Bottoms in Ecuador (Our FIRST Visitors!) - Quito Touring

Ecuador has a lot to see, and we wanted Scott and Kelsey to experience some of our fine city too!   We were all a bit exhausted from our adventures the previous day so we started slow with brunch :)  There is a cute brunch place with a view that Javier and I hadn't tried so we headed to Warmi for some grub.

We stopped to take some scenic pictures overlooking the valley.

Here we are at brunch :) 

After brunch we took a taxi up to El Panecillo.  We had seen it from afar, but never taken the trip up the hill to see the Virgin of Quito up close!  Since it was Christmas, there was actually a full nativity set up on the hill (we later learned it is the highest nativity in the world).  And the view of Quito from on top of the hill is incredible!

We walked around a bit on the hill.  There are booths with vendors selling souvenirs and lots of tourists hanging around. 

We also decided to pay the $1and climb to the top of the statue.  Each level inside includes a little museum exhibit of how the statue was erected.  I'm not sure if it was only because of the Christmas season, but the exhibits also included nativity scenes from around the world (or maybe just South America...I can't remember now...).  It was interesting to see the variety of scenes (some including devils and others with flocks of angels).  In addition to the exhibits, I quickly saw that I was getting a bit claustrophobic as we climbed (something I've experiences in other tight, spiraling climbs).  So when we got to the top I made a quick lap all the way around (to see the view) and headed rather quickly back down.

We did get this good group shot of us at the top looking over the city!

And then this one that illustrates how we were each actually feeling at the time.  (Mine looks a bit realistic eh?)

After we made our way down the Virgin and the hill, we decided to walk around Centro Historico a bit.  The area has such a fun colonial feel and is also good for people watching.  Typical of Catholic invaders, it is also packed with churches.  We were able to go into Iglesia de San Francisco and Iglesia de Compania.  Iglesia de San Francisco is the church I told you the legend about from when we went to the fire show/concert one of our first weeks in Quito.  The churches are all beautiful and each has a unique story or design to peak tourists' interest.  

Here we are being the demons that built Iglesia de San Francisco.

We walked from Centro Historico to the Basilica (which in hindsight was probably a mistake for our visitors that were still adjusting to altitude and had already walked around all day.....you learned some lessons with your first visitors!).  It cost money to go in so we just walked around the outside.  The architecture is beautiful and the Basilica is a sight that can be seen throughout the city.

From the Basilica we walked to Parque El Ejido to do a bit of shopping (more walking...hindsight again....).  There is a market that is open on weekends and artists that set out their work to sell.  Some souvenirs were purchased (yay Ecuador tourism!) and we headed home somewhat exhausted.  And HUNGRY!  Which called for some traditional Ecuadorian cuisine.

A Gonzalez Suarez Hot Dog!!!  They're delicious and come with crumbled potato chips on top.....AWESOME

The rest of the evening was spent packing for the GALAPAGOS!! (And playing cards and a little of the below as well....in typical Bottoms/Cabezas fashion!)