On July 31, we bid farewell to magical Colombia and crossed the border into Ecuador. We used the Rumichaca border crossing, which was fairly straight-forward and fast at around an hour and 15 minutes. For details, refer to our border crossings page.
Our first stop was in Ibarra, a charming little town around two hours from the border.
On the following day, we rode for another two hours from Ibarra to Quito, where we were stopping for a week. Quito is the capital of Ecuador and, at an elevation of 2,850 metres above sea level, it is the second-highest capital city in the world. Our ascension to the city was gradual so we did not experience any altitude sickness, but we did feel like we had gained 200 pounds overnight due to shortness of breath at every little activity.
Wheezing aside, we had heard about Quito’s historic center being one of the largest, least-altered, and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas so, naturally, we had to pay it a visit. The historic center is indeed very beautiful and we had a great day exploring it. We went to check out the gold church, La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, but after seeing that it cost 4 USD (~5.20 CAD) per person to enter, we decided to forgo it. Instead, we opted for the Basílica del Voto Nacional. The entrance fee was more palatable (but still odd for a place of worship) at 2 USD (~2.60 CAD) per person. At least we got to climb all the way to the top for some amazing views of the city.
We also visited the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) monument during our week in Quito. The monument is a 40-minute ride from the city and costs 5 USD (~6.50 CAD) to get in. Constructed between 1979 and 1982, the 30-meter-tall monument was supposed to mark the location of the equator, but modern GPS equipment show that it is actually off by around 240 meters. The initial placement of the equatorial line was defined in the 1736 French Geodesic Mission expedition.
Many people visit the monument and then go in search of the actual equator, but we decided to hang out at the monument area and try some cuy (an Andean specialty known as guinea pig in the English-speaking world) for lunch. How was the meat, you ask? The texture is similar to rabbit, but the taste is very strong – unlike anything we have ever tried before. We felt that we made a good decision in choosing to try it at a nicer restaurant with a chef who knew what he was doing because it is the type of meat that could easily be gamey. We’re glad we tried it, but we wouldn’t opt for it again.
Those are the highlights our time in Quito. It is a great city and we enjoyed our time there. Ecuador, in general, was a pleasant surprise because we went in without expectations and were greeted by gorgeous landscapes, friendly people, and the best roads we have seen since the USA. It was certainly not a let-down after Colombia 🙂
