Day 2 in Quito, we woke early, had breakfast of scrambled eggs, burnt toast (Tami made her own), and bottled water…Oh did I forget to mention that nowhere on this trip could you drink any water from the taps, or brush your teeth with that water, all had to be bottled.
Today we had signed up for a tour of Quito and the “Middle of the Earth”.
Daniel came early and along with our faithful driver Carlos, we first went to beautiful downtown. We visited the Basilica, a huge church located in Old Town Quito. Great views of Quito's compacted housing from the top of the Basilica...and we climbed about 200,000 stairs to get there. We also saw the main square “Plaza de Indepencia”, famous for the monument to Marshall Sucre, second only to Simon Bolivar in fighting for South American Independence. We had to take some detours because the teachers were protesting, a recurring theme on the trip. They were protesting the Government's trying to have them tested periodically before allowing them to teach. We visited the "Virgin of Quito" statue, overlooking Quito. This was made entirely of aluminum plates, in the valley, disassembled and carried up to the top of this hill and reassembled. All the plates are numbered in order to correctly put her together again.
We next went to “Middle Earth”, (not the J.R.R. Tolkien version), but Mitad del Mundo the actual Latitude of ’00.00.00’. The place was called “Inti Nan Museum”, lies on the equator, and at this place we saw demonstrations of strange phenomena, including the clockwise, counterclockwise and lack of both in draining water. Also real SHRUNKEN HEADS, they even had How To Guides, so watch out…Then we fed ourselves at Mama Clorinda’s, GREAT Tamales wrapped in plantain husks…and waddled back to the hotel.
I spoke with at least a half dozen other travel companies, looking for a Galapagos cruise that fit our schedule and budget. Some companies could manage one or the other, but Erin was the only one who could do both. She found us the perfect cruise, at a fantastic price! And she has been quick and patient with responses to my many questions. So far, Adventure Life has been a fantastic company to work with!
Sandi T
3 weeks ago
Erin was patient, thorough, responsive, knowledgeable.
Karen Bukolt
3 weeks ago
Erin was responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and ran through a few different choices with us. She got us a fabulous price on a trip, and made everything easy to do. And QUICK!!
Tina
1 month ago
From the initial meeting and planning process with our trip planner Jess, through to the finalizing of our itinerary, trip details and questions, I was very impressed with the professionalism, thoroughness, organization and attention to details. I would highly recommend Adventure Life to anyone looking to plan a unique travelling experience, knowing that the expertise and experience provided will result in a seamless trip of a lifetime.
Lynn Farquharson
1 month ago
Excellent suggestions I line with my desires on a Galapagos very last minute cruise.
Swift and professional guidance and assistance in booking the trip. Helped me realising a substantial saving.