Busy day in Quito

Whirlwind of a day. We toured quite a bit of Quito. The image above is from La Basilica in Quito, which is quite the stunning cathedral. It's a new-gothic design and the gargoyles are things like anteaters, alligators, and panthers, rather than the traditional monkeys and reptile things.

We went up a gondola for a view of the city (spectacular), the Guayasamin museum (Capilla del Hombe; truly stunning art) had fritatas for lunch (fried pork, boiled corn, potato-cheese patties, delicious, narangjita [sp?] juice), visited the Basilica, walked around in various plazas, made our way to the statue of The Virgin on Panecillo where an indigent political party was having a rally (elections are Sunday). Made it back to the hotel for dinner.

I have photos of all this, but I'll get them online tomorrow.

Something I learned: it's scary to be driven around. The lines on the roads are mere suggestions and the traffic is brutal.