Day 2 - Quito & Pictures sooner than later..

Day 2: - 5/31/23 

Visiting:: Quito Ecuador

Written: Quito, ~1500*

This post contains mistakes, corrections can be found at: https://www.vagabondjim.com/2023/05/corrections-31may23.html
My policy on corrections: https://www.vagabondjim.com/2023/05/my-policy-on-errors-omissions-and.html

Today I swore I'd be easy on my body.  That cannot be done here.  Elevation makes everything work harder.  Unlike La Paz, I do not feel like my head is in a vice and my heart will explode. Yet, I do feel it. Mostly in the form of a very light hyperventilation. My hands and feet tingle a bit at times. I've felt this in Denver so it's not a concern in the least. The other thing is the constant layering and un-layering of clothes. Walking means taking things off quickly. Stopping means adding them back just as quickly. On, off, on off. That's just life in the mountains, I guees. The northern end of Quito (for tourists) is generally considered to be El Panecillo - the (bread) roll. I keep saying and thinking El Pancielo which might mean the 'sky bread.' Seems fitting to this gringo. It's a big ass hill in the middle of the canyon. A 'roll' works too. [Correction: it's the southern end.] The reception desk dissuaded me from taking a bus. Apparently that's too dangerous. They suggested the taxi was worth the $3-4 fare. It was. But very slow. This city was laid out in the 16th century. This part has not changed much since then.

Workers replacing cobblestones by hand indicate it won't be changing soon. Brutal labor. Absolutely brutal. Cycling fans should think of Flanders' "pave." Very rough stuff. Buses and taxis feel everyone of those bumps. Harshly. Fitbit counts each as a step no matter how still I tried to keep my wrist. They're also hell on a reasonably full bladder. Hydration matters at elevation...public toilets seem to cost from $0.15 to $0.30. A bargain.

The 'butter on the roll' is the "Virgin of the Apocalypse." Screw all those compassionate Virgins, this gal means business.

She's standing on a dragon's head and pulling its head up via a chain. This is all firmly ensconced in the Book of Revelations. I've been to the Patmos, Greece where John allegedly wrote it. Never read it though. Only know of it from those second readings in mass. Not sure I want to know more: 4 Horsemen, mean Virgins, bad shit going down. If I have a god, it's a loving, compassionate, kind one.

The statue was built by the State. Proposed by a priest who was a member of the Senate. At least the globe the dragon is one features Ecuador prominently. Started in 1955, it took 2 decades to finish. It's cast aluminium. I believe hand cast, here's the inside of a few panels:

And, one of my digits as a lagniappe. (Careless and lazy; should have cropped it out.)

An external look:

Cool stuff. But this was my absolute favorite part:

I have a love/hate reaction to the sign. "Thank 'You, Sirs and Madams,'" for recognizing my work to be educated (and that of those who educated me.) But really, the "tu" is the informal second person singular form of "you." I was taught and still use "Usted," the polite "You, (Sir/Madam)." When I used "tus" instead of "Ustedes" with my ex-in-laws, I heard about it loudly. From them and my ex-wife. Very loudly. In fact, angrily. That was after 8 years of marriage and 10 years of acquaintance. Maybe the divorce (4 years later) was inevitable and too late. Who can say. OK, I can. I use Usted(es) regularly in the States. Nobody replies with it. Here, some do. Courtesy is all but dead. I mourn it.

The view from above is amazing:

(Why, yes, that is a landscape shot in portrait. You have to break the rules sometimes. It's about knowing when to do so.)
In the center of the photo, before the new skyscrapers is the National Cathedral. It's on one end of the street I'm staying on. The other end is El Panecillo. It's pretty good to have visible references like that to navigate a new city. Add that the city is built into a long narrow N/S canyon and high level navigation is pretty intuitive. Not so at the ground level - it's lumpy here. But I'm figuring it out.

I wanted to walk home. But "Take It Easy" (I prefer the Jackson Browne original) mode merited being sane. So, I took the bus. There was only one bus. I asked how close they would be to Plaza Santo Domingo. The answer was "close enough." I think. I certainly hoped that was it. It was. $5.00 up, $0.35 down.  I was dropped off near a mercado. This one, Mercado Commercial Nuevo, seemed to focus on clothing. All mercados have food courts in them. For the locals; food delivery to the vendor stalls is the biggest part of their business. If you get your regulars sick, you lose your business. I don't think it can get safer in the developing world.

I got a plate of fries, salad, and a pork chop ("Papi chulleta") for $3.25 including a Coke. Not a Diet Coke. Screw that, I am absolutely burning through kilojoules (I'm not just fluent in Metric, I know the SI too!) Delicious. Yes, I ate the salad. What the hell, I know there's a pharmacy on the corner and brought plenty of pepto with me. 

Meandering down hill got me home safely. I took a rest and, of course, got restless. I switched to sandals. Yes, with socks. Dirty feet are yucky. That would keep me from straying too far. It worked. 

The Cathedral referenced above is the new one. I found the original:

16th century. Gilded beyond the lily. And, amazing. THe ceiling shot is a lousy photo. But, I wanted to show the wood work in the vaulting. I thought it was metal at first. Very cool.
It sits on the Plaza 6 de Agosto. South America has a history of coups and assassinations. The political center of La Paz is Plaza Murrillo. It's named for a lynched president who history treated kinder than his constituents. Apparently that's true in Ecuador too:

(Here was assassinated the President of the Republic Dr. Gabriel Garcia Moreno the 6th of August 1875.)

The big statue below is dedicated to the heroes of that day:

[Correction, this is woefully incorrect.] I have no idea which side the heroes were on. The white building with the domes is the Catherdral. Things get confusing when you travel and don't fully understand all the historic details. That does not make anything less cool to see at all.

The current 'president' seems to have avoided this traditional, literal, fate. Yet, in a sense, he is dead.

He dissolved his own office and the legislature a few weeks ago. A decree of "Muerte cruzado" ('mutual death') did that. It's an interesting thing: it dissolved both institutions and results in new elections to finish the remainder of the term. A political "no fault" divorce that works.

That happened 2 days after I purchased my ticket. I was worried about the risk of civil unrest. I could have returned the miles and re-booked elsewhere. I looked.

My in house "sociopolitical economy" specialist (that's "B" from this morning's reflection, a trained historian) noted this is yet again a case of coastal elites (Guayaquil) versus 'heartlanders' friction. The WaPo and NYT were notably absent of stories of unrest or violence. I decided to keep my plans.

There's been no rioting. No unrest. At worst some graffiti. Everybody thinks it's for the better. The cab driver laughed when I pointed out that a motorcyclist wearing a "Caravana Presidente" vest was a misnomer now. I don't think he was just humoring me. Then again,... There is no more president although he rules through executive order. National pride is visble everywhere. Especially in the form of national soccer jerseys.
Rain started.  I was wearing sandals.  I walked home.

What a great day.

Forward.



Diego



* From here, this very chair to be excessively precise: