There were a number of places I hadn't been my last time in Quito, so I'd resolved to do some of those this time. Some of them weren't easy to get to. And sometimes I just like to wander. The weather in Quito is usually so lovely that it's a joy to be outside, acclimated or not.
This particular morning I wandered for a while, waiting for things to open up. While the Mariscal area is very touristy, it also has some interesting sites.
This is a nice little bar/restaurant. Obviously, the owner is a fan of cats, both the animals and the musical. But it's been here for about 22 years, and is well-known for its relaxed atmosphere, decent food, and classic rock-and-roll soundtracks.
This little park was down the street and reminded me a lot of Washington -- little parks in the middle of big urban areas. It had more of the photo murals, and some lovely gardens. I had to come back to get photos, as I'd been thwarted the day before with a very-suddenly-very-upset stomach that sent me running back to the hotel.
The main objective of my day was the Capilla del Hombre, the landmark site of Oswaldo Guayasamín. I'd been to his museum and foundation the last time, but hadn't been able to get to the Capilla. There is a great deal of his artwork here, but it's known as his monument to man and contains the eternal flame in his memory, as noted in a famous quote of his: "Mantengan encendida la luz que siempre voy a volver (Keep the light lit so that I can always return)."
Photos are not allowed inside, sadly. But I liked this bird sculpture outside, and this banner does illustrate some of his work.
He believed that sculpture should showcase movement, light, and sound. There are some lovely pieces inside..... I also liked this quote on the wall opposite the statement about the flame: "Yo lloré porque no tenía zapatos hasta que vi un niño que no tenía pies (I cried because I didn't have shoes until I saw a child who didn't have feet)."
He designed the building too. A mestizo artist (Indigenous mother, Spanish father), he is well-known for depicting true life, not hiding the pain and anguish that accompany daily activities or the brutality that happened. He uses many Inka symbols in his work. Two of his best known works are the faces of America, 20 paintings of different faces, and the hands, whereby he demonstrates a number of different sentiments (20? I can't recall, it's at the museum) just by the position and structure of a pair of hands. They're really extraordinary.
As you can see, it's up the mountain and not easy to get to. Which also meant that it wouldn't be easy to get a return taxi either.
Lucky for me, I had another friendly taxi driver this day. Today was another Carlos, and he suggested that he come back for me (the neighborhood was dangerous, after all); the tour generally takes an hour, so we set a price and a time. This seemed good.
Interestingly, I had quite a run of friendly talkative taxi drivers these first few days in Quito. I guess because they know I'm not from there, but I can converse, it's somewhat exciting. I never felt that they took advantage of my being a foreigner; they just liked to talk. It's rather amusing, even though I'm not a big talker. What I'd forgotten, though, was how disarming they can be -- personal questions are not personal in Ecuador. Even though I travel without the fancy ring, I always wear a ring, because it does head off some issues. However, marital status is usually asked regardless, along with my age, my occupation, my traveling alone, my kids, etc. The good news is that they generally think I'm 8-11 years younger than I am. I'll take it!!
So on this day, Carlos decided that I didn't want to go directly back to the city and that we should take a bit of a tour on the way. I'd been to a number of the places he suggested, and even though I'd been to Guápolo, he felt I needed a scenic moment.
This is the neighborhood of Guápolo. I went here on a field trip with Vinicio last time. We actually walked to this point, then down the hill to the church, which is really lovely. However it was raining that day, so this was really nice. As I understood from Carlos, a number of foreigners live in this neighborhood and it's very Bohemian. Off in the distance you can see where they're building the new airport. It's scheduled to open in October and will take about an hour to get to. Given that Ecuador only has two international airports, it's probably good to have more room. (But only if the service improves! I can't imagine it as it is now, just more of it.) Apparently the current airport will be converted to a big park. Guess we'll see. Sounds like they're a little behind on the access roads....
I didn't think I needed my photo here either, but again, I was overruled.
I also received his cell phone number in case I wanted to set up any day trips over the weekend. We're now friends. And I learned all about his other American friend in Minnesota, his four kids, one of whom was in the hospital with a problem with his leg,.... But since it was lunchtime as we came back into the center, he recommended his friend's place for lunch, and I have to say, it was really good. I do recommend the arroz marinero at Los Cebiches de la Rumiñahui.
After lunch, I wandered, as I wanted to see Julio Andrade Park and it was such a beautiful day. On the way I passed the clinic hospital, where I expect many of the "kids" at the hotel were working. I caught two different groups, both from Canada, who were in Quito doing some special program. Very few of them spoke any Spanish, which made it odd, but they were clearly doing some practicals. Yanapuma, where I study Spanish in Quito, has a medical training program specifically to learn the medical Spanish, but these young people were still in medical school.
After I tired of the park, I went to the ATM so that I could go to the artisan market and start some shopping. I then went back to the hotel, where I opted for some exercise. I'd started the day with yoga, and decided now to do some Jazzercise. I must say that things are harder at 9200 feet altitude. I then had a quiet evening, watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I'd thought I had plans for the evening, but this is where the unknown phone problems kicked in.
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