At least once, every person should dance on the equator in front of an indifferent audience of llamas. Maybe even twice. Quito, the capital of Ecuador in the foothills of the Andean mountains, is the place to make this happen. For the month we were there, we saw no other tourists with the exception of the three German women also doing their equator dance. We found the people to be friendly and helpful. English was non-existent so we got to brush off our Spanish. It was an easy and interesting city to visit for a month.

In this post:
3 Best Quito Qualities
1 Drawback
Must Do
Best Meal Experience

Different disinterested llama than at the equator

These 3 things I enjoyed most about Quito and the one thing I didn’t.

  1. The impressive storms. If we are staying somewhere for more than a couple of nights, Paul will find a place with the best view. Quito was no exception. We stayed in a condo with a wall of glass facing the city. From there we had a front-row view of the spectacular weather blowing across the city. Surrounded by mountains, Quito looks like a city-puddle in the valley. Surprise storms seemed to hop over the mountain range, appearing out of nowhere with a “ta-da” thunderclap, especially when you were umbrellaless. After being soaked down to our underwear a few times, we stayed inside during the afternoon hours when the weather liked to mess with people the most. In dry clothes we watched all the storm personalities roll into the valley with a sudden stage left entrance, and exiting stage right just as quickly. The clouds were always in a big hurry to be somewhere else. Some were friendly fluff and others were sinister and full of electricity. I preferred the nasty ones. More fun to watch. Even the scenes after dusk were captivating–the way the city lights dotting their way up the slopes until the sun peeked over the mountains in the morning. Never tired of that view, but the storms were my favorite.

2. Colonial architecture. The city is known for its 16th and 17th century colonial churches and surrounding neighborhoods. But what’s cool about these churches is that they come in a variety of Moorish, indigenous and European styles. You can visit a moremtraditional cathedral or one entirely plated with gold. No two were similar. We were often the only ones in the church. Except for the time we walked in on the Good Friday mass and stayed for the service.

3. Honest and helpful taxi drivers. We’ve had such a wide range of experiences with taxi drivers, some great, others dismal. I’d happily award Quito for the best taxi experiences we’ve had. Extremely affordable rates. But even better, our drivers were honest and helpful. We never felt taken advantage of, which is refreshing. I’d recommend taking taxis in Quito.

One drawback about living in the foothills of the Andeas, was the altitude adjustment. At 9300 ft, I got altitude sickness the first day. I was out of breath walking to the fridge for a glass of water. The headaches and nausea faded by the second day. I didn’t know there are over the counter meds specifically for high altitude symptoms, so we picked those up. It got better as the weeks went on, but I never adjusted entirely. We weren’t all affected the same. Paul and Madi always got to the fridge just fine.

The Must Do. If you only have time to do one thing, visit the equator at Mitad del Mundo. There are many attractions, shops, and restaurants, a small planetarium, Craft Beer Museum, Cocoa Museum, and of course the stone trapezoidal monument marking the equator. I found the recreation of traditional homes from the Amazon and Andes to be the most fascinating exhibit. We spent the day there.

Best meal experience was when we went for dinner at Hacienda Rumiloma. It was actually a suggestion our dentist made during a teeth cleaning. He said it was the one place he tells everyone visiting Quito to go to. He described it as a 5-star hotel tucked up in the mountains with fantastic food, a spectacular view, and the occasional visit from mountain-roaming llamas. Absolutely should have led with the wild mountain llamas.

Rumiloma is a 8 km drive into the mountains from the Plaza de la Independence. The rustic four-room hotel has a spectacular view of both the city in the valley below and the volcano.

Our private dining room, in our private restaurant, (made possible by covid).

Since we were the only ones there, we were given a tour of the four suites available in the hotel. All were decorated in unique eclectic furniture and art in rooms of adobe walls, wooden beams, and stone features.

Entrance to the restaurant
Just some wild llamas swinging by to snack on some front lawn.
The view from our table was down the valley through the mountains, to the ocean.

There are certain meals that I’m nostalgic about. They are a combination of delicious food from a region with a uniquely magical setting. All of your senses are involved in the other-worldly experience, tastes, smells, the sounds around you like the cracking fire or lapping waves. One was a meal in Albania, mostly cooked over a huge fire in the dining room of ingredients grown in the back garden. Another was a meal of fresh local fish eaten over the water at Snack Mahana on the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia. There are others. Our experience at Hacienda Rumiloma will also be joining this group.