After months of planning, scheduling, and dreaming, we’re finally here in the Old Town of Quito. This is the biggest city and also the capital of Ecuador. We spent the first day strolling around to get a bit familiar with the area. As any other capital, you will find all sorts of people. Poor people, middle class people and rich people. People protesting, people running to work, people getting their shoes shined up. A real mix of people.
Among the colourful houses along the narrow streets of the Old Town, people are rushing around in the morning chaos – eating ice cream. So funny how there’s ice cream shop after ice cream shop after ice cream shop along the way. It may be reasonable, because the food here isn’t particularly good, and the temperature is quite high.
Now, we didn’t eat any ice cream, but we went to the grocery store and the fruit and vegetable market. Luckily enough for a traveling couple like us, prices are quite cheap. Because we have our own loft or house, we are able to make our own food. It is of course a cultural shock every time I go from making food on a normal electric oven to a gas oven, but I made it!
We also got to see the Basilica del Voto Nacional, a beautiful catholic church. Because we live on this loft, we get to see this church from our balcony. Being inside of it is just as spectacular. The music sounds angelic because it’s so high under the ceiling. We get to see people sitting inside of it, praying, crying and begging. No matter what religion you may have or don’t have, I think people need a place where they feel like they can be spiritual and come with their thoughts.
