Black market latin music from Cuenca
Tigua artesan mask from Quito
Hand-woven hats from Salinas de Guaranda
Shirts, alpaca stretch pants, a tablecloth, Ugg-like boots, a hand-painted tray of la Fiesta de Corpus Cristi, a llama with toda la familia riding (wool), all from Otavalo...Oh! And a bag to put it all in!
Alpaca blanket and scarf
Assorted maps
European style cheeses and chocolates from Salinas de Guaranda
I head to Quito's Plaza Grande to see a few of the museos I had missed before, especially Casa de Maria Augusta Urrutia. Contrary to the guidebook, it and most non government museos are closed on Monday, but I do get into the Casa de Sucre. On the way I run into the Changing of the National Palace Guard (a bit of pomp and circumstance). These videos are a bit long, but you can get the flavor by watching pieces of them, or advancing manually...
El Presidente was on vacation. Normally he leads this activity every Monday. (The guards do not leave the palace for a week at a time). El Vis-Presidente presides. I have seen the President talking on TV, and he is quite colorful and popular.
The Mariscal Sucre was from Venezuela, like his boss, Simon Bolivar. In the effort to liberate S. America from the Spaniards, Sucre won the favor of Bolivar and became his right hand man. After much warring, he married a noblewoman from Quito and set up house one block from Plaza Grande, and the house took up a whole block. Ten months later they had a daughter, but he still had more battles to fight and new territories to lead, like Bolivia. It was all supposed to be Gran Colombia, like a United States of S. america, but that never worked out. He was still quite young when he was assassinated in Colombia??.
I find the history of the liberation interesting. In 1810, the Spaniards were a bit distracted because Napolean was posing a local threat in Europe. The peoples of Latin America had recently witnessed the successes and challenges of revolutionary ideologies in the USA and France and independence movements were afoot in many of the New World colonies. This house helped fill in a few holes in my understanding of it all.
I returned to Iglesia San Francisco for a thord attempt to wander back into the old catecombs through the gift shops under the front of the church. Perseverance leads to success.
Almuerzo completo for $2.50!
Since things are closed, I go to Plan B. The choices are: Mitad del Mundo (1.5 hrs by bus), hike to Pinchinche (involves taking the tram again and going back to hostel for a change of clothes and layers), Botanical Gardens (orchids), more artisan shopping( already have a haul from Otavalo, but would like a carved mask for the classroom), hike up to Itchimbia, a high up park above my hostel's neighborhood?
I opt for a stroll down La Ronda, where most shops are closed on Monday, but...
I do find my Condor Mask, and get a video of the Tigua artisan telling me the Legend of the Condor. This is the culture we seek in these trips:
I head back toward rhe hostal and Itchimbia, but get a little lost and stumble on a nice little neighborhood and talk with an artisan who makes miniature boxes,tables etc. I was out of cash, so I did not feel right taking pictures of his work, but there was lots of inlay and he a was very friendly older gentleman.
Then the hike up to Itchimbia. The map says I should be able to go straight ib Calle Chile, where my hostel is... i reach a street called "Valparaiso" and think, "This doesn't look anything like Valparaiso, Chile," but then I turn the corner...
If you want to get anywhere in Ecuador, you must go up!
And up!
And after all that, there is a damn fence. I look for a way around or over
Go back down and to the left a few blocks... And up again
Closed...
Down, to the right about 6 blocks, and... Success!
Great views of the city...
A crystal palace and a lot of flat space for people to play futbol or fly a kite (volar cometas)
They also placed the 911 call and response center up here, because you cna respond quickly in any direction with ambulance, motorcycle, helicopter, fire engine...
This young boy was too friendly with the foreigner. I kept asking him where his mother was.
Time to navigate to the bottom of the hill to the brew pub...
Graffiti along the lines of Guayasamin's sentiments
Down,down,down. That is a bull ring down there, only used for bull fights in December, but used for concerts and events. It is just a small one.
The pub is closed, like everything else on Monday. I go for my last local meal, a Pincho con Papas Fritas at a place about a block from the hostal. Hey! It was open!
Gotta get up around 4:30am to catch a cab to the airport for an 8:30 flight to Panama.
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