Roaming South America

Quito, Ecuador

November 23, 2022

Quito, Ecuador—sits at around 2850 meters, which is a very high 9350 feet in elevation. If you have no experience with that kind of elevation I can attest to this fact—breathing is noticeably strained, especially when doing any form of exercise, even walking up an incline. Quito is the second highest capital city in the world. La Paz, Bolivia, is the highest (1100 meters higher than Quito, quite a significant amount). The average afternoon maximum temperature is 21.4°C (70.5°F), and the average night-time minimum temperature is 9.8°C (49.6°F). And, because of its altitude, Quito receives some of the greatest solar radiation in the world, so getting a sunburn is incrediby easy, even on cloudy days.

Quito has a population of around 2.8 million people. It sits at the base of the active volcano, Pichincha. There are nine volcanos in this region of the Andes Mountains. Archeologists say that this area has been populated since 4400 - 1600 BC. Spanish conquistadors conquered the city of Inca people in 1534. The Inca people defeated the Quitu people in the late 1400s. Quito is the closest capital city to the equator with its northern border just 1 kilometer south of the equator. The historic city center is a World Heritage Site, the entire city center. It's quite a place to visit.

The city has been restoring the city center for 20 years, and they also converted a former airport into a very large city park, Parque Bicentario (200 acres). I walked through it, and its big. There are pics in the photo album of the historic center and some of the many parks—including - La Carolina (165.5 acres), Metropolitano (1,376 acres). And, the city is in the process, and nearing the end, of constructing a subway system.

So, my impressions: air pollution is bad, traffic is bad, weather is cold. All, in my book, are major negatives. The parks are great, so many excellent parks and in very nice condition. But, I would never spend more time here than I did - one week.

Next up: Santo Domingo, on the western side of the mountains. The climate should be much more to my liking since the elevation is much lower, around 625 meters (2050 feet).