Quito: Day 7, Changing of the Guard, Map of Recommendations & Little Essay
- Courtney Comstock
- Nov 1, 2017
- 5 min read
Changing of the Guard: On Mondays in Quito, a large crowd gathers in the Plaza de Independencia (or Plaza Grande) to watch the changing of the guards at the Presidential Palace and wave to the President (currently Moreno). There is a spectacular procession of musicians and guards on horseback, the national anthem is sung, the Ecuadorian flag is raised, and everyone yells, "Viva Ecuador!" I didn't stay until the very end, only from 10:50, just before it began, until about 11:25, but I thought it was well worth subjecting myself to a large crowd to watch the event. The pride of the city and nation is loud and obvious, so much that watching the tradition left me trying to recall what we have in the States other than the 4th of July... a few short videos of some scenes below.
Map of Quito Recommendations:
From the top!
* Cafe Jaru - nice little coffee shop in the more modern downtown area
* Hay Pan - Great spot for breakfast, sit on the second floor for the best view. I recommend the mushroom omelette.
* Panaderia La Union - My favorite Panadera, I went here almost daily for cookies and chicken empanadas. They also have a delicious and cheap (under $4) desayuno americano
* Galeria Ecuador - if you want to buy Ecuadorian wool sweaters or hats, purses, here is a spot. They also have a cafe that I didn't eat at, but I was going to, because a sausage meal looked and smelled delicious when I was there.
* Hotel Mas Arte - Don't stay here.
* Cafe Libro - a charming spot for dinner or a drink later in the evening, when there are game nights or live music. Chicken burrito was tasty.
* Botanica - A cute western-y cafe and eatery in the Floresta district, if you're craving a walk uphill and some hummus
* Basilica - GO and have a coffee there too. It's awesome
* The one star without a name: Secret Garden - the hostel I wish I stayed in
* Pim's & Cafe Mosaico - eateries with great views of the city
* Catedral Metropolitana - in the Plaza Grande. Extravagant gold interior
* Cafe Galletti - Home to the best cappuccino I had and located in a beautiful old building, with a fun spot to go to the bathroom! Can't recommend the food though.
* Casa San Marcos - pretty mansion with a cafe
* La Ronda - "the oldest street in Quito" to walk down
* Panecillo - I meant to walk up Panecillo hill, but didn't get to it. The famous statue of the Winged Virgin is on top of the hill, which is visible from many streets in the city and is said to have great views.
On Quito: I wrote this for a job application because I loved the city so much.
In Ecuador just south of the “Mitad del Mundo,” (the middle of the earth, or equator), the Andes mountains cradle a narrow valley home to its capital city, Quito. Officially founded nearly 500 years ago on Incan ruins following the Spanish conquest led by Francisco Pizarro and completed in Quito by Sebastián de Belalcázar, today’s Quito is, in places, a burgeoning metropolis. Its locals are a mix, mostly of the descendants of “gringos,” the lighter-skinned Spaniards who first claimed the land, and Creoles, the Spanish Ecuadorian-born children who ultimately lead the fight and won victory for independence, and sometimes, indigenous Ecuadorians, who often have darker skin and broad mouths shaded by stiff wool hats, the women wearing long skirts, brightly colored embroidered capes, and ribbon-bound long ponytails of uncut hair. This mix of characters share a history of wars and culture clashes, and there are aftershocks which reverberate through the city, especially if you engage with locals. But the aftershocks I felt were filled with more passion than tension.
For those who inquire beyond the travel blogs, Quito is a trove of local myths and exciting legends. The Voto de Basilica, the massive neo-gothic Catholic cathedral constructed high on Quito’s San Juan Hill might steal the breath away from a tourist, but it is not considered by locals to be among the greatest architectural achievements in the city. Those honors belong to the buildings further down the valley in Quito’s Historic Center. Here the pride of the city is found inside its cathedrals and monasteries where photos are not allowed, and where it seems the city has poured the vast majority of its resources (real or not, there is so much gold inside the Catedral Metropolitana, it doesn’t matter). These buildings starkly contrast with those in neighborhoods only a few blocks away, marked by chipped paint, crumbling cement, and unsteady suspension boards rigged in place of more sound structural support. The Ecuadorian peoples’ extravagant dedication to their God might be worthwhile though; Quito’s historic center has survived many earthquakes largely unscathed.
For me, keeping an awareness that poverty is for many a way of life in Quito and that danger does lurk in some places accentuated the many moments of kindness I witnessed. There was a man who changed direction to help a street vendor push her heavy cart up a steep sidewalk, a group of grown men in business attire who stopped to chase down a friend’s car, cheer and wave, and a husband who stood by his wife selling fresh ceviche on the street, proclaiming hers to be the best in Quito. A woman named Ximena (Nancy, she said), plopped down across from me at the Panaderia Union, talked with me for an hour, invited me to church, and exchanged numbers with me, hoping for a chat later on. I was invited to and attended Juan (my tinder date)’s father’s birthday party, and since it was near Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, I got to try two traditional sweets: home-cooked Colada Morada, a warm and thick sugary fruit and corn stew that you drink from a mug, and Guaguas de Pan, fruit or chocolate-filled sweet breads shaped and decorated like baby dolls. Both are delicious.
For its Incan past and place in art history alone it is no surprise that Quito was the first city to be declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. For me, it was the people walking its undulating streets, and the steps I took to become one of them that endeared Quito more to me than any one site. It is the only city I have ever cried a little leaving.
As I was leaving, waiting at the airport, I saw the only sunset I saw during my week in Quito. It'll do just fine!
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