Buenos Dias,
While the kids sleep in and we watch the women's Wimbledon final, it seems like a good moment to blog. It is our second and last day in Quito, Ecuador. Yesterday we taxied to the Plaza Grande and walked around the colonial old town, taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the city. Highlights were the volcanic mountains surrounding the city, the Museo de la Ciudad, La Compania de Jesus, a traditional Ecuadorian meal in La Ronda at Lena Quitena - tasty cuy, rabbit, and sopa - and I would have to say the Palacio del Govierno, or the President's House. We started our walk at the Palacio, where we waited in line for about a 1/2 hour for we weren't really sure what. It was unclear why some people got in while we waited, but after a few tours and some singles who came after us went before us we were let in, 20 at a time, our IDs taken, then through a security machine and to our tour in Spanish of the art and rooms of the Palace, with our own security guard plus a rather nice touch of a photographer taking pictures of all the visitors to give to us along w/ our IDsat the end of the tour. This president is the first to allow the people to enter the palacio so it is a major draw of Ecuadorians and tourists alike. It was very emotional for me and for three Ecuadorian sisters, one who spoke good English and now lives in New Jersey, and we shared our feelings about the people being able to view the Palicio for the first time.
We ended up eating a small dinner in the exec lounge at our hotel after our long day of touring. The kids needed a break, I did a bathtub of wash, and relaxed knowing that today we would have a more leisurely day at the Museo National and La Mariscal Sucre or New Town of Quito and dinner out. The feeling I get of Quito is as a youthful city, coming alive at nighttime, drinking and dancing and eating late, while pretty quiet during the day.
Tomorrow we head to Guayacil on our way to the Gallapagos.
A bit about Machu Pichu before we move on....
The day started at 5:30am, when we took a 5min. taxi to a 1.5 hour bus to a 1.5 hour train to the ruins. The train ride was plenty scenic, along a river and mountainside, through tunnels and small villages with views of other ruins and the inka trails. We were on a tourist train, with windows in the ceiling and Peruvian music and snacks served to us, and pushcarts of Peruvian goods for sale. We sat in a four seater w/ a table and played cards while taking in the views. Once we arrived in Aguas Calientes we took another 1/2 hour or so bus ride up, up, up to the site itself, one of the most harrowing yet beautiful bus rides I have ever taken.
A small hiccup - we forgot our MPichu tickets at the hotel - the ones we booked months ago from the states, and asked where to go in ACalientes to secure them. It was possible that the alloted daily number of tickets were sold and we wouldn't be allowed in, or that we would have to repurchase the tickets, or - an option none of us considered - to go back via train, bus and taxi to retrieve them. We were relieved to learn at the office in ACalientes there was a record under our names of our ticket purchase and they only needed to be reprinted. Whew!!
At the top was a hotel, restaurant and gift shop, a place to check bags and finally, the entrance to the site. We had read about the 'discovery' of the site and the layout, and were just happy to explore at our leisure the various ruins high and low, although we skipped the 2-3 hour walk to the sun gate or the 4 plus hour walk to the nearby ruins. We spoke to a couple who made the 4 day trek on the inka trail, and although it sounded quite the adventure we felt like we had our own after all our modes of transportation, and we had clean toilets and a shower to boot. Anyway, there were llamas roaming the ruins eating grass, and little wierd bunny-like animals below us between the ruins and jungle, and tourists from all over the world. It was a beautiful site, and as we wandered I couldn't help but wonder about what life was like here for the Inkas, how it was built, and what it looked like in all its glory. An afternoon shower filled the waterways through the ruins creating beautiful sites and sounds while demonstrating the practicality of the craftsmanship in the ancient town. After a meal at the restaurant we explored still more of the ruins before taking the oh-my-god-please-let-us-survive-bus-ride to ACaliente where we did a bit of shopping at the local market and sat at a cafe and played cards awaiting.....go to ´continue´ post to finish this entry.
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