Our Great Adventure: Quito Day 296 11/07/2015

We had breakfast at the hotel, sorted out our laundry and did a few bits of admin before heading out. Diane is getting very short on contact lens solution so we took the trolleybus to the New Town and one of the new shopping malls in the hope that we would find some. The bus system is very efficient and cheap (25c per journey) although extremely crowded. We stocked up on some toiletries but unfortunately there was no contact lens solution (only for soft lenses not the gas permeable ones Diane needs!) in any of the shops. Let's hope we have more success in Colombia. We got the trolleybus back to the Old Town and dropped off our shopping before walking to Plaza Grande where we stopped for lunch. The central plaza has been lovingly restored and is definitely a place for people watching. After lunch we headed to the cathedral but decided against paying the entrance fee. There's apparently a painting of the Last Supper inside (Andean version) but we've already seen 3 in Peru! From here we wandered around the streets of the Old Town, a Unesco World Heritage site full of 17th century facades, picturesque plazas and magnificent churches. Despite staying in Quito previously neither of us can remember much of the place, although it was 12 years ago! We walked to Basilica del Voto Nacional which is on the hill in the northwest area. You can climb the basilica's towers, crossing a rickety wooden plank inside the main roof and then up steep stairs and ladders to the top. It was a bit nerve racking but worth it for the 360 views over Quito, a sprawling city that spreads along the floor of a high valley with the volcano Rucu Pichincha being the highest point at 4680m. As we walked back towards the hotel we spotted Daphne and Peter at a bar in Plaza San Francisco and joined them for a late afternoon drink. It was lovely to see them again before they fly to Buenos Aires tomorrow. Back at the hotel we checked out how to get to Mindo where we are planning to go tomorrow for a few days. We'll return to Quito which means we can leave our big bags at the hotel. We sorted out our gear and packed our rucksacks ready for tomorrow before going out for dinner. We ate at Vista Hermosa which has a rooftop terrace from where you get wonderful views over the Old Town. Unfortunately it had just started to drizzle so we opted to eat indoors and enjoyed a good meal before walking back to the hotel.