Quito, Day 2

From what I`ve seen of Quito so far, it`s bustling, vibrant, full of tourists and travel agencies, but with an old South American feel retained within its walls that make it a city worth visiting. I`m staying in a place called Hostel Vamosa in the middle of a rather touristy, but safer, area in Quito´s ´new town` called Mariscal Sucre. The ´new town` is the more business-oriented part of Quito, has lots of trendy shops and cafes, and is a bit more expensive to stay, but it seemed to be the better choice.

I actually haven`t ventured down to the ´old town` yet, but it`s supposed to be a better slice of true South American culture with its old colonial buildings and museums. Today I only walked down as far as the massive Parque El Ejido in between the two sections and plan to wander further tomorrow. If need be, there is a convenient (and cheap - $0.25) trolley service that connects the north and south of the city, a much better option than the $5-7 taxi you`d be taking if you had to get back to your hostel at night.

My hostel is friendly and clean, always good things. There are paintings all over the walls, and the walls are all bright reds and oranges, so it`s nice and cheery. I`m in a dorm of 4 beds except no one else is there, so I get a huge second room with a fireplace and a balcony overlooking the street all to myself. The beds are less than great, but I`m not complaining: I shuffled the boards holding the mattress up a bit and it`s a bit better, a bit more even.

Today I went into the Museo del Banco Central, a massive building with archeological artifacts from the different ancient cultures that sprung up in Ecuador, Colonial art, Republican art, and Modern art. Next door was the Casa de la Cultura which has an awesome exhibit of the artwork of Washington Masquera that I really enjoyed. His art is mostly ink and watercolours, very simple but expressive. After that I had a wander in the park, swang a bit on a swing, received a red flower from a messenger boy (he said it was from one of the guys playing futbol), and made my way up Av. Amazonas back to my hostel.

And now I`m famished! Gotta go get dinner.