Sesivany's blog

My hostel is in the middle of the best area for night life. There are many night clubs, bar, and the place is buzzing almost till the morning, so the street in front of our hostel was buzy the whole Friday night. On the other hand, the city was completely deserted and silent in the morning. I woke up about 7 and decided to go to the old town which was the first city added on the UNESCO heritage list along with Krakow. But before that I had breakfast downstairs in my hostel. I chose this hostel because the travel guide says it´s got unique atmosphere and delicious breakfast meals, and it´s totally true. The breakfast was expensive relatively to the Ecudorian price level ($5.60), but it was filling and delicious... and with 100% pure watermelon juice When I finally got out of the hostel I met an Internet coffee and couldn'd resist. I must say I haven't seen so many public Internet points anywhere else. It's said to be the only way to get online for many Ecuadorians, so many that's why. They're cheap, too. The cheapest ones offer one hour for $.35.

Mariscal, the area where I stay, is said to be the most modern part of Quito. But it's not actually so modern. You don't find any fancy buildings here. I like the placve because it's the most buzzing part of the city, full of young people and travellers. The architecture is horrible though. I would call it a concrete hell. If it reminds me anything it's Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

Mariscal is a part of the new town. The old town is very different. Streets are narrower and buildings seem to be significantly older and more beautiful. Ecuador is very religious country and there are many old churches in the old town. I decided to check out the biggest one which looked like a classic cathedral. There was an admission to the tower. I thought there could be a nice view of the city, so I gave them two bucks and went up. I expected something like St. Vitus Cathedral. You know, some stairs, balcony with a view and that's it. I went up to the third floor and there was a kinda wooden bridge going across the church between the ceiling and the roof. The church was heavily damaged by earthquake and they had to rebuild it. But all the new stuff didn't seem very stable to me. At the end of the bridge, there was a ladder up to the tower. It didn't look very stable either. When I got on the tower my fear of highs rules my body. Unfortunately, it wasn't the end. There were pretty steep stairs, almost a ladder, outside the body od the tower going to the upper level. I was gathering the courage for a few minutes and climbed up. The next level had just 50cm high banisters. I didn't even dare to stand up and took pictures kneeling. South America simply goes beyond everyday's experience.


The steep stair at the basilique

I saw some cable car going up and down on the biggest mountain around Quito which was new to me because I didn't have a clue there was such a thing. So I stopped a cab and ordered to go there. The mountain turned out to be Pichincha volcano. The cable car climbed up to 4,050 m on the flanks of Pichincha. Whant is absolutely illegal in the EU (double prices) is normal here. Foreigner had to pay twice more than citizens of Ecuador. It was totally worth it though. I got up to about 4,150 m which is the highest altitude I have ever been at. After I'd gotten used to the altitude in Quito I couldn't breath again.


Quito from Pichincha.

I spotted a couple up there and thought they must be Czechs. Sure they were. They have been traveling around South America for five months and Quito was their last destination. Just before Quito, they were in Galapagos and said it'd been the most beautiful place in South America - a paradise. Too bad I don't have time to go there. Nevermind, it's expensive as hell. They paid $400 for a flight ticket, $100 for entrance, and $950 for a week cruise.

I must say I haven't found Quito as dangerous as it's described in travel guides. Of course, I'm trying to avoid the really dangerous areas, but I haven't had any problem in the centre. There are cops everywhere here. We will see tomorrow when I'm going to use public transportation which is not recommended for tourists at all.

The second night in the hostel was fun. We got three Americans in the room. One was an older guy who's been living in Central and South America for a while and sas he is glad to be outside the USA where there is no fun any more. In the middle of the night, two American girls came, on from Chicago, the other one from D.C. When everyone'd fallen asleep we were waken up by strange noise. There was a guy standing in our room and trying to get to someone's bed. He was apparently heavily intoxicated. He didn't succeed with the girls, so he went to the Columbian's bed which was funny because he didn't refuse him. But meanwhile the American guy had gone call hostel staff and the drunk local guy had to leave and the fun was over

In one week, I'll be finally free and on the way to South America. In last two days, I received several things which I'd ordered for the trip, and the list of things I need to take with me is getting filled with checks - Swiss Army Knife, First Aid Kit, Water Purification Tabs, Mini Flashlight, Spanish Phrase Book For Travelers,...

I started dusting off my Spanish with the phrase book. It won't be that easy. It's been a while since I learned Spanish. Now, I'm trying to learn at least basic sentences and most common words. I brought a Spanish textbook, I used in Spanish classes at our school, to the States. Frankly I have not opened it many times this summer. The textbook BTW is horrible, written like 30 years ago. So being fluent in Spanish by the end of the next week is still just a dream
I'm still waiting for a repellent spray for my hiking boots and a money belt which is worn under clothes. I don't know what to expect, but according to my tourist guide book thefts are one of the most biggest concerns. I don't know what would be worse, if losing a thousand of dollars or a passport. If I lost a passport I would have to buy a ticket directly to Europe because there is no way to get to the USA without a proper passport. I know what I'm talking about because I lost a passport in Canada two years ago. The only way to get to the States was swimming down Niagara River through Niagara Falls. The money belt should significantly help me protect my passport and money. Anyway, I will keep money on three different places. One never knows.

What I cannot get ready for is altitude sickness. I'm flying to the second highest capital in the world and flying back from the highest capital. Quito is 2800 m (9200 ft) above the sea level and La Paz even 4000 m (13100 ft). Right now, I'm about 500 m above the sea level, so it will be a huge change. You never know what altitude will do with you. You can be in the best shape and get altitude sickness. I'm going to go to Cotopaxi NP after Quito. Cotopaxi is still an active volcano (relatively active because the last eruption was 130 years ago). It's the second highest mountain in Ecuador. I'd love to climb it up. Unfortunately, It's not such a piece of cake. It's recommended to acclimatize over 3000 m for 2 weeks before climbing Cotopaxi whose summit is over 5800 m above the sea level. Moreover, September is not the best time for climbing Cotopaxi because it's still relatively cold and there are pretty severe winds on the summit. It's a pity because it's not so expensive. The whole trip is about $150 with an experienced guide and necessary equipment. But I think I'll be satisfied with trail that are about 4500 m above the sea level. Anyway, I'm pretty sure South America will take my breath... literally.