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A Special International Report Prepared by
The Washington Times Advertising Department - Published on April 21, 1999
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Quito - a Capital City
A day of shopping Otavalo Indians are known around the world for their style, music and entrepreneurial spirit. In Washington, D.C., groups of Otavalans play pan flute music at metro stops. They are easily recognizable by their felt hats atop long, dark, ponytailed hair. In Ecuador, the dress is even more distinct. The men don traditional white, calf-length trousers and blue ponchos. The women wear colorful, embroidered shirts, woolen shoulder wraps, and wind strings and strings of colorful beads up and down their slender necks. Market Day in Otavalo is Saturday so it is best if you travel by public bus to arrive on Friday night. Otherwise, rent a car so you can make a day of market shopping. The two hour drive from Quito passes volcanic ranges. On clear mornings Pinchincha, Pululagua and Cotacachi volcanoes are easily recognizable.
Otavalo restaurants in and around the Plaza de Ponchos, are tasty. Fortify yourself with local dishes, such as corn and pork rinds, and a freshly squeezed juice. Then head back to your car for a short drive to Cotacachi, the leather capital of Ecuador. Dozens upon dozens of little stores sell everything from suede scrunchies to leather briefcases to calfskin shirts. The quality is excellent, and with a little bargaining and a lot of comparison shopping, the prices are reasonable. The last stop of this long day is the little town of San Antonio de Ibarra known for intricate wood carvings. These descendants of 16th and 17th century wood carvers still craft Spanish-Moorish style carvings, as evidenced by the giant Don Quixote and Pancho Villas that guard store entrances. Some artisans have created their own styles and focus on smaller religious items and sensually shaped statues. If you are spending the night in this lake region, at one of the many little lake hostels, stop once again in Otavalo for the cockfights that start at 6:00 pm. Or if this tradition is a bit much, stock up on fresh mangos, avocados and strawberries for the ride back. Middle of the World The sign on the bus let us know that the Mitad del Mundo or Middle of the World was only a short ride from downtown Quito. In Ecuador, the 23,160 mile long equator has been turned into a thin yellow line stretching through a huge Equatorial Line Monument. This official marker was built in 1986 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the discovery of the exact spot of the equator.
Mitad del Munid is also a little town with restaurants, crafts, and exhibits. A sign informed me that if I stepped on the scale that I would weigh up to 10 pounds less because of the location of the scale on the equator. How could I resist? Now that I was thin, I went to the nearest restaurant and ordered a few local dishes: cuy, mote con chicharon, empanadas de morocho, and humitas. What came was roast guinea pig, corn with pork rinds, fried corn snacks, and ground corn in corn husks. An interesting way to put those 10 pounds back on. Banos - Thermal Baths and Taffy Banos, which means baths in Spanish, is Ecuador's answer to Baden-Baden. Visitors sit in thermal hot springs or plunge into the jacuzzis and swimming pools of first class hotels to cleanse and relax themselves before heading back to the hustle and bustle of Quito. On a clear day, the drive to Banos is spectacular. The German explorer, Alexander von Humboldt named this leg of the Pan American Highway the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Motorists pass Cotapaxi, Chimboraza and another half dozen volcanoes, the largest of which reaches almost 19,000 feet. This part of the Central Sierra is attractive to both tourists and trekkers, who make their bases at the little colonial towns nestled among the volcanic mountains. Banos is the gateway to eastern Ecuador and the Amazon and the starting point for tours to the indigenous villages and hot springs. Worshippers ask for miracles at the Basilica, while tourists escape Quito's chill. The town has three sets of thermal baths. People come from all over to rest in the waters that are known for their curative powers. The hot water is brown because of the high mineral content. At the nearby Palace hotel you can spend the day jumping between cold pools, warm jacuzzis and hot steam rooms. After a relaxing afternoon, walk throuhg the quaint colonial town and buy some of Banos' famous treats. In front of the Basilica, where "Our Senora of the Sainted Waters" has performed many miracles, stall after stall of people pull ropes of homemade taffy in the doorways and sell fudge and blackberry candy. Street vendors sell potent mixtures of aguardiente (cane liquor), naranjilla, water and cinnamon or aguardiente with egg, milk and sugar. After all those sweets, it's a good thing that Banos is also known as a place for walking. Short hikes to the Bella Vista Cross, the San Martin Shrine, and the Ines Maria Waterfall are all good ideas before settling down at one of Banos' many little restaurants for the evening. Old Town Quito has a rich history that dates back to pre-Inca times when the region was inhabited by several tribes. By the early 1500s the entire area was under Inca control and Quito was the capital of the northern part of the empire. The colonial city of Quito dates back to 1534, after the Spanish conquest, when it was built on the ruins of an ancient Inca city. Today, the Inca stonework is still visible in some of the colonial buildings, including San Francisco church. The rest of the architecture is a mix of Spanish, Moorish, Flemish and pre-Columbian. With adobe buildings, Spanish balconies, and narrow streets, a stroll through old town is a visit back in time. A walking tour of the Old City, which is protected by UNESCO, should start at the Plaza de la Independencia. Independence hero General Antonio Jose de Sucre is buried in the square's imposing Cathedral. Next door is El Sagrario, originally built as a chapel. Across the park is the old Palacio Arzobispal, which has been fixed up and now houses many shops, including a delicious American-style deli. Catty corner to the Palacio is the office of Mayor Roque Sevilla who is working to clean up and renovate the Old City. President Mahuad, the former mayor of Quito, moved across the park to the Government Palace, where he now works and lives. The Palace's balconies are from the Tuilleries in Paris and were brought over after the French Revolution. The San Francisco Church and Monastery, the patron saint of Quito, is an imposing structure in the plaza west of Independencia. The Plaza de Santo Domingo is to the east where the monastery and church of the same name sit. This church is known for its rich woodcarvings and elaborate Chapel of the Rosary. In the middle of the Plaza is Sucre's statue, which points to the slopes of Pinchincha Volcano where the battle against the Royalists was won. After a long day of touring, around Quito, you may not want to be too active. Go shopping in elegant Quicentro or try your luck at one of the many casinos. The Crowne Plaza has one of the largest ones with a wide selection of games, including Caribbean poker, Black Jack, Baccarat and slots. |
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Table of Contents (1) President Mahuad announces new economic plan |
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The excitement of a trip to Ecuador begins with the arrival at Quito airport. The airplane drops into a valley surrounded by 15,000 foot high volcanoes and lands smack in the middle of the city. Passengers disembark and notice the air is cooler, cleaner and thinner. Breathing is a little bit harder. At 9,209 feet, Quito is the second highest capital in the Americas. For the first few days, visitors are reminded, "Drink a little, eat a little, and walk a little."
The market actually consists of three markets, fruits, livestock, and artesania. Locals come in for the first two, while the tourist buys hand knit sweaters, straw and woolen hats, jewelry, bags of all sizes, paintings, baskets, ceramics, and beautifully colored wool. Bargaining is essential even though everything seems to be so cheap.
Before taking the elevator to the top of the monument, we stood in line behind the rest of the tourists trying to get a photo of bright, yellow sign: Latitude O'O'O. Then it was photo time - one foot on either side of the line, kisses across the hemispheres, lines of friends across the world. From the top of the monument the equator line seems to link the middle of the earth, from Ecuador to Ecuatorial New Guinea and back.