Saturday, January 20, 2018 - Touring Quito with Sonam: Mitad del Mundo (Equator), Basilica, Historic Center, Dinner in La Ronda with Javier and JessAs Sonam aptly put it, we had a "day full of wow's" today in Quito!Antonio's friend Hector picked us up at 7:15 a.m. and drove us into the city. Rosa offered to make us breakfast, but we thought it was too early. Plus it would give us an excuse to stop at what Craig and I like to call "Bizcocho Alley" along the way. This is an area along the ride out of Otavalo where there is a very high concentation of cafes which sell bizcochos and coffee. Bizcochos are buttery biscuits which are the signature pastry of the Cayambe area. Hector chose one of the myriad bizcocho cafes and we stopped to buy breakfast. We got out of the van and saw a man selling honey products in front of the cafe. We bought a small jar of honey and a small piece of honeycomb to bring back to the family, since they all have a sweet tooth. We entered the cafe and ordered a coffee for each of us (including Hector), and a bag of fresh backed bizcochos to share. We got back in the car and enjoyed our breakfast, dipping the crumbly buttery cookies into dulce de leche caramel. The sugar rush from that, coupled with the coffee, livened us up on our early morning drive.(Sorry for the crumbs in the van, Hector!) We had a list of things that we wanted to do today: visit the equator, visit the basilica, and explore the colonial churches of the Historic Center. Depending on weather, we wanted to get a nice view of the city, either from El Panecillo or the Teleferico cable car. And Javier had invited us to have dinner with him and his wife Jessica while we were in town, so after sightseeing we would hook up with them to eat. When we got to Quito, our first stop was the equator, at Mitad del Mundo. Pre-Columbian Ecuadorians had determined that this site was the "center of the world" 9000 years ago. In the 1730's, the French Geodesic Mission confirmed it. In the intervening years with the advent of GPS technology, it has been found that the location is slightly off the true equator. Standing on the line, the GPS on my phone read 0 degrees 0 minutes and 8 seconds; that's only a difference of around 800 feet from the true equator. Amazing accuracy for 9000 years ago!  Latitude 0 degrees, 0 minutes, and 8 seconds. Only 800 feet off from the true equator. Amazingly close for ancient technology! The main attraction here is the 30 meter tall Mitad del Mundo monument and museum. The monument consists of a globe perched atop a wide brick obelisk. A 10 meter tall monument was first placed on this location in 1936, in honor of the bicentennial of the French Geodesic Mission. It was replaced with the current structure, built between 1981 and 1992. We stood on the equator line, painted yellow and bisecting the monument. We had made a quick visit here in 2010, but had not gotten the chance to climb up to the viewing platform. We did so today, and were delighted to find that there was a museum inside the monument. As we ascended each level, there were exhibits about geography, science, and Ecuadorian culture. Sonam noted the similarity between the Ecuadorian carved wooden masks on display and the ritual masks from his Bhutanese culture. The masks here also reminded me of wooden Mayan masks in Guatemala. There were paintings in the "naive art" style depicting indigenous rituals. There were exhibits of traditional clothing from many indigenous peoples of Ecuador, including the Kichwa of the highlands and the Haorani of the jungles. The final set of interior stairs led to an outdoor observation deck. From the base of the globe, we had a view of the surrounding mountains. It was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous following a rainy week. The sun was out and the blue sky was dappled with white puffy clouds. We descended from the monument and walked through the beautifully manicured grounds. Right next door to the monument was a planetarium. Sonam had never experienced a planetarium before, and Craig and I hadn't been to one in ages. A show was about to start, so we went inside and found seats. We enjoyed the presentation. Even though Sonam didn't understand the Spanish narration, the astronomy visuals were fun. As we exited, Craig and Sonam posed as astronauts. The grounds were nicely landscaped with various flowers and trees. There were park benches shaped like hummingbirds, and there was a large colorful modern statue of a rose, one of the major exports of this region. We entered a tiny adorable chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart, with a waterfall inside. It was very peaceful inside. There were other exhibits here as well, but we decided to move on to the next destination. When we got back on the road, there was a lot of city traffic. We had considered going to the Museo Inti Ñan (located on the precise equator), but we felt that we had gotten a good overview of the equator at Mitad del Mundo. We only had so much time, and many more things to see. Our next destination was the Basilica del Voto Nacional, a gothic basilica which towers over Old Town. Traffic was going at a crawl, but we amused ourselves by taking in the surrounding neighborhoods. We admired various graffiti murals, and noticed multiple instances of graffiti in the shape of a cupcake in various neighborhoods. It seemed like an odd thing for a gang to tag, and we wondered what it was all about. We also saw an abundance of posters advertising "jeans for fatties" in Spanish. We all had a good laugh. We directed vegetarian Sonam's gaze away from the pigs hanging on meat hooks in front of a butchery, one of whom had a hacksaw dangling from its snout. We were surprised to see an Egyptian colossus standing in the middle of a roundabout in Condado Square. It turns out that it is a 6 meter tall replica of a statue of King Ramses II, a recent gift from the Egyptian ministries of antiquities and foreign affairs, and the Egyptian Tourism Authority. We finally arrived at the Basilica del Voto Nacional (Basilica of the National Vow). Its construction began in 1887, and was completed in 1924. Sonam had never been inside a Christian church before, and we had to tell him that not all churches are as amazingly grand as this one. We purchased entrance tickets, and I asked if we could buy tickets to climb the flying buttresses as well. That was something we hadn't known was possible the last time we visited, but I had since read about it online. But the woman told me that it wasn't possible. We stepped inside the cavernous, cathedral-like church where the Misa del Niño Jesus (Mass for Baby Jesus) was being celebrated. It was an extra special treat, because the indigenous community of Pueblo Saraguro were participating in the Mass. We watched the tail end of the Mass. The community members were dressed in elaborate traditional dress, and were carrying dolls which represented the baby Jesus. They made offerings and burned incense. The priest doused them with holy water and they processed down the aisle and out of the church. Once the Mass ended, we continued our tour of the basilica. The stained glass windows are breathtaking. We explained some Bible stories to Sonam. He was totally blown away by the grandiose architecture. You feel very small in this building and at times you feel like you are in an infinite hallway. We admired paintings of the stations of the cross and statuary of Jesus and the saints made from bronze, wood, or marble. We saw a mausoleum which houses the femur of Gabriel Garcia Moreno, the 7th president of Ecuador, who was assassinated in office in 1875. There was a small chapel at the back of the basilica which was absolutely beautifully adorned. No photos were allowed, but we really enjoyed taking it all in. This chapel is dedicated to the priest who commissioned the basilica. We went out a side door and found ourselves in front of a large staircase. From the stairs, we could get a better view of the exterior architecture of the basilica, including gargoyles which depicted various animals and birds from all over Ecuador. We could hear people from above; it was obvious that people were climbing the flying buttresses even though we had been told it wasn't possible. But instead of worrying about it, we followed the sound of music to the courtyard in front of the building. It turned out that the villagers had continued their celebration outside following the Mass. Though what went on inside the building had clearly been a Catholic Mass, the party outside was more pre-Columbian. Boys and girls in traditional clothing danced, and men played music: accordion, guitar, violin, drum, and percussion. There were costumed men who clowned around, acting very much like the Bhutanese atsara. They spoke in very high voices and encouraged some of the gringo tourists to dance. We left just as the celebration was breaking up, morphing into a street procession. It was quite fortuitous that we had happened to visit the basilica on this feast day (unbeknownst to us beforehand), as it really gave Sonam a feel for the modern day syncretism of colonial Catholic and pre-Columbian rituals. La Misa del Nino Jesus - Basilica del Voto Nacional Next we wanted to give Sonam a panoramic view of the sprawling city of 2.6 million. There were two options: the Teleferico cable car, and El Panecillo. We chose the latter because it is the site of the largest aluminum statue in the world: the Virgin of Quito. We had seen the graceful statue overlooking the Historic Center on past trips, but we wanted to see it up close. It is iconic, and representative of the city's deep Catholic traditions. Once again the traffic continued to waylay us, and we crawled at a snail's pace through Old Town and up the winding road to El Panecillo. When we finally arrived, we parked the car and walked over to the base of the statue. The statue is based on an 18th century sculpture of the Virgin Mary as she is described in the Bibical book of the Revelation. The statue is found on the altar of Iglesia San Francisco in Old Town, which we planned to visit later in the afternoon. The Virgin has a halo of stars and angel wings, and is standing on top of a globe subduing a serpent underfoot. She holds a chain in her gracefully outstretched hands. She looms large over the city at 45 meters tall, and dates back to 1976. We were dwarfed by the statue. Looking up at it, you could see the 7000 individual pieces of aluminum which cover the surface of the statue. The weather was still gorgeous, and we had an amazing panoramic view of the city. We could see the basilica which we had just left towering over all of the other buildings of the Historic Center. Beyond the basilica, there were skyscrapers comprising the modern city. The city encroached upon the slopes of the surrounding mountains. People are allowed to go inside the statue and climb up to a viewpoint, but unfortunately the staff had gone to lunch and it was closed. Speaking of lunch, we were getting hungry and thirsty. We bought a Pacari coffee chocolate bar (organic Ecuadorian chocolate) at a souvenir stall and shared it between the three of us. I needed some energy, and we had hoped to be able to climb the statue. We followed the smell of grilling food to the far end of the parking lot where there was an outdoor food court. If we took some time for a quick lunch, maybe the statue would re-open. Craig and I each got a giant sausage, cut in a spiral and grilled on a skewer. There weren't many vegetarian options, but Sonam was happy with a plate of fries. We bought drinks as well; I was starting to feel a bit dehydrated in the heat of the day. After sitting at a picnic table and enjoying our lunch, we walked back to the statue. The staff was not back from lunch yet. We couldn't afford to spend any more time here, so we left. We were zero for two in climbing religious structures today, but not for lack of trying! Our next destination was the picturesque colonial Historic Center. Though not far from El Panecillo as the crow flies, the traffic was horrible. Once we got close to the area we wanted to visit, Hector looked for parking. Every parking garage and lot was full, or was inaccessible due to the construction of a brand new underground Metro, scheduled to open in 2019. We circled around the area via its one-way streets clogged with traffic. It took forever! We were tempted to just jump out and let Hector park the car, but then we wouldn't know where to meet him later. We kept seeing trucks carrying gas tanks, a cruel tease since the family in Morochos was nearly out of cooking gas and their delivery truck was long overdue. After searching in vain for a parking spot for around an hour, we found ourselves back at the basilica. There were several spots on the street here, so Hector just parked there while Craig, Sonam, and I headed to the Historic Center on foot. It was a pleasant mostly downhill walk, and the late afternoon sun cast a beautiful glow on the pastel colored colonial architecture accented with wrought iron balconies. With our backs toward the basilica, we could see the Virgin of Quito peeking over the skyline ahead of us. We went directly to La Compañia de Jesus, a church whose interior is adorned fully in gold. Its construction took 160 years, completing in 1765. We recognized its volcanic stone facade from our propr visit, though the large cameo of the Sacred Heart which had adorned the center of the facade the last time we visited was no longer present. Though the stone exterior features intricate carvings, its dull coloration belies the splendors within. We arrived at the church at 4:03 p.m. The internet had said that it was open until 5:30, so we didn't expect to find the doors locked and the gate closed. I asked a man who worked there if it was open, and he informed me that it had closed at 4 o'clock. I politely explained our disappointment, and said that if the traffic and the parking situation hadn't been so bad, we would have made it in time for our friend who came all the way from Bhutan to see the interior. The man took pity on us. There were still a few people left inside, and he allowed us in for a quick visit. We were very grateful. We stepped inside and were mesmerized by the baroque interior. It seemed as if every surface, save for the pews, was covered in opulent gold leaf. This included the altar, the ceiling, and the pulpit. In place of the neogothic arches in the basilica, this church featured Moorish arches. Solomonic columns corkscrewed between the gilded niches of the altar mirrored the two slender spiral staircases on either side of the choir loft. Polychrome figures of saints and angels adorn the altar. Sonam was gobsmacked, and said that he had never seen anything this ornate, even in the richest Bhutanese temples. No photos are allowed inside, but I found some on Wikimedia Commons which give an idea of the splendors within:
We were very happy that we had been able to visit the church. We took a short walk around the corner to the Iglesia de San Francisco and its walled convent. This sprawling church/monastery was built between 1534 and 1680 on the site of an Incan temple, making it one of South America's oldesr churches. The exterior is a simple Renaissance style, with a baroque and Moorish interior. The centerpiece of the opulent gilded altar was the sculpture of the Virgin of Quito which inspired the aluminum statue at El Panecillo. Also called "The Dancer", this Virgin was sculpted by Bernardo de Legarda in 1734. It is a polychrome sculpture, unlike the monochrome of the aluminum version. She looks very serene and beautiful, even as she subdues a serpent during the Apocalypse. There will eventually be a Metro station right in front of the church, and the pigeon filled plaza in front of the church had one side walled off with construction fences. Javier and his wife Jessica, who live in Quito, kindly invited us to dinner tonight. They texted us when they arrived in Old Town, and we met them in front of La Compañia. We joked that we couldn't believe that Javier wanted to spend more time with us over the weekend after being cooped up with us in the house all (rainy) week. Jessica was just as personable and friendly as Javier, and it felt as though we had all been friends for years. We walked together to the picturesque colonial La Ronda (Ring Road) neighborhood. Here there were many shops and restaurants, in colorful colonial architecture, and with a view of the Virgin of Quito. Javier and Jess explained that this neighborhood had been gentrified. Not long ago it was not a safe place. Now it buzzed with tourists and hipsters. We stopped to get some candy coated peanuts, a specialty of the area. Jess told us about an amazing ice cream parlor called Dulce Placer, which has various unusual flavors. The place is a neighborhood institution, so we couldn't pass it up. The women working there were happy to provide samples of their variety of flavors, which included "caca de perro" (dog poop), avocado, arroz de cebada, various fruits, and liquors. After many samples, we made our choices and ordered small cones. Craig had mojito and I had sangria. It was delicious and refreshing, almost the consistency of a sherbet while at the same time calling to mind an Italian ice. We urged Sonam to sign their guest book, as we could pretty much guarantee that they had never had a customer from Bhutan. He drew an ice cream cone and wrote a message in Dzongkha and English. Right outside the ice cream shop, in the middle of the pedestrian walkway, there was a sapo game. This is a game popular in pubs which we had played in Peru. In fact, Craig had bought me a sapo for Christmas years ago from Sapo Miami. Jess and Javier were quite surprised to hear that we owned one, and we explained to Sonam how the game is played: It is like a combination of cornhole and skeeball. You stand a set distance away from the game, which is a wooden box with a series of holes in the top. Each hole is connected to a chute which leads down to one of the numbered chambers in the front of the box. In the middle of the game board is a brass frog with its mouth open. On other holes are brass paddlewheels. You toss brass coins at the frog. Landing a coin in its frog's mouth gets you the maximum number of points. Mastering a paddlewheel also accrues many points. Getting the coin into any other hole results in a smaller number of points, as designated on the chutes. Players take turns accruing points until someone reaches a specific score.  Sapo in La Ronda  Playing Sapo in our back yard, 2003 According to Sapo Miami: Ancient legend tells that in the Inca sacred lake, the Titicaca, there evolved a mystical game, that with the passage of time was made into a festival. “El Sapu” (the frog) was the main character in the exciting game where the Inca, son of the sun, would throw the luck with his court. In those times, the royal family would throw gold pieces in the lake, with the hopes of catching some frog’s attention, who were known for their magical powers. If a frog came to the surface and took in his mouth a gold piece, instantly the player was awarded a wish and the frog turned into solid gold. In honor of so many wishes becoming reality, the Inca ordered a great golden frog made, for all of royalty to enjoy. It was a game of suspense and dexterity, where dance and happiness would mix in one rite: PUKLLAY SAPU (Playing Sapo, or Frog) We stopped in to a Republica del Cacao shop to purchase a gift for a friend. We usually stop at the one at the airport gates on our way home, as we love their chocolate. But we wanted to get our friend some licquer, which we would need to check in our luggage. So this was perfect; I was able to buy the item hee, and pack it in my checked bag. We noticed that this store still provides samples of its different flavors. The airport one stopped doing that; I guess too many people were sampling without buying. Then we were looking for somewhere that sells T-shirts. Javier suggested Vulgomaestre Etno-Urbano, an independent silkscreen shop which blends urban chic with Kichwa aesthetics. The proprietors were quite nice, and the products were cool. They package their T-shirts in matching printed paper boxes which can be unfolded and upcycled into a poster. I bought a Kichwa Misi (cat) sticker, and asked if they had the accompanying T-shirt. They didn't, as all of their merchandise is limited edition, so when they sell out, there is no more. I browsed through their other T-shirt offerings, settling on a "hipster cuy" motif. This was a guinea pig (traditional Andean festival food), who was wearing half moon glasses, had a pompadour haircut, and was smoking a Sherlock Holmes pipe. It says "The cuy republic: Ecuador" below the image. They normally would have given me the box/poster that would match the poster. But they had some leftover cat themed boxes, and offered me one of those instead, knowing that I enjoyed that design. It was a very cool indie business. They were quite friendly and we wish them well! We appreciated that Javier had drawn our attention to it. For dinner, we went to Leña Quiteña, a local restaurant. We sat outdoors on the third floor balcony with a gorgeous view of El Panecillo as the sun set and the lights of Quito turned on. The sky turned from pink to lavender to deep navy blue. Craig ordered a Club Premium beer, Javier and I had canelazo (a cinnamon liquor served warm), and Jess had chicha. Sonam, who doesn't drink alcohol, had fresh orange juice. Jess and Javier split an empanada plate. Craig had chicken in oporto sauce with mushrooms, fries, and salad. He loved it! I had a pork chop in pineapple and honey mustard sauce with potatoes and salad. The pineapple and honey mustard combination had a pleasantly surprising zing. There were several vegetarian options, and Sonam chose pesto pasta. The food was amazing. Before we knew it, we had spent quite a while in conversation and laughter. We realized that we should probably start our journey back to Morochos. We really enjoyed meeting Jessica and spending more time with Javier. They are such a sweet couple! Though we did have one argument: about who would pay the check. We appreciated them taking time out of their busy schedule on a precious weekend to show us around La Ronda. We had fully intended to treat them to dinner. But they wouldn't allow it. They said that it is a requirement of their culture. They are our hosts. We especially felt guilty about this because the two of them had shared an appetizer, while each of the three of us had ordered a full-on meal. That was hardly fair. But they insisted, and we humbly accepted their generosity. The basilica was a bit of a distance from the restaurant, and they offered to drive us back there to meet Hector. We said our goodbyes and hugged one another. Hector was perplexed as to who we knew well enough to hug in Quito after just a couple of hours. We explained and introduced him to Javier and Jess. Javier would return to Morochos on Monday, but this would be the last we would see of Jess on this trip. We promised that we would take them up on their offer for us to visit them at Jessica's family's place in Ibarra on a future visit. Craig and I were tired after a long, full day. Our bodies wanted to nap on the ride, but we couldn't resist chatting about the amazing experiences we had shared. We arrived at the house at 10:30 p.m. A day of wow's indeed! We hadn't explored Quito since 2010, and we had missed it. We are very glad that we were able to share its rich culture with Sonam. Mitad del Mundo The Virgin of Quito La Ronda |
 Mitad del Mundo  Sonam and Craig in different hemispheres  Sonam and Craig in different hemispheres atop the Mitad del Mundo monument  Sonam poses with a mask at Mitad del Mundo  Craig and Sonam as astronauts in the planetarium  Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Mitad del Mundo  Basilica del Voto Nacional  Stained glass, Basilica del Voto Nacional  Misa del Niño Jesus, Basilica del Voto Nacional  Basilica del Voto Nacional  Basilica del Voto Nacional  Members of the indigenous community of Pueblo Saraguro gather to perform pre-Columbian rituals following Mass at the basilica  Costumed men who very much acted like Bhutanese atsaras  Sonam, Steph, and Craig look out over the city from El Panecillo  Sonam and Craig in front of the Virgin of Quito  La Compañia de Jesus  Iglesia de San Francisco and its walled convent  Sonam and Craig in front of Iglesia de San Francisco  Sonam, Steph, and Craig at La Ronda  Steph, Sonam, Javier, Jess, and Craig (photo courtesy of Sonam Tshering)  Sonam, Steph, and Craig in La Ronda with the Virgin of Quito in the background  Jess and Javier at Leña Quiteña  Dinner at Leña Quiteña: Craig, Jess, Javier, Steph, and Sonam  Virgin of Quito from Leña Quiteña  Craig, Steph, and Sonam at Leña Quiteña with the Virgin of Quito in the background See all photos from January 20, 2018 |
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