La Ciudad de Quito

Yesterday we took a walking tour of the central part of Quito, el centro historico, which inspires me to write some about the city itself. It is a very long city, running north to south in a long strip. We are staying close to the central part of the city, and within walking distance of lots of things. The mountains surrounding Quito are quite visible from almost every point and serve to orient you within the city. The tallest building I've seen was around 16 stories, though most outside of the city center are not much taller than 6 or 7 stories. I'm working on an interactive map currently to show where in Quito we have been, and later in Guaranda. Here's just a screenshot of the part of the city we frequent most, but the link will let you put the mouse on each point for the names. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=201437100475424836489.0004a423d9d6e4ea427a1&ll=-0.198955,-78.487787&spn=0.049009,0.086861&z=14

Interesting things I've picked up while in Quito:

The traffic is terrible here, so the city has implemented restrictions based on license plate numbers. For example, one of the INIAP trucks that we've been riding in cannot be in the city on Tuesdays during rush hours because its license plate ends in 3. The public transportation consists mostly of buses, some more sketchy than others. Often you'll see someone hanging out the front announcing where the bus is going. The bus we rode today cost 25 cents, and we caught it from a station in the middle of the street, where there are two lanes set aside only for buses. The city also has a small system of buses that run on electricity, but the routes (according to Victor, from INIAP, one of our hosts here) don't serve very many of the 2,000,000+ inhabitants. Apparently they are going to build a subway system of sorts, beginning in 2015, but the Quiteños seem doubtful about this. Also, the major airport for the city is actually in the city, so it is common to see giant jets hanging just above. Taxis are the other major method of transportation; rides are cheap and after 8 the taxi drivers are not required to abide by a set rate, so you have to bargain for the rate before you climb in. We spent two dollars on a ten-ish minute ride the other day.

Schools start earlier than in the US; they are open from about 7:00 to 1:30 or so, and they are not set up to feed the students. Most of the schools are private, but both private and public require uniforms (for the most part) apparently to bring equality between the rich and the poor. There is a pretty large gap between the rich and the poor, between those that are having their shoes shined and those doing the shining. There are lots of women selling fruits and vegetables and trinkets in the streets, mostly traditionally dressed. It is common for vendors to walk out in stopped traffic to peddle their goods, in addition to the street entertainers juggling and dancing for any handout.

Quiteñitos on a field trip

 The city itself has grown tremendously in the last twenty years according to the natives- they point to places all over where the population is going farther and farther up the surrounding mountains. There are not many tall buildings, and the streets are fairly wide, though the condition of many of the roads and sideswalks are deplorable, and there is construction going on everywhere. There isn't too much trash hanging out in the street, though there is graffiti. One of our group had a camera robbed during the city tour, and the tour guide mentioned that it was due to the latest mayor. Apparently the old mayor cared a lot about keeping the city clean and providing police for tourist areas, but the new mayor has focused on other things, and conditions have deteriorated. The police did manage to catch up with el ladrón, but unfortunately he had already ditched the camera. Good thing it wasn't a passport or money.

I have plenty more to add; our days are so packed it's impossible to share everything at once. Upcoming is an entry on la gente of Quito, and our visit to the experimental station of Santa Catalina, just outside of Quito.