This is Antisana Volcano outside of Quito.
11/2/2006
Much to our surprise, we trotted off on a half-day tour of Quito, Ecuador, a half hour after arriving at Patio Andaluz, a gorgeous small inn in the "Old Town of Quito. Trotted is an exaggeration. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is 9.000 feet above sea level. We toured at a slow pace. We had time for Granny to chat with some students that were trying to speak English as part of a school assignment.
Courtyard of Patio Andaluz
Spanish/English Lesson in the square - The kids won!
Quito Grand Square - 2 Blocks from our hotel
Quito reminds me of Antiqua, Guatemala in the Spanish Colonial architecture, narrow streets, and a tired, well worn appearance. The commercial sections of Quito are built at the bottom of magnificent mountains. Small, crowded houses decorate the hillsides.We strolled through the grand square, grander churches, and an exciting craft shop. The ornate gilded churches, santos by the dozens, and huge wooden carvings was pleasantly juxtaposed with the crafts at Galeria Latina. The Galeria displayed a beautiful selection of contemporary works by outstanding craft people. I wanted everything from the silver jewelry to the tapestries.
11/4/2006
Off to the Galapagos for a week long adventure!
To see the Galapagos section, .click here.
11/11/2006
Back from the Galapagos. It was late in the afternToon so we went directly back to Patio Andaluz. The big event of the afternoon was giving our laundry to our guide, Luis Gonzalez, so we would have clean clothes for our trip to the jungle.
:Pujili Market Meat Stall
Pujili Market - Brown Sugar
11/3/2006
Today we drove into the mountains, to about 13,000 feet. Our destination was Volcano Antisana. Antisana didn’t disappoint us. It was a wonderful cool, clear day and the volcano showed off her snow-covered head; an awesome sight. This must have been an exquisite planet before humans
11/12/2006
Today we went to see the Pujili market. This is not a "tourist" market like Otavalo which we will see later. There were very few tourists. This is primarily a produce market along with some stalls for other items such as meat, staples, etc. After the market, we went for a fabulous lunch at a hacienda that was en route.
