August 13, 2006 – Another Day Around Quito
I think I´ve licked my problem uploading pictures. It seems to work fine when I upload pictures, then add text.
After four days traveling to the south, it was nice to be back in the now familiar surroundings at the Hotel Los Alpes in Quito. We had our usual Los Alpes breakfast and then Walter came by at 8:30 a.m. to take us to the Spanish-speaking Christian and Missionary Alliance church. This is the church Mom went to many many years ago, so, as with a number of other things on this trip, this was a bit of a homecoming for her. We weren’t quite sure whether it would be the right church, as Walter had said it was “evangelical”, but that term could apply to some other groups besides the CMA. But, we arrived and it was indeed to Spanish-speaking CMA church and their 9:00 a.m. service was just getting underway. For John and I it was hard to follow much, as it was all in Spanish and spoken rather quickly, but Mom said she could follow most of it. The message was on “God, Our Creator” and Mom told us afterwards that there was some discussion contrasting the certainty a Christian has in God compared to the uncertainty of such historical figures as Nitzchie (sp?), Sarte, and Bertrand Russell. Mom said the message was quite good. It’s interesting to listen to a sermon given in a language you really don’t understand much of, but you can sense the Lord’s presence nonetheless. The service lasted about an hour and then Mom got a chance to chat with the pastor afterwards. He gave her some information on some CMA missionaries that are in Ecuador.
Spanish speaking Christian and Missionary Alliance church
Walter then picked us up and after a brief stop at a point with a good view to the east, we headed back to Hotel Los Alpes to change into our tourist clothes.
Us in our good sunday clothes. Note John´s tie, a rare siting!
It was a beautiful day with barely a cloud in the sky except far off on the horizon, so we figured it was a perfect day to visit the Teleferico, a recently built tram that takes people up the side of Pichincha to a height of about 13,000 feet (as measured with my trusty GPS unit). So Walter dropped us off at the Teleferico and we paid a bit extra to get into the express line, so Mom wouldn’t have to stand in line for a long time (but they did get a senior discount, something we haven’t seen much of in Ecuador). So we were soon in the tram, heading up the side of Pichincha. The trip took 10-15 minutes up and we shared the tram car with three Ecuadorians, one of whom definitely shared Mom’s aversion to heights, though she seemed to laugh about it a bit more than Mom! I’m a bit afraid of heights myself, but I wouldn’t want to miss the spectacular views. We got to the top and Mom found a bench to sit on, while John and I walked around a little bit. I don’t think I’ve ever been at 13,000 feet before, other than being on a pressurized airplane, but none of us seemed to feel any ill effects of the high elevation. The location provides spectacular views. I’m putting up a few pictures, but they really don’t do it justice. We saw a variety of volcanoes, including Cotopaxi, Antisana, Cayambe, Illiniza (South and North), and the nearby peaks of Guagua and Rucu Pichincha. We also had a panoramic view of Quito and a view west down toward the coast. We took lots of pictures and video of course. It’s really great that they have built the Teleferico to allow so many people to enjoy these spectacular views (and quite a few people were enjoying them today. After a little while we were getting hungry, so we took the tram back down to he bottom and got some sandwiches at a little café at the bottom.
Northern Quito, with Cayambe volcano in the distance
Antisana volcano
Central Quito from atop Pichincha
Myself, with Cotopaxi in the distance
The view from Pichincha to the west, toward the Pacific Ocean
Another look at Antisana volcano
At 2:00, Walter came by and picked us up. We then went to look up Mom’s old address in Quito where she lived. I should mention that that pesky bike race that caused us so many problems was still plaguing us, as it was running through south Quito and the Old Town, so we couldn’t easily visit either of those parts of town today. Thankfully we have next Friday in Quito, so we can hit a few more sites then. Walter drove us by the place he said was where Mom had lived, but Mom isn’t convinced he actually got us to the location, as he had to run family members to the airport later and seemed in a hurry. On the way back to the hotel we stopped in the Parque El Ejido, a park near our hotel where on Sundays there are art and craft sales and other activities. We did a bit of shopping there and then went back to the hotel to rest for awhile.
A gentleman in Parque El Ejido, selling his paintings
Then it was time to head to dinner. We went to a place called Mama Clorinda’s to have some authentic Ecuadorian cuisine (maybe some cuy finally!), but at the door we’re told that a club is using the restaurant tonight, so we walk across to Chalet Suisse across the street, which is open. We had a good dinner there. I think the constant eating out is wearing on me a bit, as I find I’m wishing I could just go home and have something simple to eat in my kitchen. It’s a bit of work to eat out every meal every day! Well, we head back to Hotel Los Alpes and get ready for our foray this coming week to the jungle, as we head to Tena tomorrow morning with Walter driving us. We’ll probably spend a good chunk of the day driving to Tena, so I’m not sure we’ll do a lot else tomorrow besides the drive. I’m feeling just a bit of general travel lag. And I’m not sure what internet access I’ll have the next few days, so my updates may be spottier.
After four days traveling to the south, it was nice to be back in the now familiar surroundings at the Hotel Los Alpes in Quito. We had our usual Los Alpes breakfast and then Walter came by at 8:30 a.m. to take us to the Spanish-speaking Christian and Missionary Alliance church. This is the church Mom went to many many years ago, so, as with a number of other things on this trip, this was a bit of a homecoming for her. We weren’t quite sure whether it would be the right church, as Walter had said it was “evangelical”, but that term could apply to some other groups besides the CMA. But, we arrived and it was indeed to Spanish-speaking CMA church and their 9:00 a.m. service was just getting underway. For John and I it was hard to follow much, as it was all in Spanish and spoken rather quickly, but Mom said she could follow most of it. The message was on “God, Our Creator” and Mom told us afterwards that there was some discussion contrasting the certainty a Christian has in God compared to the uncertainty of such historical figures as Nitzchie (sp?), Sarte, and Bertrand Russell. Mom said the message was quite good. It’s interesting to listen to a sermon given in a language you really don’t understand much of, but you can sense the Lord’s presence nonetheless. The service lasted about an hour and then Mom got a chance to chat with the pastor afterwards. He gave her some information on some CMA missionaries that are in Ecuador.
Spanish speaking Christian and Missionary Alliance church
Walter then picked us up and after a brief stop at a point with a good view to the east, we headed back to Hotel Los Alpes to change into our tourist clothes.
Us in our good sunday clothes. Note John´s tie, a rare siting!
It was a beautiful day with barely a cloud in the sky except far off on the horizon, so we figured it was a perfect day to visit the Teleferico, a recently built tram that takes people up the side of Pichincha to a height of about 13,000 feet (as measured with my trusty GPS unit). So Walter dropped us off at the Teleferico and we paid a bit extra to get into the express line, so Mom wouldn’t have to stand in line for a long time (but they did get a senior discount, something we haven’t seen much of in Ecuador). So we were soon in the tram, heading up the side of Pichincha. The trip took 10-15 minutes up and we shared the tram car with three Ecuadorians, one of whom definitely shared Mom’s aversion to heights, though she seemed to laugh about it a bit more than Mom! I’m a bit afraid of heights myself, but I wouldn’t want to miss the spectacular views. We got to the top and Mom found a bench to sit on, while John and I walked around a little bit. I don’t think I’ve ever been at 13,000 feet before, other than being on a pressurized airplane, but none of us seemed to feel any ill effects of the high elevation. The location provides spectacular views. I’m putting up a few pictures, but they really don’t do it justice. We saw a variety of volcanoes, including Cotopaxi, Antisana, Cayambe, Illiniza (South and North), and the nearby peaks of Guagua and Rucu Pichincha. We also had a panoramic view of Quito and a view west down toward the coast. We took lots of pictures and video of course. It’s really great that they have built the Teleferico to allow so many people to enjoy these spectacular views (and quite a few people were enjoying them today. After a little while we were getting hungry, so we took the tram back down to he bottom and got some sandwiches at a little café at the bottom.
Northern Quito, with Cayambe volcano in the distance
Antisana volcano
Central Quito from atop Pichincha
Myself, with Cotopaxi in the distance
The view from Pichincha to the west, toward the Pacific Ocean
Another look at Antisana volcano
At 2:00, Walter came by and picked us up. We then went to look up Mom’s old address in Quito where she lived. I should mention that that pesky bike race that caused us so many problems was still plaguing us, as it was running through south Quito and the Old Town, so we couldn’t easily visit either of those parts of town today. Thankfully we have next Friday in Quito, so we can hit a few more sites then. Walter drove us by the place he said was where Mom had lived, but Mom isn’t convinced he actually got us to the location, as he had to run family members to the airport later and seemed in a hurry. On the way back to the hotel we stopped in the Parque El Ejido, a park near our hotel where on Sundays there are art and craft sales and other activities. We did a bit of shopping there and then went back to the hotel to rest for awhile.
A gentleman in Parque El Ejido, selling his paintings
Then it was time to head to dinner. We went to a place called Mama Clorinda’s to have some authentic Ecuadorian cuisine (maybe some cuy finally!), but at the door we’re told that a club is using the restaurant tonight, so we walk across to Chalet Suisse across the street, which is open. We had a good dinner there. I think the constant eating out is wearing on me a bit, as I find I’m wishing I could just go home and have something simple to eat in my kitchen. It’s a bit of work to eat out every meal every day! Well, we head back to Hotel Los Alpes and get ready for our foray this coming week to the jungle, as we head to Tena tomorrow morning with Walter driving us. We’ll probably spend a good chunk of the day driving to Tena, so I’m not sure we’ll do a lot else tomorrow besides the drive. I’m feeling just a bit of general travel lag. And I’m not sure what internet access I’ll have the next few days, so my updates may be spottier.
posted by Bob at 6:29 PM
1 Comments:
what a view!
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