Southern Ecuador

29 September - 13 October 2011

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Quito

We arrived a day early (to guard against travel delays) and thus had a day to explore San Francisco de Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.  Quito is in the Guayllabamba river basin on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active volcano in the Andes.  Quito's elevation is 9200 ft, making it the second-highest administrative capital city in the world (after La Paz, Bolivia).  We had been in Quito twice previously, in 1998 and 2010, but never had a chance to explore...until this year.
Sign at the Plaza de la Independencia

Robert outside our hotel,
La Casa Sol

View from the Mirador de Guápulo


Francisco de Orellano

La Basílica del Voto Nacional,
the largest neo-Gothic basilica in
the Americas.  And one of the
newest, with the first stone placed
in 1892, and consecrated ih 1988.

The gargoyles at La Basílica
are representations of native
animals, including Galápagos
tortoises.

La Basílica façade

...and interior.

Side chapel at La Basílica


Plaza de la Indepenencia, with the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito

Plaza de la Independencia

Robert with our day guide
Marcelo at the Plaza

Government Palace on the Plaza

Statue to fallen soldiers on the
Plaza

Nice inclusion of an Andean
Condor on the war memorial

Metropolitan Cathedral
of Quito

The glory of Quito -the discovery
of the Amazon River

Plaza de la Independencia

Surprise!  El Presidente himself,
Rafael Correa.  The people in
the square - including a lot of
schoolgirls - squealed equally for
him and a nearby soccer star

Quito street

Interior, El Sagrario

Interior, El Sagrario

Church of La Compañia de
Jesús

Interior, Church of La
Compañia de Jesús

Church of San Francisco

...and plaza

Plaza de San Francisco

The Virgen del Quito statue,
made of over 7000 pieces
of aluminum, on El Panecillo
hill

View from El Panecillo

Home | Quito | Tapichalaca | Copalinga | Buenaventura | Jorupe | Videos

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