially started in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. From my first impressions, it is an extremely overpopulated, hilly city with a traditional Spanish/ Latin American vibe built within mountains and some, still active volcanoes. My first day here was a bit of a write off due to flight delays and jetlag but I managed to get out and explore the area and I met a Dutch couple, who I had food with. It cost $2.50 for a starter, main and a drink, also the portion sizes were huge! My first night in the hotel was quite funny, my room for a start looked a bit like a prison cell, and was clearly built for people 5’5 and under, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve banged me head! Anyway I woke up in the middle of the night to find a baby millipede in my bed, but I did meet a girl after breakfast who had cockroaches so I think I got off lightly there! A photo of my breakfast is below, it was very nicely delivered to my room! 

So on my first full day in Ecuador I decided to go to the TelefériQo, which is a gondola lift that takes you nearly 4,000m above sea level. It’s one of the highest gondola’s in the world. I got a bus there from my hotel which took about 20 minutes and cost 25 cents! The gondola ride took about another 20 minutes to get to the top. I got there about 9.30am as I had read it was best to go in the morning before the cloud comes in the afternoon. There is various different hikes you can do while you’re up there, to the summit of Pichincha volcano for example. I was not appropriately dressed for hiking, nor am I a keen hiker so I just went for a wonder! Of course there was a swing at the top so I tried my best at self timer before giving in and attempting to ask someone in Spanish to please take a photo!

In the afternoon I had booked a free walking tour, it is something I tend to do in quite a lot of places I visit. You are given a 3/4 hour tour by a local guide and they take you to places you wouldn’t go yourself and not just all the touristy spots! You usually can book online in advance or just turn up. When you’re done you just leave a small donation. It’s a great way to meet other solo travellers. After the tour a group of us all went for dinner and drinks together. I had my first experience of an Ecuadorean Bar/Club! What an eye opener! 

Today I am going to explore to old town of Quito before heading off to the Amazon for around 3 days on a tour, so my next post will be all about that. Thanks for reading!