Ecuador, Summer 2013 (Part 3)
THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THIS WEBSITE WAS EVER CONCEIVED ON MY OLD TUMBLR ACCOUNT. IT HAS BEEN EDITED FROM ITS ORIGINAL FORM FOR GRAMMAR, PACING, AND TO MAKE IT AN OVERALL BETTER READ.
Early in the morning on June 10th, my cousin Gabriel and I drove downtown to go on a bus tour of Quito.
Similar to those found in Europe, these open double-decker buses take you around the city, dropping you off at various stops along the way, allowing you the freedom to hop on and off throughout the day.
While waiting in line to buy tickets, we met a few fellow Americans from Chicago: Elena, Deanna, and Elena’s mother, Debbie. We quickly became friendly and agreed to stick together throughout the day with Gabriel serving as our unofficial tour guide.
The first stop on our tour was the “Basilica del Voto Nacional.” Completed in 1892, the basilica is the largest neo-gothic church in the Americas.
The structure is absolutely massive and for a small fee, you are allowed to explore almost every inch of the church including the towers on the edges of the church.
The climb up the towers is fairly nerve wracking as the majority of the trek is made over narrow wooden bridges and up old, rickety ladders. The perilous journey is well worth it as the view from the top of the 350 foot spire was beautiful.
We were all starving after skipping breakfast and took the tour bus to the main public suqare in Quito: La Plaza de la Independencia. We looked for somewhere to eat and stumbled upon a steakhouse whose name I cannot remember. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, traveling in a developing nation can be very affordable. This was definitely on display here as I was able to have a delicious filet mignon for only $14.
After lunch, we walked around the plaza and discovered La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesus, a Jesuit church completed in 1765. The Compañía church is a testament to Catholic decadence. Although erected during more prosperous times, the gold leaf lining a large section of the interior of the building definitely seems a bit hypocritical by today’s standards. Photography of the interior is also prohibited and I wasn’t about to risk getting kicked out for a few pictures.
After visiting the church, we hopped back on the tour bus to El Panecillo, a large hill of volcanic origins. One of the best things about Quito are the views. Due to the mountainous terrain, there’s countless number of vantage points to see the city. El Panecillo offers by far my favorite view of Quito.
In 1976, Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras was commissioned to build a statue at the top of El Panecillo. The 150 foot statue of the Virgin Mary sits atop of a globe while crushing a snake, looking over the city as its protector.
