The media coverage of Ecuador left me feeling slightly unsettled about travelling there. It was made worse by Mums repeated messages, mostly capitalised, about making sure I did not go to Ecuador.
I went anyway and I’m still here to tell the tale. I arrived late at night after my flight from Medellin and caught an uber to my hostel – The Secret Garden, owned by an Australian funnily enough. I joined the hostels free walking tour the next day which was, whilst maybe a little long, far more interesting than some of the other walking tours I have been on. The city centre in Quito felt normal and busy and I felt far safer here than in parts of Colombia. After 4 months travelling it was my first taste of real cold weather with Quito sitting at an altitude of 2850m, the second highest capital city in the world.
After the walking tour a few of my newly acquainted friends and I, visited a pub to watch the champions league final. We then got a curry for a late lunch, an odd choice of food in Ecuador but it was surprisingly nice. It was a Saturday night in Quito, so we took advantage of the happy hour on the hostels rooftop restaurant which has amazing views of the city and then ventured out on a party bus organised through the hostel.
The next day we went on a trip to Mitad del Mundo, translated to the ‘middle of the world’ where the equator sits just North of Quito. The popular site was very touristy and a little bit gimmicky, but it was worth the trip with unique demonstrations of the Coriolis effect, where water currents rotate different directions depending on which hemisphere you were in. It was cool to say I was at a latitude and longitude of 0,00,00.
hahaha! Yep I was worried! Always looking out for you!❤