I arrived to Quito very early the morning of February 16th. The hostel I stayed at was called the Secret Garden (voted best hostel in South America in 2006), which was located in the historic city center. The hostel had a terrace on its fourth floor, from which we had an amazing view of the entire city and all of the mountains and volcanoes surrounding the valley of Quito.
The first thing I did in Quito was go to the city at the "Middle of the World," with a couple of German friends I met at the hostel. The city is located about 30 minutes north of Quito, and its primary appeal to tourists is the simple fact that the Equator runs through it, dividing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
En cada region de la Republica del Ecuador se celebran de distintas maneras la fiesta del Carnaval. En algunos pueblos tiran cosas como agua, globos de agua y harina a los demas, pero los quitenos prefieren tirar espuma. Los ninos e incluso algunos de los adultos nos atacaron varias veces con espuma mientras que estuvimos en la Mitad del Mundo.
While we were there, the people at the Middle of the World were still celebrating the last couple days of Carnival (the week leading up to Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent), with a lot of music, food, and dancing. Carnival is celebrated a little bit differently in each of the Latin American countries. Even within Ecuador, there are many slight differences in the way it is celebrated in each town. For example, in some Ecuadorian "pueblos," people pour buckets of water and/or flour at each other and throw water balloons, whereas in Quito and the surrounding pueblos, people prefer to spray each other with colorful foam. The children--and even some adults--at the Middle of the World monument were very happy for the opportunity attack a few "gringos" with their cans of foam, as you can see in the picture.
Muy cerca al monumento y museo del ecuator en la Mitad del Mundo, vimos unos hombres cocinando cuy, uno de los platos peruanos mas conocidos, y ellos me permitieron ayudarles a cocinarlo para una foto. Todavia no he probado el cuy, en parte porque es una comida bastante cara, pero seguro que lo comere muy prontito!
Right outside of the monument and museum at the Middle of the World, we happened to come across a couple of men roasting "cuy," or guinnea pig, a well known Peruvian delicacy, which apparently is also enjoyed in parts of Ecuador. I asked the men if I could take a picture of the guinnea pigs they were cooking, and they very kindly agreed, and even offered to let me take a turn roasting them, while they took a picture for me.
Right outside of the monument and museum at the Middle of the World, we happened to come across a couple of men roasting "cuy," or guinnea pig, a well known Peruvian delicacy, which apparently is also enjoyed in parts of Ecuador. I asked the men if I could take a picture of the guinnea pigs they were cooking, and they very kindly agreed, and even offered to let me take a turn roasting them, while they took a picture for me.
El dia siguiente (el 17 de febrero), subi en el teleferico a la cima del volcan Pichincha, que todavia es un volcan activo. Desde su cima, a una altura de 4.794 metros, se puede ver toda la ciudad, la cual ocupa una valle que parece continuar para milas y milas en todas direcciones.
The next day (Feb. 17th), my new German friends and I went up to the top of Pichincha Volcano--one of Ecuador's many still active volcanoes--in a cable car. From the top, at a height or 4,794 meters, you can see the entire city of Quito, which takes up an entire valley, which seems to extend miles and miles in all four directions.
The next day (Feb. 17th), my new German friends and I went up to the top of Pichincha Volcano--one of Ecuador's many still active volcanoes--in a cable car. From the top, at a height or 4,794 meters, you can see the entire city of Quito, which takes up an entire valley, which seems to extend miles and miles in all four directions.
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