Back to Quito

Day 11:

We got up early and was ready to leave Hosteria San Mateo. Like we mentioned, there is a different kind of vibe at San Mateo not like Banos. Not to say we did not enjoy our visit, we just like Banos so much better.

Since we are now like the locals we hailed a bus in the middle of the Pan American Hwy. Imagine stopping a bus to pick you up in the middle of the freeway. Again, we were subjected to the vendors that come onto the buses trying to sell you stuff.

Once we arrived Quito we were on a mission to see everything we wanted to see before we head home. First stop, Museo Guayasamin where a very famous Ecuadorian artist houses his art. Some of you may have seen them. He does those paintings with the big hands. Google it.

Next stop, La Compania Church. This church is covered with gold. It is simply amazing. Plus, they were playing Georgian Chant music, which we thought was live, throughout the church. It wasn't.

Next, El Sagariro Church. This church is under renovation but you can still go inside. It is not as breathtaking as La Compania, but well worth the visit.

We needed a break so we had lunch at Cafe Tianguez at the Inglesia de San Francisco. It was a nice day so we sat outside as we people watched. We could easily spot the tourists in the plaza. We came to the conclusion why some tourists are easy targets for thieves. They stand out like a sore thumb. Here are some of the characteristics of the tourists we saw:

1. Wears shorts. Ecuadorian men do not wear shorts and only a few women do.

2. Wears a backpack on their back. Carrying a shopping bag from the local market to hold your stuff is less outstanding

3. Camera around next or visible around hip. No locals carry a camera.

4. Wears zip off or travel pants. See number 1.

5. Wears expensive clothing, such as North Face jackets, Calvin Klein, etc.

6. Retrieving money in plain view. We kept our money in three different places: small bills in front pants pocket, credit card in shoe, and larger bills in sock.

After lunch it was time to sight see again. We headed to Museo Alberto Mena Caamano. This was a pretty cool museum with wax figures. The prison scene downstairs was really neat.

Next, Museo de la Civdad. Another neat museum with very interesting information and displays of Ecuadorian history.

After a long day of sightseeing we were ready for dinner. We had dinner for the third time at El Pobre Diablo with our friends. This was our farewell dinner as we were flying home the next day.