Quito Buses, A Whole Load Of Touristy Things & Saying More Goodbye´s

Brenna And I At The View-Point Of Guapulo

I barely remember how to catch a bus in London. From what my vague memory does conjour up - it was a pretty simple and un-exciting affair. Things are quite different here in Quito. Catching a bus in Ecuador is an art-form, mess it up and you could be in trouble. Im not afraid to admit it took me about 2 months before I started using public transport here in Quito. My main reason for that was becuase buses are everywhere and not even the driver (it appears) knows the route he is taking. They dart off all over the city without a care in the world, especially a care about where he´s meant to be going.

The great thing about wanting to get a bus is if you are on a main road then a bus will be in view every 20 seconds. It thus means that once you work out which one you want you dont often have to wait very long. They are also very cheap, a ride costs just $0.25 so you cant go wrong - where-ever you end up!!! I have now successfully worked out which buses go my route to and from work and I have now worked out how to get on and off them. There are official bus stops but the vehicle will slow down for you where-ever you are as long as you wave one of your arms around at it like some sort of deranged hitch-hiker!!!

The buses never actually stop though, so to get on you have to brake into a gentle jog before leaping onto the moving bus. When your on, you are often treated to the delights of people selling stolen sweets for cut-down prices or some weird speach or song, with the general end-product of them trying to flog something completely pointless to anyone mad enough to think its a great purchase. The last time this guy was trying to sell some weird stone on a necklace, but not before getting everyone on the bus to perform some bizarre voo-doo ritual with them first. Getting off the bus is equally as challenging as the buses again dont stop. It thus involves jumping off the bus but then running for the first few meters as the momentum takes you forward. When its a crowded street the difficulty level increases exponentially, as you are forced to continue your run whilst weaving in and out of people.

Anyway, enough of buses. Tungurahua Volcano was still bubbling and Quito was, well, still Quito. My American buddies however were all getting ready to leave. Their University course was over and they were all returning to their homes in the States. Brenna was leaving too. Before she left she wanted to do some touristy things in Quito. I really wanted to join her as I had done very little touristy activities in the city that I had now lived in for 6 months. It´s always the way - you never do these things in your own back yard. In my home town of London, I still havent been on the London Eye yet!!!

One of the things we did was to climb up the Basilica. Situated in the Historical Centre of Quito´s old town, the gothic Basilica del Voto Nacional stands upon a hill. I can see it every night from the terrace of the Secret Garden but had never ventured to take the scary climb up one of the towers. The ascent requires crossing a rickety wooden plank inside the main roof and then some steep stairs and a ladder to the top. From there you get a fantastic view over the old town of Quito. The church is pretty spectacular too, with instead of gargoyles engraved on its side, it has turtles and iguanas carved on. Its pretty cool.

We also went to the Museo Etnografico de Artesania de Ecuador, which displays pieces representing Ecuadorian culture and art. We headed to Carolina Park, with its Botanical Gardens of worldly flora but especially with a large range of samples from the Amazon Rainforest and finally we headed out to Guapulo. This is a very odd place. On a busy street in Quito is a large, modern hotel, simply called Hotel Quito. It is a huge building complete with Casino. However, take a walk around the back of this hotel and hiding there is a huge expansive view, which sprays off into the horizon. There on the other side of the hill is a large valley and within this lies the town of Guapulo. It is known as the back-drop of Quito and it is impressive especially if you can find it in the first place. I bet most travelers passing through this city never even know of it´s existence and thats a shame in a way. For us though it meant no tourists cluttering up the narrow, cobbled streets that lead down the hill-side. From behind the hotel is the official look-out point but then you can walk the steep streets through the quiet town of Guapulo. Theres a large church / sanctuary at the bottom which you can visit too. Along the walk down you can stop in small cafes, which generaly sell a cold beer and an incredible view. Here you almost feel like your not in Quito anymore.

Before Brenna left, her parents came over to Ecuador as a vacation. We met and had a good chat over dinner. Her Dad used to work at GNS in New Zealand where I had worked just last year. He was a geologist and so naturally we got on famously.

Eventually all my American friends had to leave and that included Brenna. We did some final parties out in the Mariscal, and then once again I said goodbye. It never gets any easier.

However, at home in London, one of my friends Ricky is getting married, but not until next February. He is however having his bachelor party in September and he is having it in Las Vegas. I decided that it was an impossible invitation to ignore as all my boys would be there. It would be one hell of a reunion on an incredible occassion. A few weeks later I booked my flights. I would be spending 4 nights in Vegas with the boys at the end of September, but then I will stay on in LA for 6 more days, where I will see Brenna once again.

I will have 4 months to wait though, still, im sure there will be some more chaotic events here to keep me pre-ocupied until then. As it turned out I didnt have to wait very long..................