Quito

We finally made it to Ecuador. Colombia was beautiful and will be missed. Ecuador was noticibly different than Colombia almost immediately. Its hard to put my finger on, but I get the impression that Colombians are slightly better off and maybe slightly more sophisticated than their neighbors to the south. Ecuadorians looked just a little bit more tired.... the buses are just a little older and dustier. Homes and businesses look like they could use a coat of paint. . . . not to suggest that everything was shiny in Colombia. Regardless, Ecuador is physically no less beautiful than Colombia and its people were no less friendly and welcoming.

This is Otovalo, famous for its indegenous market. We spent the night here on the way to Quito and bought a few odds and ends.... this particular market is geared towards tourists which suited us just fine. We were more interested in buying sweaters and hammocks then toothpaste, live chickens, and vegetables. The real local market takes place only on Saturdays

This is Quito, an amazing city.... beautiful but not particularly touristy. Walking through Quito was like walking through a living museum. Quito's colonial center is fairly well preserved. The city is home to several beautiful churches, the best of whch we were prohibited from taking pictures in. In fact, a great deal of our time was spent roaming from church to church, checking out crazy religious art. Aside from that, there really isn't allot else to do there. Still, Quito had crazy energy and felt distinctly more foriegn than any Colombian city. We loved it.

Plaza Central:














One of the only churches that did not explicitly prohibit photography.... attached to this church was a museum that featured hundreds of paintings of martyred saints.... some decapitated, some stabbed through with swards, some shot through with arrows, but all bloody.... very bloody.... The martyred saints complimented the hundreds of extremy graphic depictions of Jesus suffering.... Ecuadorian Jesuses are some of the bloodiest and most disturbing I've ever seen.... No offense to any Catholics out there but one couldn't leave without thinking that maybe they were a bit crazy..... Regardless, I found it fascinating and I loved the art, most of which was 300 to 500 years old and top quality.


This hill can be seen from just about everywhere in town.... we were warned not to climb it. Apperently our chances of making it to the top with all of our belongings were minimal. I was skeptical but we erred on the side of caution and took a cab:










Even this doesn't compare to the churches that I couldn't take pictures in.... I guess its nice enough that they allow strangers like us to come in and poke around:



Taken from the roof of a convent:












We climbed a series of spiral stairs and ladders to get o the top of these towers.... never would be allowed at home:
Best view in Quito:








Tamales steamed in banana leaves.... a delicious and filling meal:

They took our picture so we took theirs:






Lisa took this picture because it reminded her of her dad: