Dodgy Blokes & Brad Pitt

A visit to the Equator
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The city of Quito is situated in a valley surrounded by lovely hills and looks quite pretty on the bus trip in. Quito is another colonial styled city and has some charming areas because of it. Our hotel was located close to the Old City precinct and seemed to be in a very dodgy area. Seedy, suspicious blokes milled around the streets at all hours of the day and night. You get the impression that if you happened to get lost, then a quick mugging is definitely on the cards. We stuck to the main streets and travelled in small groups, so didn’t get into any strife, but we did hear a few stories from other hotel guests.

The Old City of Quito has many monuments of the Spanish conquest. Cathedrals, old buildings and cobbled streets are commonplace, and it is a nice way to pass the time by wandering off, admiring the architecture.

You get the impression that if you happened to get lost, then a quick mugging is definitely on the cards

Nearby is the Equator, and being so close we figured we would check it out. There is a series of museums and parks at the site – and of course we had to pay to get in! It is pleasant enough to wander around the gardens, but to be perfectly honest it is just an imaginary line isn’t it? One foot either side, take photo, done!

Back at Quito, Pete had a sudden rumble with Brad Pitt and spent most of the afternoon and evening polishing the porcelain surface of the toilet. I went out for a stroll on my own for a while, but soon as it got dark I made my way back to the hotel. Our flight to Mexico was very early in the morning so an early night was in order.