Brendan Geary 2014: Quito, Ecuador

Quito was a great place to visit. After La Paz, I thought "civilization!" Tourists, expats, and the dollar. They use the dollar as currency. And the electrical outlets are the same. I was practically at home. I ventured out the first night and street life more resemembled Costa del Sol (Spain) than a Colonial town in the mountains. By eight in the evening the streets were full; people spilling out of sports bars and cafés into the streets; the latest sounds blasting from every establishment. Amazing. I had dinner and went to bed as I had three full days planned with early morning starts.

On the first day I took a city tour and went to Mitad del Mundo, where the equator line is marked. This is a city of churches. We went to see several of them, one more glorious than the next. But the amazing thing was, for a Friday morning, each one had masses going on and each one was full! Day 2 was a visit to Otavalo Market and the last day was a visit to Cotopaxi, the second largest active volcano in the world. We hiked up the side of it at 16,000 feet (the peak is 19,000 feet). Breathing was REALLY hard at that elevation. I almost made it to the ice cap but the guide pulled me back as we ran out of time. Dammit.

MITAD DEL MUNDO

You weigh one kilo less at the equator. Can't you tell? ;)