Day 4: Trip to the Old Town

So yes, I went to the bar last night. First to el Pobre Diablo, a sort of jazz restaurant/bar, but it appeared I was way too early. I might have been there at 7.15. The band that was going to play at 10.30 was practicing, so I sat down and ordered a beer. I had a choice between the local Pilsener and Heineken (Do I have to tell you which I ordered?). By the time my beer arrived, the band stopped practicing and I just sat there, alone, at my table, drinking my beer. At least the beer was good. Ah, well, the bar was good too, but I was way too early. So when I finished my beer, I went to el Cafecito, in a more busy area. As I entered and sat down, a group of (probably Dutch even) youth just left the place. So I ordered a pilsener again and grabbed a newspaper. So I sat there, at the bar, drinking my beer, reading a newspaper. By the time I finished my beer, it was about 9 and I had enough of it. Linea recta to bed. Better luck next time.

Next morning, after breakfast, I asked Bernardo which places were good to go to in the Old Town. He showed me some places on the map and called me a taxi. First stop: El Panecillo, a hill in the south of Quito with a huge statue called the ‘virgen de Quito’. My first taxi left me there, though we agreed he’d wait for 15 minutes for me to take pictures. No matter, because I took my time anyway. Although a new taxi wanted to charge me 5 dollars at first. Haggled it down to 3, though it should have been only 2 dollars to the next place. Op on that hill, I met some funny Americans, joking about taking a picture of the loo in Het Loo. One of them took a picture of me with the virgin. They told me Guayaquil is a dirty city and I should better go to Cuenca. Like I have a choice, no?

Next stop: La Plaza Grande. A green square with some impressive architecture on all sides. I little girl was selling candy there, so I asked her if I could make a picture of her if I bought some from her. Next thing I know, kids all around me and a policeman shooing her away. After buying the candy, I didn’t have a chance to take that picture anymore. Five shoe shine boys overheard me though, and offered me a picture for a dollar each. Smart little guys, but I fell for it. Just wish me and my camera were better prepared for that picture.

I kept walking around the Old Town for a while, taking pictures of the architecture, when I suddenly fell hungry. I guess I spend about an hour looking for that one vegetarian restaurant I looked up on the web, and when I found it, I realized I had already walked past it a couple of times. Stupido. But the food was really good again. It amazes me how easy it appears to be after all to get a cheap vegetarian meal in Quito.

The plan was to go to the TelerifiQo as well (a big cable cart taking you up to one of the mountains), but the sky was cloudy, foretelling disappointing pictures, and it was getting late, and I had enough of walking. So for another time. I headed back to my hotel room by foot, walking by some parks. At home, I found my room clean and tidy again. It feels strange that it gets cleaned so often, but I’m also glad I don’t have to do it myself.

Now it’s time to fill up some empty hours. If I’m up to it I might go back to el Pobre Diablo around 10, but I still have a bit of a jetlag and I want to be fresh tomorrow morning to go to Pululahua, the giant volcanic lake crater.