Above I'm seen in the hills high above Quito after taking the teleférico (cable car) up the east side of Volcano Pichincha, to lookout Cruz Loma. I only paid $2.50 for the ride on the teleferico, due to having a Cedula (Ecuadorian residency)and being over 65.
Although the weather had been quite rainy, the sun came out that morning. I enjoyed an amazing hike, friendly visitors, and exquisite views from an elevation of 12, 000 feet. The altitude didn't really bother me although I noticed my heart was pounding loudly while scrambling cross country up a hill I wanted to get to!
The photos below are also taken of my morning on the teleférico:
Most of the time in Quito, I took the trolley for 12 cents a ride. It was easy to catch the trolley on 10 de Agosto from La Mariscal to El Centro, and I saved money on taxi fares. People on the trolley are very helpful and I was never robbed of anything, even though at times the trolley is crowded.
My next stop in Quito (after the ride on the teleférico) was the Museo Camilo Egas on Venezuela and Oriente. This was one of my favorite museums in Quito, if not my favorite. I found the lesser known museums in Quito the ones I preferred.
Camilo Egas was a famous Indigenous Ecuadorian painter who trained in Madrid, Rome and Paris. His art had been displayed in some of the world's most prestigious museums.
The Camilo Egas Museum in Quito is located in a small, beautiful building from Colonial times. It houses the work of other artists, some of them very avant garde, as well as the works of Camilo Egas.
Next are some whimsical pieces displayed downstairs in the museum, by an artist with whom I am unfamiliar. I found this artist's work is so delightful that I decided to include it in this blog:
Located in El Centro, the former house of art patron María Augusta Urrutia has been transformed into a museum with many Ecuadorian pieces of art from the colonial period. Here there are large bronze pots, fine French porcelain and silver dinnerware, as well as mystic pictures of Mideros and other Ecuadorian painters.
The house is worth experiencing because it has been so well preserved. The young woman below was my guide, and she provided provided excellent information. The gardens inside the house are shown. Photos inside the Museum were not allowed.
Since we're on the subject of restaurants, I'll go ahead and show photos of the restaurants I went to in Quito. Every day I sought out a different one.
Below is a photo of El Arabe, on Reina Victoria in La Mariscal, where I had lunch Sunday. The meal I ordered included hummos, dolma, falafal, salad, and other typical Middle Eastern food. It cost $12 and I saved half of the meal for dinner.
The other patrons eating at El Arabe were great fun too. I loved the ambience of the restaurant. Cuenca sure doesn't have any Middle Eastern food as good as this restaurant offers.
The person I asked to help me with directions to Sher e Punjab was a well dressed young man who appeared to be of Indian descent and spoke English with a British accent. He said he knew this restaurant very well.
I ordered a superb curried fish dish. The owner of Sher e Punjab was at the cash register and we talked for a few minutes. My bill was $12. What a thrill to have good Indian food in Ecuador, finally.
I mentioned earlier that I stayed at the Posada Tambuca. My experience there was good and I would consider staying there again. The daily cost of $30 is more than I usually pay, but this is about as good as it gets while staying in Quito. At first I was very disappointed in my room, which didn't even offer an armoire in which to hang my clothes.
I was told the hallway bathroom outside the door would be my own, yet someone else in an adjacent room shared the bathroom several nights. Coffee and breakfast were excellent, if sometimes late. It was cold at the Posada Tambuca and there were no heaters.
However, the location of the Posada Tambuca was very convenient to both the trolley line and to Foch Plaza, where there are many good restaurants. The nights were very quiet and my bed was big and comfortable. Two out of the five nights there, I was the only guest, which contributed to the quiet. I only needed to eat one meal out daily, because of the ample breakfast served at Posada Tambuca.
Carlos, the son of the owners, was always very cordial, and gave me an early morning ride to the airport my last day at the Posada Tambuca. We always spoke in Spanish, though he speaks some English as well. He was available to provide useful information about Quito, and he loaned me a jacket to wear for several days because I was cold! Below are photos of Posada Tambuca and my room there, as well as a photo of Carlos Yépez, son of Proprietor Yolanda Yépez.
Sunday, I arose early and took a $2 taxi ride to Quito's City Bus Tour. The Tour begins at Bulevar Naciones Unidas, at Parque Carolina. There were only 3 of us on the 9 am bus, so I received lots of individual attention. The next photo is of Andrea, Tour Guide, and Fernando, Chauffer:
We stopped at the Jardin Botánico, Plaza Foch in La Mariscal, the Mercado Artesanal, and Ejido. I took photos of the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo:
And I took photos when we stopped at the Iglesia La Basilica:
The photos below are taken of the San Juan neighborhood of Quito, in which most of the streets are named after geographical locations including various international cities and countries:
The virgin stands on top of a globe, stepping on a snake, which is classic madonna iconography. The wings, however, are not traditional. Ecuadorians claim that she is the only one in the world with wings like an angel.
The monument was inspired by the famous "Virgen de Quito" (Quito's Madonna) also known as "the dancer" sculpted by Bernardo de Legarda in 1734, which now decorates the main altar at the Church of St. Francis.
This madonna represents a turning point of the Quito School of Art (one of the most renowned of the Americas) because it shows a virgin in movement that is practically dancing. This is in sharp contrast with the traditional static Madonnas that were produced during the 18th century.
After the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, I went for Indian food at Sher e Punjab, in La Mariscal. The weather turned rainy. I decided to take a cab up to the Museo Guayasamín.
The young cab driver didn't even know where this well known museum is located, because he was from Cayambe, a small town in Northern Ecuador near Otavalo. He asked a lot of people, and they pointed the way to him. The fare was $3.00. I'm told there's a bus that goes to the Bellavista part of Quito, where the Museo Guayasamín is located, but I didn't take the bus this time.
The following photo is of La Capilla del Hombre (Chapel of Man), adjacent to the home the legendary painter Oswaldo Guayasamín(1919-1999) lived in during the last 20 years of his life. The chapel is meant to document not only man's cruelty to man but also the potential for greatness within humanity.
The woman below depicts the horror of impoverishment in which a mother cannot nourish her own child. Both are on the brink of starvation. Guayasmín is known for his paintings showing the enormous suffering of indigenous people due to their poverty.
Below is a directory, where descriptions of the Guayasamín compound are provided. Although his art depicted poverty and suffering, Oswaldo Guayasamín lived a life of great wealth and enjoyed friendships with powerful people. He entertained world-famous persons at his home, including Charles De Gaulle, former president of France, Prince Phillip and his daughter Princess Caroline of Monaco, and many others.
The pieces are arranged my theme, and include bowls, fertility figurines, burial masks. One can see the influence on Guayasamįn's work of their geometric designs and muted color schemes ]
The museum also houses Guayasamín's religious art collection, including works by talented indigenous artists from the Escuela Quiteña. Although Guayasamín was agnostic, he incorporated tortured and Christlike images in his work.
The last day of my time in Quito, I took public transportation to the Mitad del Mundo. Although it was inexpensive to travel about 30 minutes north of Quito to this location, I wouldn't recommend others take the time to do so. The Mitad del Mundo had little to offer, as far as I was concerned.
Below are a few photos I took while there.
I've already learned about the various subgroups of Ecuador's population, and the habitat from which they sprung. I did not feel I learned anything new at the Museo Intinan, although the displays were terrific. I admit to having been very tired that day, since it was my last day in Quito.
The primary claim to fame of the Museo Intinan is that it is situated at the true location of the center of the earth, while the Mitad del Mundo is only close.
While we felt the earthquake in Cuenca, its effects was devastating on the Coast, where hundreds of people have died, and thousands have been injured. Tens of thousands of Ecuadorians have no electricity, water or food at this time.
The Il Tramonto, where I stayed in Canoa during the first 2 months of the year, fell during the earthquake. In fact, 90% of Canoa has collapsed into rubble. Bahía de Caraquéz suffered enormous loss. It's hard to believe that places where I recently enjoyed such happy times are now gone.
Everything has changed for Ecuador since I photographed the photos for this blog update. I'm grateful for all I've enjoyed and grieve for the people who are now going through such devastation. Ecuador is united in prayers for those who have not fared as well as I have during the earthquake. The country will never be the same.
Thank you for reviewing this blog update and for your inquiries as to my well-being. I look forward to staying in communication, and will post my next blog update late in May.
