Bus Ride to Quito

Rooftop view of old town, Quito
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We have spent almost all of our time in and around the small town of Cotacachi. However, we have undertaken several short visits to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, which is about 3 hours away from Cotacachi by bus. The journey begins by taking a bus from Cotacachi to nearby Otavalo, then catching one of the Quito buses from the main terminal in Otavalo.

While the buses run frequently and are very inexpensive ($2.25 from Cotacachi to Quito), the trip can feel a bit grueling, given that it takes almost 3 hours to cover around 70 miles total distance. The road is two-lane the whole way, winding through the mountains. Large, slow-moving trucks or other buses often back up traffic in your lane, but never fear--your bus driver will always find a way to pull out into the oncoming lane, without a lot of obvious heed to approaching vehicles, and pass eventually. On the trip to Quito, your bus hugs the side of the mountain as you pass along the Norte Panamerica road. However, on the return trip, your bus is hugging the plummeting cliffside of the road, made all the more dramatic if you happen to be sitting in one of the right hand window seats so you get a bird´s eye view of the drop.

Green juice to start the bus-riding day
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The buses that ply the Otavalo-Quito route vary a bit in comfort, roominess and newness. None have air-conditioning or toilets. Most however have a TV screen in the front of the bus and will show a movie during the trip. The sound quality is almost inaudible though, given the noise of the bus and the often open windows. However, since we have had no TV or movies in the 2 months we have been here, I find the lure of the screen an irresistible & unexpected treat, sound or no sound. Most of the movies are older and all are dubbed in Spanish, although once we saw the most recent Indiana Jones movie with English subtitles. (The subtitles made up for the inaudiblity, but then I missed getting to hear Harrison Ford speak Spanish.)

Mom and Dad overlooking old town, Quito
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Our most recent Quito trip was with my parents to spend a couple days in the city before they flew out of Quito airport back home to the States. We began the day with breakfast in Cotacachi before catching the bus. The restaurant´s juice of the day (always fresh squeezed) happened to be alfalfa--a shocking bright green that indeed tasted a lot like grass, but kind of grew on you as you sipped.

Thus fortified, we navigated the buses, but unfortunately got stuck on a more-uncomfortable-than-usual bus with very stale, stuffy air. The ride took longer than usual as well, but was relieved along the way by the ice cream vendor. He hopped on the bus somewhere along the route with his small cooler packed with ice cream bars, rode along for a ways, and eventually began hawking his wares in the aisle. This is a very common occurence--lots of local foods, snacks, fruits, drinks and ice creams are sold by people crying out their wares up and down the bus aisle before they hop off and try another bus.

The journey begins at the Cotacachi bus terminal
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Quito has two architectural personalities. There is the old town--the Spanish colonial section that was built beginning in the early 1500´s and has recently undergone an extensive and beautiful restoration so it is clean, safe and well-kept. Old Town Quito has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved history and architecture. Then there is also the new town of Quito--the more modern part with much less architectural or historical distinction. We confined ourselves to staying in and exploring the old town.

We were there all day on a Sunday, which was fortunate because the old town is completely closed to car traffic on Sundays until 4 pm! It was a gratifying sight to see the masses of people out strolling; sitting in the beautiful squares amidst the fountains, flowers and trees; attending services at one of the massive old colonial churches or cathedrals; listening to open-air concerts; shopping; eating; watching a bike race through the streets.

While the old town is indeed beautiful, and I deeply appreciate its careful restoration to preserve this architectural history, all four of us decided that we had had enough of city life after that one day. There were simply too many detractions compared to the life we like in smaller towns like Cotacachi (or Iowa City, Iowa where my parents live)--too much traffic, pollution, noise, people; too much of a feeling of stress or being rushed. It was a good realization and affirmation for us about life in Cotacachi.