Quito in Ecuador is the largest and best-preserved old town in Latin and South America, also the first city to be named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. I knew about the old town, I knew about its great food and had heard about its nightlife, but no one told me about its 40+ churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries with their respective cloisters, 17 plazas, 12 chapter rooms and refectories, 12 museums and countless courtyards. I could have walked another 10 hours if the sun wasn’t about to take cover and force me into a cafe for something hot to reignite me for the evening.
Over the last decade, the Quito authorities have been engaged in a huge regeneration project. The result has been the transformation of the historic centre and investment has been directed to improving traffic conditions, restoring mansions and streets, building new shopping centres and cultural centres, installing dramatic lighting and providing increased security. Crime has apparently been on the rise, but is not as bad as Guyaquil in the south, where we were told by everyone we ran into, to ‘watch ourselves,’ and not to do this and don’t do that, watch out for cabbies, don’t bring out your camera and on and on.
While I was walking through the Old Town, at least three policemen (and one woman) stopped me, pointed to my camera and shook their head. One even followed me to a safer corner before they felt comfortable leaving me — and it wasn’t even dark yet. That said, while I did feel ‘all eyes’ on my the greatness of my Canon 7D, it didn’t stop me from exploring, shooting and talking to strangers everywhere I met. Not unlike the smaller Ecuador towns, people were friendly and eager to learn about your world.
The Plaza Grande is the main square, and while it’s a popular destination, it is a far cry from what you’ll find as you meander up, up, up the sprawling hills, narrow alleyways and La Ronda district. Let’s take a visual meander, shall we, starting with La Ronda, one of my favorite parts of the city — and a ton of interesting streets sprout off from its main street, an antiquated cobblestone street that is full of art galleries and cafes, the former don’t typically open until the evening. Below a view of a main street that runs alongside Plaza Grande.
My favorite streets were Venezuela, Bolivar, Rocafuerte and Moreno Garcia, where the two girls below stand along a wall. The colors rich, the texture old and ‘real’ and all of it alive.
Casual vending style. All it takes is 3 crates, two to sit on and one to display your peaches, oranges, limes and avocados:
Alicia gets renovated along La Ronda at the far end of Old Town, completely quiet when I arrived. Not a soul in sight, I was able to watch three men work on this masterpiece which felt like 100x my size as I shrunk in next to all its glory.
Taken from Bolivar with San Francisco Square in the background:
Gate, Wall, Wood, Stone, Metal, Paint, Paper, Holes??
EGG woman in dilemma as workers repair the sidewalk smack in front of her egg shop. I watched this for 20 minutes.
Across the street from La Basilica where I never got a cab despite how fiercely I waved and danced. No, I’m not kidding – I thought it might improve my chances of a cabbie stopping:
Apples, Scarves, Hats & Color Along Garcia Moreno:
Pasta or Jute Sacks anyone? Taken Along Rocafuerte, which seemed to go on forever and never got any less interesting:
La Ronda and yes, it really is that quaint:
Guard in front of Casa de Santa Mariana de Jesus…..
A whole lotta color along Venezuela Street…..
Plaza Grand isn’t just buildings and concrete…..
Murals on the drive into Old Town…..
Walking up Venezuela (and up, up and up):
Girls on their cell phones giggling along a Side Street not far from San Francisco Square:
Two men catch up in Plaza Grande:
Boy, Bananas and Great Entrances on Venezuela and Bolivar:
Below is a block away from La Basilica at the top of the hill:
Things not to miss: Palacio del Gobierno near Plaza Grande, walking up Garcia Moreno, Venezuela, Bolivar, La Ronda and Rocafuerte. Take a meander into La Compania, one of the richest churches in South America. Think gold, gold and more gold. The closeby Plaza and Monastery of San Francisco will also impress as will the Church and Plaza of Santo Domingo.
You’ll also pass by a pretty park: Parque La Alameda and Praque El Arbolito north of it. Plaza San Francisco is also worth visiting, which I fell upon by accident as I stumbled out of the narrow Bolivar where I had been snapping architecture, angles of shops and fruit carts and the diversity of colors on their paint-faded walls.
It’s loaded with pigeons, so many that the children chase the pigeons until they migrate to a new corner box in the square, where the same thing happens again.
I think we’ll end with food. After all, it is the one consistent thing that I seek out in every city I go to, looking for the local flavor. There’s a lot of it in Quito – old and new town. I was surprised to see fresh bread — from the oven to the front door, waiting for your 50 cents.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
