We were lucky enough to have some inside contacts in Quito, as a friend/co-worker of Judy's has family there. And they were nice enough to guide us around parts of the city one afternoon / evening.
First of all, they couldn't have been nicer to us. But on top of that they got us to see things that we either would've blown off (and definitely shouldn't have) or would've only gotten a limited view of (and missed some great perspective along the way).
One of those was the TeleferiQo.
The TeleferiQo is a park / complex featuring aerial cable cars that take you up into the hills near the Pichincha volcano. The cable car rides takes about 10 minutes, during which time you're elevating from roughly 9,000 feet above sea level to about 13,400 feet above sea level.
I could have sworn I had pictures of the wife during this ride, but I can't find them. Bottom line - she wasn't thrilled with the ride. But I did snap this shot of some randoms after we got out of our car.
The guy in the jeans and jacket might look rugged, but if I remember correctly he was squealing a little bit like a nervous child. Embarrassing, really.
Signs like this one didn't soothe Judy's nerves at all.
But I just thought the image would make a kick-ass t-shirt. (And it wasn't nearly as disconcerting as the time we were driving in Costa Rica about to cross a small narrow bridge in the middle of nowhere with a sign reading "Puente en mal estado". Terrific. We rolled the dice and got lucky there.)
While it was relatively warm and mostly sunny down at 9,000 feet, it was definitely cooler up at the top. Judy didn't have the right footwear for the snow / hail mixture that we encountered.
But we were able to warm up with some traditional Ecuadorian adult beverages and comfort food.
The drink, called canelzao, is served hot and involves aguardiente and cinnamon. I liked it, Judy less so. You can check out this canelazo recipe, but maybe just don't serve it all fancy and wimpy like the pictures there suggest. Go strong with the hearty mug like it's meant to be enjoyed. The dish is an humita, which is something like a tamale. Simple and filling, it hit the spot.
Though the food and drink were nice, the real highlight for me was the view. Pretty amazing. Definitely something you don't get in the city.
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