We jetted off to our first destination on August 6th. After some (fortunately) incredibly smooth traveling, we landed in the world’s highest capital: Quito. Existing at 9,350 feet above sea level definitely made us grateful for our Colorado roots over the past few years. Getting our first glimpse of the Andes was a pretty spectacular sight during our descent.
Coming from long summer nights, the sun setting consistently at about 6:30 pm was a bit of an adjustment. We showed up to the Secret Garden Hostel with one night booked and that pretty quickly turned into four. This felt like an easy place to call home while settling in. The plants on every surface and the ability to sip free tea snuggled up on the rooftop terrace after “family dinner” screamed cozy to us.
We were super fortunate to have sunny mornings/afternoons to get out and explore Old Town on foot before the evenings skies would turn moody and give us the perfect excuse to warm up with more tea. Our main focus here was to get our bearings, explore some of Quito, and make our best attempt with daily Spanish lessons (shout out to Michell for sticking it out with us!).
Quito Top Hits
1
Visiting the middle of the world – our trip to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo was exactly what we hoped for. It was complete with getting a kick out of standing on the equator and watching someone balance an egg on a nail. Some sweet digital keepsakes via Jack’s drone to come!
2
Climbing new heights – goodbye 14ers and hello 15,000+ feet. We rode the TelefériQo cable car up to nearly 13,000 feet. Before starting our hike up Rucu Pichincha, we stopped to swing in the clouds. This trail took us to highest altitude we’ve ever been (goodbye Rockies & hello Andes). We got to enjoy sweeping views of Quito and the surrounding volcanoes.
3
Taking in the city lights – we happened to be in Quito at the perfect time for Luz de America Festival. We found ourselves walking with thousands of people across town to see the dazzling light displays projected on multiple historic buildings. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
4
Attempting Spanish lessons together – the reality is that it’s going to take us a real long time to get better BUT we’re starting. We thought we might need to sign up for a fancy Spanish school but alas we lucked out with affordable lessons right at our hostel! We had the chance to spend 2.5 hours a day in a coffee shop with our teacher Michell and her dog. Did our brains start to shut down during each lesson? Yes, but a wise young man at our hostel once said “only being able to speak English is like only being able to use a spoon… it’ll mostly get the job done but sometimes it’s just not good enough”. Soo we’re trying out here!
5
Making’ our way downtown, walkin’ fast – did you really visit a city if you didn’t do the free walking tour? It’s always nice to get the blood pumping while taking in the sights and some new facts about a place! (A Thousand Miles is our go to burst out singing while walking song. Please send us other songs about walking so we don’t lose our minds over the next few months).
Eats & Drinks
Soup is going to become a staple while traveling around Ecuador, so we best get on board. We tried the famed Encebollado soup loaded with lots of fish and onions. We’ll keep searching for the best bowl. We also snagged some passion fruit to snack on from Mercado Central. Admittedly, the best thing we ate in Quito was probably a massive plate of nachos.
Canelazo warmed our bodies and temporarily stole our hearts on a chilly night. This hot cinnamony and sweet yet slightly tangy drink was pretty dang delicious. We added about 3 daily mugs of tea into the rotation, and we’re due for a rude awakening when this is no longer available to us around the clock. It’s the little things.
Flora & Fauna
We’ve been pretty blown away by the amount of unique plants thrive at such high altitudes. For now we’ll share some pretty pictures, but we’re looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of what’s native and most common in different regions.
Up Next: In true Jack and Kim fashion, we found ourselves running to make our bus to Mindo. Thank you to the incredibly kind locals who were shouting to help us find our bus and make it just in time.