From the very forgettable Panama City we flew to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, a beautiful city nestled in the highlands in a corridor of snowcapped volcanoes. We headed straight for La Mariscal (New Town) or Gringoland as the locals refer to it and have found a cosy little hostel away from the hustle and bustle . From here, we have spent the last few days exploring and researching our Galapagos trip.The first thing I noticed about Quito is that it is far more modern city than I imagined. The transport system is cheap, quick and well-managed and it is very clean. It also has a healthy mixture of the old and new combining the Old Town traditional culture of street markets and musicians alongside swanky bars, hotels and high-end out-of-town shopping malls. This is so refreshing after the polluted, claustrophic and sanitised Panama City. However, like any Latin American city it is not without problems and crime is high, especially opportunistic thefts, pickpocketing and sophisticated scams. A consequence of this is that in some areas, the more touristic areas, it almost feels like there are more security guards than people with at least two on every street corner and one in every store.
Knowing that we are to return to Quito after the Islands we have concentrated on finding the right cruise and left exploring the sights until after. After a day spent in agencies we eventually found an 8 day cruise (you can also take a 4 or 5 day cruise) at a fair price which visits the islands we wanted to see and that caters for divers. We will then visit the island of Isabella for 3 days which we've been told is one of the most beautiful and not an island on many cruise itineraries. The cruiser is a 16 passenger vessel named the Guantanamera which, departing in two days, left us just enough time to do some last minute shopping and to visit the equator.
The equator is 1.5hrs north of the city by bus and marked by an interesting museum and ethnic tour highlighting the customs and costumes of the various ethnic groups in Ecuador. And you get to take the obligatory photo of yourself straddling the equator of course!
Bored of the gringo nightlife we also took the opportunity to go and see the latest Bond movie which we both enjoyed. Even though it is overlong (2.5hrs?), with more plot holes than a sieve, lazy direction and yawn inducing romantic scenes we both felt that Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Connery (maybe better, only time will tell). Which was surprising as up until now I've found him dull in almost every roll he's played. So, 7/10 for the film but 9/10 for the Bond.
Anyway, as I write this now, we are tomorrow flying to the place of Darwin's finches, Lonesome George and plenty of Boobies!
Facts
Cerviche (a seafood dish) is an Ecuadorian speciality although it seems that every South American country claims theirs is better.
Panama Hats are made in Ecuador
Books
The True History of the Kelly Gang, Peter Carey - A fantastic novel told in the form of a journal as though penned by Kelly himself charting the life of the famous Aussie outlaw
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Tom Robbins - I think I have just found one of my favourite authors. About the life of Sissy Hankshaw, a girl blessed/cursed with oversized thumbs, this book is wide ranging in it's themes and full of hilarious observations and metaphors.
Films
Casino Royale - see above
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