Our good friend Wilson agreed to meet up with us in Quito today for a walk around in the historic district – A UNESCO world heritage site. The buildings here are all over 400 years old or so. There are many churches here with some stunning architecture.
Our first stop was the Basílica del Voto Nacional, in the centre of the historic district of Quito. We visited this on our first trip, but were not allowed to enter. On this day, we went inside, and then were allowed to climb up to the top steeple where the views were spectacular.
After a nice snack in a local restaurant, we wandered over to the central square in front of the Presidential Palace. It was Monday and time for the changing of the guard. The President of Ecuador presides over this spectacle and we were in the middle of it all. It was very interesting to watch.
Once the square cleared, we travelled to the top of the hill where there is a tall statue. It is called El Panecillo. The views of Quito are fantastic in every direction.
For lunch, Wilson wanted to take us to a special place, El Crater – a restaurant/hotel/spa situated on the edge of the volcano Pululahua. The area was fogged in so we couldn’t see the view, but the food and service was great!
After lunch we headed down the hill and visited the real center of the earth museum – Museo Intinan. We took a tour where we were shown several huts that depicted what indigenous life would have looked like a few thousand years ago, and then given several demonstrations that proved we were actually standing on the official GPS located line of the Equator.
