¡Hola! from Quito.

Last Friday we departed LAX around 9am bound for Quito, Ecuador. It was an exciting approach as the pilots navigated through the Andes mountains, finally landing at the airport 9,500 feet above sea level (almost twice as high as Denver)! We flew commercially down to South America to pick up the jet (which was still parked at the airport in Quito) and our passengers who had a week long trip to the Galapagos Islands.

After we got off the long flight, our handler, Ramiro, picked us up at the gate which allowed us to skip the long lines and get through customs. We were exhausted and couldn't wait to go straight to bed. Ramiro drove us to the Marriott and told us some interesting facts about his city. It was fun practicing my Espanol and the people there definitely appreciated the effort.

The next day we woke up early for breakfast and headed back to the airport to check on our airplane. I also ordered our passenger's catering through the restaurant hotel, hoping they could understand through the language barrier. After our trip back to the airport, Ramiro took us to the SuperMaxi (grocery store) where I could get some of the items for my flight back to LA. I needed to get the basic stuff; milk, eggs, paper towels, fruit, etc. We have a little skillet on the plane and I wanted to make eggs and bacon for breakfast. I was surprised at the super market how similar it was to U.S. grocery stores compared to European super markets. I also had no idea that the national currency in Ecuador is the U.S. Dollar. You get a lot more for your money though, because the average monthly wage is about $250.



I really wanted the chance to tour Quito even though we were going to be there for such a short time. Ramiro offered to take us around to see the old city and teach us a bit about the culture. He said that Quito is separated into three areas; the old city, the southern (working class) and the northern part where most of the shopping and businesses are. Ramiro drove us to the Old Town (historical center). We saw the monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo. In the photo below, you can see the El Panecillo, which is a hill within the city at almost 10,000 feet above sea level! You can also see the monument of the Virgin Mary at the top, looking over the city. We drove to the top and from there, we could view about two of the 20 or so volcanos in Ecuador. As you can see, Quito is nestled in a narrow valley and the view from the top of El Panecillo was breathtaking.

A couple of facts that we learned about Quito is that it is the second highest capital city in the world. It is also only about 15 miles away from the Equator. The climate stays about the same all year around (about 75 degrees) and Quito only experiences variations in daylight hours of a few minutes throughout the year. The photo below shows thousands of boxes being loaded onto a 747 full of roses! Roses are one of Ecuadors top exports and sent to countries around the world including Russia, United States, and the Netherlands.

One of the coolest things I saw was the preparations for the New Years Eve traditions (Ano Viejo) just two days away. Ecuadorians celebrate by constructing effigies out of paper mache. I saw them leaned up against storefronts and in piles around light posts. The dummies were at least life size, if not much bigger. There were ones that looked like Bart Simpson, Osama Bin Laden, presidents, bosses, wives, etc. A handwritten note is pinned to the dummy with an explanation why it is being burned and what changes need to happen in the New Year. On New Years Eve, they take the dummies out in a pile to be burned, signifying an end to an old year and a start to a new and better year. I tried to get a photo of the dummies I saw on the side of the street but unfortunately my photo didn't turn out very clear.

I was glad to be able to tour a little bit of Quito during the short trip, but I would love to go back for some hiking and a trip to the Galapagos someday.