Sightseeing in Quito. The roads are not good for cyclists.

Before I go into too much about what we did today I thought I should tell you something about Quito.

Quito was a major Inca city that was destroyed by Atahualpa’s general Rumiñahui, shortly before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The present capital was founded atop the Inca ruins by Sebastián de Benalcázar on December 6, 1534. Unfortunately, no Inca structures remain.

Quito Old Town was built centuries ago by indigenous artisans and laborers, Quito’s churches, convents, chapels and monasteries are cast in legend and steeped in history. It’s a magical, bustling area, full of yelling street vendors, ambling pedestrians, tooting taxis, belching buses, and whistleblowing policemen trying to direct traffic in the narrow, congested one-way streets.  As a foreign cyclist I didn't pay much attention to them and rode on like we owned the place.

Quito (elevation 2850m) is Ecuador’s second largest city, after Guayaquil. Quito’s reputation as a dangerous city is increasing. The Mariscal Sucre neighborhood (in the New Town) is extremely dangerous after dark, and we were told that we should always take a taxi, even for short distances. The Mariscal has been plagued by drugs, muggings, assaults and prostitution, and the city has only recently taken even the most token steps to control it (and the police corruption that allows it to continue). Sound like a lot of police forces in many developing nations.

I woke today at 4.30 am and couldn't get back to sleep. Up early is not good for me. After breakfast, Barry and I, and Dave from England went on a ride of the city. First we had to go across the park and check out the bicycle shop so Dave could buy some new bar ends for his handlebars. This device gives you another position to rest your hands whilst riding.

That's Dave leaving the bicycle shop. We told him he'd go faster now.

The video clip was taken on the iPhone whilst riding around the square.

With the bike now sorted it was time to hit the road and fight for a place on the road in a city that is just chaotic. We took as many side streets as possible but no matter what turn we took, it was just dangerous to ride on these roads.  We made our way to the old city to check out the local square. This is a square where the majority of people are elderly who congregate to chat and let the day pass without a concern in the world. We did get to meet a nice chap who wanted to know why we were in his city.

The old chap above, that's the one in the middle, checked out our bikes and was amazed when we told him we were riding to the end of the world. We agreed it was a stupid idea, but we paid too much to chuck it in, so we were committed. After the nice chat we went back into the fire and rode on up to the church of San Francisco which was quite a spectacular church which I had to go in.  In the photo below it's hard to see, but the entire roof is painted in gold leaf. Took a couple more photos and kept riding around the narrow twisty alleys of the old town.

In the distance high on yet another hill in Quito is the Mirador El Pancellio. We didn't want to climb the hill as we were already out of breath and the morning's ride was basically on flat roads. We just admired from the Square as the base of the hill.

The Mirador El Panecillo is a statue that stands atop the Panecillo which held immense religious significance during the pre-Inca, Inca and Spanish rule. The statue known as ‘Virgin of Quito’ is viewed as a protector of the city with the symbolic crushed serpent below her feet. The Panecillo hill has held the value of a fortress and a lookout for defense purposes. The Panecillo hill has also taken part and made its presence felt in the Independence battle of Quito.

It was time to head back to our accommodation. First we stopped off for lunch and then onto a nice coffee shop. I must say the people that go to this coffee shop are a lot more classier than the group I come across back home.

Now how's that for coffee and cake. I know it's not healthy, but I'm on holidays.

The rest of the afternoon is doing nothing. I do feel a bit better than yesterday, so Friday is looking good to start the tour. More cyclists.are arriving by the hour and the trucks are just around the corner.

For some other useless trivia to devour. Ecuador has had 7 presidents in the past 10 years. Now that's stability in a nation. Half the countries earnings come from petroleum based products.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.