Sunday in the park in Quito

I am staying in the Mariscal neighborhood in Quito which turns out to be the big party neighborhood.  Within a few blocks of my hotel are dozens of restaurants and discos.  I just couldn't leave the party scene behind in Montanita.  So it was pretty packed here on Saturday night when I first arrived and wandered around.  On Sunday, however, not much is open in Quito.  They forecast rain but it was sunny in the morning, so I hopped on the first double decker tour bus of the day, so I could get oriented to Quito.  It is a huge city, and because it is surrounded by the Andes, it could not grow to the east or west, only north and south.  So you can practically walk across the city, but it takes a loooong time in a car to get from one end to the other.

Quito is not just surrounded by the Andes; it is IN the Andes.  It reminds me a lot of San Francisco with its steep streets and tiered houses.  But ... it is at 9,000 feet elevation.  Walking the hills here is a lot harder than in San Francisco.  Also, as a colonial, World Heritage city, the buildings come right up to the sidewalks and the streets are narrow.  I was amazed that the bus could drive on half the streets.

In the distance you can see the Virgin of Quito, who sits on a hill overlooking the old part of the city.  She is made of aluminum and is a copy of a statue that is in one of the churches in Quito.  The hill is called Panecillo and our guide said that some people erroneously call her the Virgin of Panecillo, but really, the Virgin of Panecillo does not exist.  She is the Virgin of Quito.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that the Virgin of Quito probably doesn't exist either.













The bus tour ended at Parque La Carolina - the Central Park of Quito.  According to the guide, up to 50,000 people come to the park on weekends.  It was still sunny out, so I headed off across the park.  It was amazing.  First, there were dozens of futbol fields -some concrete and some sand - with games on all of them.  Pick-up games or organized leagues?  I don't know.  Then there were dozens of volleyball courts and a few basketball courts, all with games going on.

 

Then I came to a steep hill that people were walking bikes up.  It was the start of the dirt bike track.

Then the local street performers.  I have seen them now in several cities.  Always a few young men, part of whose act involves dressing as women and dancing.  But most of the act is talking and engaging with the audience, and although I understand what they are saying, I never get the humor.

Then came the concrete bowls and ramps for bikes and skateboards.

The sign says:  Whatever you decide to do, be assured that it will make you happy.

There was a lake, a playground for kids, lots of food stands, and botanical gardens.  And finally ...  when the guide on the bus listed the sports people do in the park, he included gymnastics.  Really?  I thought.  Then I came upon an acrobatics class.

There could only have been one thing better than walking through the park on a beautiful Sunday.  I forgot that I had read that they close some streets on Sundays and everyone goes biking.  I could have rented a bike and gone for a ride.

Oh, well.  Next time.