Feb 28 City tour by bus
I decided to take one of those hop on – hop off bus tours of the city figuring it would be the easiest and cheapest way to look around. The first stop I made was the central park and craft market; the market was composed of many small stalls, set next to each other in rows, each specialized in one of about a dozen different types of goods. Some of them sold the regular tourist souvenirs, but others had nice leather products, local fabrics and a few with silver and turquoise jewelry. There is an hour between buses so I had plenty of time for the market but not much for the park.

The arch at the central park


The next place I wanted to check out was old town; we made our way through a couple neighborhoods with the guide pointing out significant buildings and monuments. There are several churches here and there is a trail of seven crosses, each at a different church where the faithful make offerings and pray on their way to the last one located at the statue of the Virgin on the hill outside of town. I went into one of the cathedral where the walls were gilded in gold and there was a large gold alter that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Around the main square you could find small shops and local cafes and restaurants, so I had a quick bite for lunch.

The tower of the main cathederal, you can take a tour up to the top


One of the many old churches in town


The golden alter


I grabbed the next bus through and took it up to the statue on the hill; they give you about a half hour to look around and take photos which is good because you wouldn’t want to spend a full hour there. From the hill you can see just how large Quito is, with many of the surrounding hills completely covered in small square houses. Off in the distance you could see the larger mountains vaguely, due to the clouds and mist. There are some snack stands there so you can get a soft drink or quick snack if you like.

This view of the statue from old town gives some perspective on how large it is

The statue itself


The bus makes a stop at the cable car for anyone interested, but due to the clouds, and now rain, no one got off there. I stayed on until they reached the stop I originally joined at and overall it was a good way to spend the late morning and afternoon.
I had dinner at the Columbian Steakhouse again; going for the mixed grill, a combination of steak, chicken, pork chop and intestines accompanied by a pitcher of sangria. From there I walked around Plaza Foch, the main are for bars and restaurants doing a little people watching, then went back to the hotel for the night.