Week Nine – Vacationing in Quito

Author: Masha

Photos by Stephen & Masha

Week Nine – Vacationing in Quito

July 2019

The last time I vacationed in Quito was over 16 years ago. A lot can change in 16 years. Therefore, it was fun to explore Quito with my husband 16 years after my first trip here. I was in Quito for a week before the start of the Kichwa class, but I did almost no sightseeing. 

The Historic Center of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On Sunday, we went to the Church of La Compañía de Jesús, the interior was an intricate web of gold. We also walked around the Grand Plaza. 

On Monday, we went to the Casa del Alabado, which is a pre-colonial art museum.

On Tuesday, we went to Museo de la Ciudad, a history museum of Quito from pre-colonial times through the 20th century. The Museo de la Ciudad is housed in a 400-year old hospital.

From there, we went to the Church of Carmen Alto, the Church of San Francisco, the Church of Santo Dominago, and the Metropolitan Cultural Center, which had an exhibit on Kichwa art. Then, we walked to La Ronda, a popular street filled with local art shops. 

In the afternoon, we took the bus north to Carolina Park.

On Wednesday, we went the Basílica del Voto Nacional, Quito’s largest religious building. 

On Thursday, we took a tour to the Mitad del Mundo, Ecuador’s equator, and Pululahua.

Then, on Thursday, we went to Quito’s ‘Foch Yeah’ plaza, which reminded me of Milwaukee’s Brady Street.

On Friday, my husband, myself, and two of my good friends from the Kichwa class went up the Teleferico and hiked part of the way up the Pichincha Volcano. That evening, we all went to see the Lion King in Spanish, my husband was a good sport to see it with us, as his Spanish is not yet fluent.

That evening we had a bit of a nightmare with our hotels. On Friday we left the hotel we had been staying at since we arrived Quito and moved to a hotel further north in the city. It was a disaster, the floor was molding from water damage, the sheets had not been changed from the previous inhabitants and were covered in long hairs, and when we asked for new sheets the staff began arguing with us, saying we did not need new sheets and they would only change the pillows. We ended up canceling our reservation, spending the night at a hostel, and returning to our original hotel the following day. 

On Saturday, my husband and I traveled to Otavalo, a town two hours north of Quito famous for its Saturday markets.

Overall, we had a fantastic week and would highly recommend visiting Quito.

One of the main highlights of the week was not any of the sightseeing, but seeing a friend who served in Peace Corps Uganda with my husband and myself. We hadn’t seen him since he COSed in 2017, so it was fantastic to reconnect.