Volcano Park

Well, after Eliot spotted the amusement park (see the previous post) and we had enjoyed the views at the top of the TeleferiQo we decided to venture forth into the theme park. After all, we are interested in exploring ALL of the local culture along the way. The park was filled with local families (although not crowded) out to enjoy the day. We were the only “gringos” anywhere to be found. The rides were fun, inexpensive and had no lines. Hey, they even had bathrooms! (Public bathrooms are rare in Ecuador).

We didn’t stay long, but the familiarity of a theme park was a welcome sight for the kids. Here are some snapshots of the fun.

Early Days in Ecuador - TeleferiQo

Catching up a bit on our first few days in Quito, focusing on Friday - Day 2. After a day of settling into the city and hostal and spending some time with JM’s local friend Andres, we decided to head to the teleferiQo. (Thank you for the tickets Andres!)

TeleferiQo is a sky tram, similar to ski resort gondolas, that takes passengers on a 2.5 km ride up the side of Volcan Pichincha on the western side of Quito. You travel from approximately 9,100 ft in elevation up to a little over 13,300 ft. We arrived a little before 10 AM to ensure a better view as the clouds in Quito roll in with predictability each afternoon. The ride up was smooth and the views were excellent. Somewhere along the way, can’t remember if it was upon arrival or after we headed up the mountain, Eliot spotted Volcano Park, a small amusement park co-located with the tram. He quickly asked if we could go because we were going to miss the NC State Fair this year. More on that later.

There is a 3 mile hike at the top of the tram that continues on to the peak of Volcan Pichincha which we decided not to take yet as this was only day 2 at altitude. The views were spectacular, although the weather was not quite clear. We could see the expanse that is Quito very well and only part of Cotopaxi off in the distance. Pichincha was alternately clear and shrouded in clouds. We look forward to going back up before we leave Ecuador to do the hike. The city of Quito is a bit overpowering with people, cars, buses and city air and we look forward to spending more time out in the less populated areas.

Here are some pictures from the day.

Lan Ecuador

If you were here when we flew to Quito, it would go like this.

So basically we woke up a little earlier then 5:30 and took a bus to MIA (Miami International Airport). We took LAN airways to Quito. But the flight went like this. We were in the plane to Quito and we took off. But you don’t think I am done do you? DOOO YOOOUUU?

Well, I was on the plane and dad had 2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2!2! things wrong. Number one, you could use your electronics on takeoff, including your own personal TV. Number two, you could play games for free. A bit into the plane ride, Eliot found out this really cool video game (which was the really great part of the flight) called Invasion and the plane you played as had solar powered wings (or looked like them). But, the electronic bullets were sucked into the wings and gave you energy. umm (why did I just type that?) If you got hit by the small guys you fought, you lost parts of your life and blew up. But, if you blew them up you got energy. Your energy, if you had enough, could give you power ups. The different kind of power ups are, 1-triple bullet, 2-quintuple bullet and last squid bullet.  There was a bar on the side of the screen which had triple bullet, quintuple bullet and squid bullet.  So, if you ever fly this airline make sure you get a long distance flight so that you can have the fun and exciting amusement that I had.

Jack

Ecuador day 1

We got up at 5:00 am Thursday morning to catch the 7:45 plane to Quito. We were flying on a 767 which is a plane with two aisles and personal TV’s. I watched the new Narnia movie Prince Caspian. If you ever fly into Quito be sure you get a window seat. It’s worth whatever trouble it takes to get. The view is breathtaking! You can see the green mountains and the city of Quito.

We are staying at Hostal el Arupo. We have a room with 5 beds and internet access, how much better could it get? Tomorrow we are going to go up the TeleferiQo which is a sky tram that takes you up the side of Volcan Pichincha.

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