I am staying at a very cozy guesthouse, not really close to anything, but I like it. The owners are friendly, there’s a convenient travel agency at reception, my fellow guests are social, the rooms is clean, and the room is cheap. I had my very own room for $12 a night. That rose to $20 when I had to upgrade after the first night into a corner room with a king-sized bed and en-suite bath. No complaints.
I realize my spending of late has become much heavier. I am determined to enjoy my final 2 months on the road RTW. With comfort : )Interesting how Ecuador uses the US$ as its local currency. They have their own coins (useless, of course, back in the US), but the bills are the same. I find it extremely annoying that I am getting charged foreign fees for withdrawing US$ at the ATM.
I spent my first morning in Quito confirming my trip to the Galapagos. It’s actually holiday season in many parts of South America right now (carnival season to be exact), including Ecuador. Hence, most businesses are closed. Except for my travel agency, which would be open during the AM hours to wait for my payment. Haha.
Since I would be charged a pretty hefty fee for using my credit card, I decided to go all cash. The agent was soooooo nice, he came along with me to the bank as my personal bodyguard. He didn’t think my carrying around close to $1,000 in cash on a relatively quite morning alone was a good idea. Thank you!!!
(FYI – For those of you interested in going to the Galapagos or to Ecuador in general, I highly recommend this tour agency. Contact me for details.)
With the payment complete, I had my cruise package and flights. CONFIRMED. Yaaaaaaaaaaay! I can’t wait to leave in 2 days. How exciting!
Until then, I lazily checked out some of the tourist sites in Quito.Starting with the Old Town, easily reached by the ultra-cheap tram system @ $0.25 per ride. Like any old town, it had a large square with a huge cathedral on one side.
The inside wasn’t anything spectacular (not free too!) – a bit damp, dark, and gloomy. I did, however, enjoying gazing up at the aged, worn, wooden ceiling. I feel like I had the same experience elsewhere as well.
Since I would be charged a pretty hefty fee for using my credit card, I decided to go all cash. The agent was soooooo nice, he came along with me to the bank as my personal bodyguard. He didn’t think my carrying around close to $1,000 in cash on a relatively quite morning alone was a good idea. Thank you!!!
(FYI – For those of you interested in going to the Galapagos or to Ecuador in general, I highly recommend this tour agency. Contact me for details.)
With the payment complete, I had my cruise package and flights. CONFIRMED. Yaaaaaaaaaaay! I can’t wait to leave in 2 days. How exciting!
Until then, I lazily checked out some of the tourist sites in Quito.Starting with the Old Town, easily reached by the ultra-cheap tram system @ $0.25 per ride. Like any old town, it had a large square with a huge cathedral on one side.
The inside wasn’t anything spectacular (not free too!) – a bit damp, dark, and gloomy. I did, however, enjoying gazing up at the aged, worn, wooden ceiling. I feel like I had the same experience elsewhere as well.All in all, I think that the usual charms of old town are wearing out on me. Even though this one is a UNESCO World Heritage City. Or perhaps Quito failed to excite me due to the lack of liveliness and activity in the town during the holidays...
Moving on, I walked up and down the cobblestoned alleys of old town, and decided to do some Galapagos-prep shopping while I was there. Needed some contact lens solution and sun block. The latter item being extremely important out in the middle of the ocean. I’ve never used gel-based sun block before; never actually heard of them either. But since they were highly recommended somewhere (?!) I gave it a go. It’s made in Ecuador... I have my doubts of its effectiveness, but I’m going to be adventurous! Try something new. Hopefully without regrets.
The following day, I ventured a bit further to the Mitad del Mundo or “The Middle of the World”. Took about an hour to get there with tram + bus, costing $0.40 one-way. Awesome public transportation system in this city!As the name suggests, the Mitad del Mundo is where a monument (and park) to mark the equator has been built. For some reason though, the actual equator doesn’t run through here - What the ____, right?! Unfortunately, I didn’t learn about that strange fact until I got there.
Moving on, I walked up and down the cobblestoned alleys of old town, and decided to do some Galapagos-prep shopping while I was there. Needed some contact lens solution and sun block. The latter item being extremely important out in the middle of the ocean. I’ve never used gel-based sun block before; never actually heard of them either. But since they were highly recommended somewhere (?!) I gave it a go. It’s made in Ecuador... I have my doubts of its effectiveness, but I’m going to be adventurous! Try something new. Hopefully without regrets.
The following day, I ventured a bit further to the Mitad del Mundo or “The Middle of the World”. Took about an hour to get there with tram + bus, costing $0.40 one-way. Awesome public transportation system in this city!As the name suggests, the Mitad del Mundo is where a monument (and park) to mark the equator has been built. For some reason though, the actual equator doesn’t run through here - What the ____, right?! Unfortunately, I didn’t learn about that strange fact until I got there.
But since I was there and had nothing better planned for the rest of the day, I just enjoyed whatever was in front of me. Like this deceptive (hehe!) monument.
And had a relaxing coffee & empanada at the overpriced (yet good atmosphere) café where I proceeded to write some postcards and convinced myself that I was at the equator.
And had a relaxing coffee & empanada at the overpriced (yet good atmosphere) café where I proceeded to write some postcards and convinced myself that I was at the equator.
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