"Adjusting to the altitude"

View from the Penecillo
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We landed late last night from Santiago and were glad to find that our hotel was quite modern and fully equipped with all mod cons - like a hairdryer!!! Oh my god it has only been a week but already a hairdryer feels like such a luxury!

Today is our first day and will be one of menial chores - like sorting washing and money out. We also need to take it easy as at an altitude of 2950m you can start to feel a little wobbly and need time to aclimatise.

Oh my god it has only been a week but already a hairdryer feels like such a luxury!

The Penecillo Virgen
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Quito has alot to offer though as it is a Unesco World Heritage Site and so we will be exploring the sites tomorrow before we head off to the Galapagos on Sunday.

Saturday....

Last night was interesting. We are staying close to the main drag (i.e. 200m) so we thought going out could be lively. Imagine a busy night out where 100's of guys that look like Dale when he's got a good tan and you're getting close. The drag was resounding to the sound of Ecuadorian chavs blasting their tunes which was entertaining as they haven't got to the 90's yet let alone the 00's. The Mariscal area where we are staying is well equpped for backpackers with streets lined with Lavanderias, Internet cafes and cheap bars and restaurants.

Plaza de la Independencia
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We ate at a cool place that served pretty normal looking food and it was georgeous....filet mignon for 5 pounds anyone?

This morning we hit the old town via a trip up a very big hill, el Penicillo, to look over Quito. The weather is still great at 27 when it should be 18 degrees so the tan continues to come on!!

The old town is clearly well looked after due to it's heritage staus and has lots of interesting architecture and churches to look at. The teddy loved it as you can see. We visited a number of the churches and generally mooched about quite casually around the old town.