Quito 1

 

We arrived in Quito yesterday morning after an overnight flight from Buenos Aires to Lima then a morning flight to Ecuador.  We were very tired!  We also probably had to adjust to the altitude - 2800 m ASL.  




Today we spent the morning in a big public park and at the Jardin Botanico.  The Quito Jardin Botanico is very small but very well maintained and has some excellent exhibits.  There are glasshouses for orchids and for carnivorous plants and a large display of bonsai plants.  The park around the Botanic Garden was full of families enjoying Easter Saturday.  There were sports activities of all kinds (though no Aussie Rules that we saw), yoga and meditation, carnival rides and bouncy castles, street food and just general hanging out.  There were people everywhere.  It was a glorious sunny morning and most people live in apartments so why not!  One aspect of the park that bemused us was the numbers of callistemons, melaleucas and casuarinas.  There are also Blackwood wattles!  The birds seemed to like the Australian trees so it was all fine.


Here are some of the orchids and a couple of cacti.









 In the afternoon we visited the old part of the city dominated by the Basilica del Voto Nacional.  It is a neo-gothic cathedral, the largest in the Americas, and is filled with all manner of interesting stuff.  I didn't find it particularly spiritual.  the 'Bride Doll' Marys were 'noice, unusual, different'.  I did like the stained glass and there were some excellent gargoyles.








 

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