Colonial Quito, Quito

Quito's colonial Old Town is quite pretty and charming, with many undulating, narrow, cobble-stoned alleyways and cul-de-sacs. Sometimes, above you, are stone archways, some lanes are so narrow the pedestrian path is enough for only 1 skinny person to crab-walk through.

Years ago, colonial Quito was very very very dangerous. It was dirty and crowded and petty crimes and armed robberies were rife.

Around 2000 or earlier, the government pumped in a lot of money to clean the whole place up. They relocated the street-stalls to some 'centro comercial'. They repaved the pedestrian walkways. They literally cleared the rubbish off the street. There was increased police patrol.

However, it does not mean that one can throw caution to the wind now. My friends still preferred not to carry any bags, putting all they need in their pockets and well, they had to keep touching themselves all the time just to be sure.

Also, Quito used to be painted entirely white due to a *probably misguided* notion that the white limestone of the paint is a disinfectant against the smallpox epidemic in 1756. In the late 1980s, after a survey where the Quitenos apparently complained about the city being 'too white', some art historians poked about and scraped some of the white paint off and discovered the true colours of the original buildings.

In an effort to restore the town to pre-smallpox-epidemic glory, the buildings are now repainted in all shades of pastels. Lovely!!

The other interesting thing the city council did was to add special lightings to the most important buildings like the churches of San Francisco, La Merced, Santo Domingo and the Basilica, making the whole place truly enchanting at night. There are some fancy blue lights coming out of the plaza in front of La Merced and the lights shining upon the Basilica changes colour all the time. This must be an attempt to prettify the city to the whole world after Quito won the right to host Miss Universe 2004.

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I stumbled upon a peaceful, almost placid demonstration while strolling in the Plaza de la Independencia. If the man in white was wearing a cause related t-shirt, I guess the demonstration was about artisanal fishing. Surely not the stuff of tear gas and rubber bullets.

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The Plaza de la Independencia is the heart of Quito, and that is where the Presidential Palace is (Palacio del Gobierno). This square is different from the others: there is some landscaping in the middle, and it is busier and faster paced. In other words, the Plaza de la Independencia is attractive but more urban and more modern feeling than the other great squares of Quito.

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This very interesting church has multiple personalities. From the back (on the Plaza San Francisco), it is all white walls and domes. The facade, however, is austere and dark. Inside, it is one of the most gold laden churches I have ever been into. Allegedly, 7 tons of gold were used, and it seems like a low estimate to me. This church was completed in 1768.

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This large complex is the oldest church in Ecuador, and it dates from the early days of Quito (completed around 1600). The inside of the church, and some museum rooms, can be visited. Indoor photography is prohibited.

The monastery dominates the vast and impressive Plaza San Francisco.

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Plaza San Francisco is the most attractive square in Quito. The architecture all around the square is enchanting and the proportions are perfect. The square is dominated by the Monastery of San Francisco, and the rear of the Compañia de Jesús church (see respective tips).

For such an attractive space, it is untouristy. There are no souvenir shops or postcard vendors.

I was there at night too, and I didn't feel unsafe because it was quite busy. It was early, however, since night falls early in Ecuador.

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This is one of the main squares in the historic district of Quito. Because it is a stop of the trole (trolley), it is somewhat noisy - rather than lively. The architecture all around the square is very attractive, half white, and half peach. The Church of Santo Domingo is very distinctive, and it is pleasantly illuminated at night. However, I have read that the Plaza is not so safe at night. The best spot to enjoy the sight might therefore be the restaurant of the Hotel Real Audiencia (see accommodation tip).

To the right of the church is a chunky Arco. A short downhill walk from the arco (but not going through the arco) will get you to the bus station.

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Me gringo - walk down this street - walk up that street - people stare, not menacingly, more like; what's this? A gringo? I liked it, center of attention and all that... The second day there were more gringos, I'm no longer special, damn it!
Aside from the shoe-shine boys (who were OK to hang out with while resting at plazas) nobody will bother you, even in the market - no hassle, very strange, very nice.