The best days in Quito, in terms of the weather, were when I was sick. After those first two days, it always rained in the afternoon and continued all night. We learned very quickly that the rain follows a pattern and it's in conflict with my lifestyle of waking up late and sleeping late. Like I said, it starts mid-afternoon around 2pm, continues all night and stops sometime in the early morning. This means finding things to do indoors, such as museums and malls.
Mareen really wanted to visit the Museo Nacional de Banco Central del Ecuador, and no it's not a museum on banking. So one day when the rain started earlier than normal, we went to the museum. I have a short attention span so museums are really Mareen's thing. This one was on Ecuadorian history with a special exhibit on gold works by the many tribes in Ecuador. I was bored but it was free and we were out of the rain. You can't ask for more.
Near the end of our time in Quito, we had one bright sunny morning. This was a perfect day to check out Quito's newest attraction, the Teleforico. It's a gondola ride from 2900 metres all the way up to 4100 metres, near the peak of Pinchicha Volcano. The view from that height actually lets you appreciate how big and expansive Quito really is. There seems to be no end to it, with buildings sprawled out as far as you can see, only being stopped in some places by the peaks of the Andes. If you have never been up that high, just realize that it is always cold and the air is very thin. Even though there are trails for hiking, I wasn't going to do it, just walking was a challenge, and then of course the rain starts on schedule.
We went out a couple of nights in Quito. Once was to Plaza Foch to have dinner and a few drinks. We soaked in some of the local night life, music, and customs such eating chicken wings with gloves, provided by the restaurant :-) Our final night in Quito, we decided to brave the rain and go to Old Town. It was a light sprinkle when we got there but within half an hour it got heavy and we had to run for cover under a balcony. As we huddle together avoiding as much of the rain as possible, a homeless man asked me for money. First he asked in Spanish, then in perfect English. After I gave him a quarter he told me, he will be sleeping at one corner of the plaza and that if anybody gave me problems I should come find him. Mareen and I found it amusing that we have the "protection" of a homeless man.
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