July 14, Quito, Ecuador

After what seemed to be flying all day, we left Cusco, flew to Lima, then to Quito. We met our local guide Maria Alexandra who is a ball of fire. She must have welcomed us to Ecuador, the best country in South America a dozen times. Quito is a huge city of over 4 million people extending for 34 miles. It's at 9000 feet and pretty much on the equator. They call this summer here, but it was downright chilly this evening. Glad to have on a sweater and a jacket. Our hotel is in the old town, a restored hacienda with a huge marble bathroom, but no heated floors, towel rack or hot water bottle in the bed. I am so spoiled! Dinner was typical Ecuadoran food, potato soup, empanandas and a lamb stew done three different ways. Very different than Peru. This place is much more Spanish, lot of cathedrals and Spanish style architecture with balconies. Tonight we saw a quincenera, Harley Davidson rally, wedding, street dancing and fireworks (pirotechnicos). tomorrow we head out of town for more sightseeing. One strange thing about this place are the women selling meringue on the street. You tell them how many spoonfuls you want and they heap it into an ice cream cone.