Cusco, Peru to Quito, Ecuador

Finally we get to leave Cusco. Not like I don't like the city, just the fact it's time to move on. We went to the airport early- half the class made the first flight and I was on the second flight, many hours and many espressos later. There was a very distinct possibility that we weren't going to make it at all... or at least get to Lima and miss our connection to Quito, Ecuador. Luckily, everything worked out- before too long the entire class was back together on our flight to Quito.

We landed in Quito and it was very sunny. Quito is around 9,000 feet elevation, closer to the equator so the sun was bright and powerful. We found the bus and rode on down to the colonial part of town. It was a Sunday in Latin America, so most of everything was closed and people were moving slower than usual. Quito is a massive city- around 2 million people. Every square inch is built up, all in the shape of one long sausage. Mountains line the city, and houses go up in every direction. The views in any direction were breathtaking.

We took a walk around the colonial old town, viewed architecture and very old churches. The Plaza Grande was packed- people filled the beautiful square to capacity. We meandered through the colonial buildings to the Plaza de San Francisco next. Here we posted up at the only coffee shop open in town and tried the national beverage- Pilsener. We also tried Club, another beer, and decided that was a bit better. Neither of them rivaled the Cusqueno we had in Cusco, that took the prize.

We checked in to the hotel, and then promptly went out in search of something that was open on a Sunday night.... and we found Chinese food. It was surprisingly good, we had excellent service (we also were the only people there) and we stuffed ourselves. This was some of the best Chinese food I've had in a while... nothing in Redding rivals it unfortunately. We sat near a big screen that played Chinese 'American Idol' and also the Olympics in Chinese. Very authentic, indeed. Back to the hotel because we have a long day at the embassy tomorrow.