Bike Quito - Ciclopaseo & more

BIKE-BIKE-BIKE in QUITO!

Like to ride bike?  Want to join a group road ride?  Prefer mountain biking to road biking?
Quito has that and more.

Quito’s bike scene is thriving – and while the roads are not as smooth as we’re used to and the bike lanes less prevalent than NW riders have become accustomed - the enthusiasm for cycling in Quito is contagious.  Hardly a day goes by without an article and photo of a cycling event in the cities’ main paper – El Comercio.

Every Sunday, a main thoroughfare in Quito (Avenue de los Amazonas) is completely closed to cars from 6:00am – 2:00pm.  Not only is the road closed, there are aid stations providing for repairs and fluids, policemen and women monitoring crossings and live music and entertainment are common place at the old airport. 

Sculptures at the old Quito Airport - now part of Parque Bicentenario

A little help  from some kind  Ecuatorianos when fixing rental bikes~

Turn into Parque Bicentenario and you're sure to be entertained and fed!

The first Ciclopaseo in Quito took place in April 2003 when the path was only 9.5 km and 3,000 people participated. At that point, Ciclopaseos were only held on the last Sunday of every month.  But the event grew in popularity. In six months the route grew to 20 km with 25,000 participants.

Now every Sunday between 50 000 and 70 000 people participate in this weekly “paseo” on wheels!  Currently, the route is 50+K round trip, through the heart of El Centro (historic Old Town) south to Quitumbe and north to the old airport and Parque Bicentenario.  

It's a bicycle!  It's an elliptical trainer! - I love it!

While it’s called “Ciclopaseo” the users include walkers, joggers, roller-bladers, young children learning to ride with training wheels, young lovers riding double, and dogs - plenty of dogs.

We’ve seen dogs on leashes, dogs in front baskets, dogs in backpacks, dogs, dogs, dogs.  Reminds one of the children’s book: “Go Dogs Go!”  Thankfully, we have never seen them unleashed!

A great way to experience El Centro

The 'quinde' walk :-)

70K group ride for Quito Days

Commuting by bicycle is done in Quito – at one’s own risk.  Having a weekly cycling event will hopefully encourage more user-friendly roads and help combat the many cars and less than adequate infrastructure for the current traffic in this historic city built within the Andes.

We’ve been participating in the Ciclopaseo from August through December and plan to continue throughout our "Year of Adventure" in Ecuador!

Stairways to Heaven - in Quito

Stairways to Heaven~Quito

When on foot, it’s hard – maybe even IMPOSSIBLE- to walk any distance in the city of Quito without interacting with stairways.  Okay, that's a stretch.  They can be avoided by walking further or hailing a cab.  But if a person enjoys surprises; likes walking away from traffic; or wants more of a workout; TAKE THE STEPS!
Here in the barrio of Guapulo, the multitude of stairways are a daily reality.

Some are adorned with graffiti, some are festooned with wild, blossoming plants, some are crumbled and eroded; most become ‘water features’ during afternoon downpours….

ALL are steep, ALL have irregular tread heights, ALL improve health and fitness, ALL are interesting~

 The daily grind:  This picture and the one below, show only 1/3 of the 253 steps from our casita to the street above. Like roads, stairways have gutters and drainage ditches.
















Picture below is looking down into Guapulo and the way home for us.

 Hillsides are so steep, it's very common for slides to go over the stairway, where the debris remains for ?????

Can you see the faces of the  "Guardians of the Stairway"?

 

(L) These steps are so steep and long, it's not possible to get a pic of the entire length.  Students use these daily, walking to and from school in their uniforms.

Crumbled they may be; but that's the 'short cut' home for some

Climbing the metal steps of the Basilica del Voto Nacional.  Could we do this  in the USA??

 ( Above R) Steps connect roadways and allow one to get from Point A to Point B without walking along the roadsides where sidewalks may be in short supply.

 (Above L) Steps up to Parque Ichimbia overlooking Old Town are in great shape. (El Centro)

Discovering new routes via Stairway Shortcuts makes each and every day in this incredible city an aventura nueva!!

Paradise in Papallactahhhhhhhhhhh!

Papallacta – which appropriately  translates to “high place” is a 90 minute drive east of Quito into the cloud forest referred to as the Northern Oriente .  Travel east of here and one descends into the Amazonian jungle. 

How “high” is it? According to Wikipedia’s list of Highest Towns by Country – Papallacta is Ecuador’s highest ‘town’.  Here’s proof!

16

Ecuador

Papallacta

Napo

3,300 M

10,827 Ft

  .

For comparison’s sake –…….

21

United States

Alma

Colorado

3,156M

10,354 Ft

I was ready for a ‘soft adventure’ having spent our two previous ‘get-aways’ climbing a major volcano; summiting Cotopaxi the last week in September; and hiking the Quilotoa Crater with 40 9^th grade students in mid- October.  Don’t get me wrong, I love roughing it and my sleeping bag and I go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back.  But, my body was screaming SPA – and spa I got!

Papallacta is renowned for its high altitude thermal baths and we weren’t disappointed.  The weather was calm, cool with high intermittent clouds.  Perfect for spending time in  - too many to count - 100+ degree pools. 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Too many to use all of  in one visit.

We splurged and stayed in the Termas de Papallacta – which has private baths in front of each cabana. The public spaces were fabulous and on Sunday morning they showed the Paris Masters Tennis Tournament on wide screen HD TV.  I wasn't in heaven, but I could see it from there.  

 Guests of the lodge are welcome to use any or all of the private pools scattered throughout the property and an overnight stay includes discounted use of the Spa Center.  Instead of paying $45 for a massage, Andean mud wrap, body lymphatic drainage (huh?); guests of the TP pay $12. Oh boy!  Being the experienced massage devotee that I am– NOT – I  paid the extra fee to use the jetted thermal pools.  I’ll save the spa treatment for the next visit…

Beautiful rock, art pieces and wood work in the lounge spaces.

As a plant-lover and who can resist hummingbirds??  Papallacta was a Garden of Eden on both fronts.  Organic gardens in all stages of growth, dairy cows grazing on high altitude hillsides next to bromeliad-laden trees, llamas appropriately placed for the camera-laden paparazzi, and orchids, brugmansia, hardy fuschia, did I mention orchids?  

Tree-sized brugmansia sanguinea 

Mapa de sendero (above)                                                  And a late afternoon view of Volcan Antisana!

Papallacta Paradise indeed!

PS - We hired a private driver to take us there.  Picked us up right on schedule at our Guapulo casita.  We paid $55 for the 90 minute ride.  Took 2 public buses and a taxi home.  Door to door - 120 minutes - $8.

A Weather Watcher's -REPORT

From 35 years living in the Maritime Climate 

to the Andean Sierras:

I think it's safe to say that most active people from maritime climates are avid weather watchers.  We have to be to manipulate our outdoor pursuits around the- ever so often, less than perfect weather- for an active lifestyle.

Before moving to Quito from the Puget Sound area - we monitored the Ecuadorian weather regularly to 'brace ourselves' for what was to come.  We'd been told to prepare for the 'rainy season'  - for the 'eternal spring' of the Andean Sierra.  Our response to the weather warnings??  BRING IT ON!! Who better to withstand the days on end of gloom and grey and drizzle than us?  Or is it?

In the middle of October we began to notice subtle changes:  it began raining - at night - how considerate!
Swallows were flitting about, insects began hatching, we began hearing a nightly chorus of frogs, the hillsides were becoming greener and people were out mowing for the first time since we arrived.  It's FALL; time to plant!

Vegetable gardens abound; organic and not, on any level space.  When one crop matures, it's dug under, and replanted in another section of the garden.  Fresh vegetables and fruits continuously planted; continuously harvested.  Fantastico!

Here in Gualpulo, our casita faces east.  Lucky us! Here's the drill:  The sun has actually moved - ever so slightly to the south.  It rises around 6:07am, and if it's foggy or cloudy, the cloud cover burns off by 7:15 or so.  The sun pours in through the large east-facing windows, heats up the tile floors and stone walls and provides so much heat that it's always necessary to open the casement windows.  The sun is hottest from 9-1 pm at which time the clouds begin to gather.  The inevitable thunderstorms are exciting &  LOUD and one can practically set their watches by the afternoon cloudbursts: 2:45pm is about right. (just in time for my afternoon tennis class)

Did two Poulsbohemians come with umbrellas?  Are you kidding?  Hardly anyone uses umbrellas in the PNW - it's only a drizzle.....  Not here.  Five minutes in the afternoon cloudbursts and one is quite thoroughly DRENCHED.   The many stairways- and I do mean many,  (more on that later) become water features (think Harbor Steps) and there's no getting around the fact you are going to be totally soaked.  

Is it cold at night at 9,500ft at the equator?  Not to us.  Most homes here don't have a heat source and neither do we.  Stay tuned on that front. 

I'm sure Quitenos are as puzzled by our attire as we are by theirs.  Tennis walks to the bus at 6:50am every day and has yet to wear a coat. Dress shirt & tie; no mas.  By comparison, Quitenos are bundled in long pants, dress shirt, sweater vest, jacket, scarves wrapped around their necks (male & female  ALWAYS), and often a stocking cap.  We sweat just looking at them.  Wimps!  Just kidding - 

Marveling at the size of the blossoms and fruits of brugmansia sanguinea

foto:  27 de octubre en Papallacta

El dia de los difuntos - Part II

Living here in Guapulo, the bohemian art community that is also home to many long-time families, we feel privileged to have the opportunity to share in the long-held traditions in this authentic setting.
How can a travel experience possibly top that?  At least to our way of thinking.

This morning, we partook in a morning guagua de pan, drank some colada morada and made a visit to the impossibly steep hillside setting of the Guapulo Cemetery.

Buying FLOWERS:
On the cobbled streets, vendors sold fresh
and plastic flowers so that the memorials and
grave sites could be freshly decorated.

 Mass was held at the cemetery.

  People were perched on the steep hillside, listening to the priest's homily by their loved ones' grave sites.                                                            

Halloween or Los Dias los Disfuntos?

Halloween or El Dia de los Disfuntos?

In Ecuador We're preparing for a "Halloween" of a different variety.  All schools are strictly forbidden to celebrate Halloween (Catholic influence is alive and well here) - Instead, it's "el dia de los Disfuntos" on Nov 2nd, when families will take guagua de pan (in photo above) to the cemeteries to 'feast' with the dearly departed.  

According to Ecuadorian indigenous beliefs, the dead don't "die" but move into another life, and communication between them and the living is possible.  The 'instruments' that facilitate such communication include homemade bread and 'el champus'; which is a beverage made of corn flour, panela and lemon leaves. These are the origins of what is known today as Colada Morada, a purple drink made of various types of fruit. 

We'll be visiting this cemetery in Guapulo on Saturday, and if we're lucky, perhaps we'll have access to a long-standing Andean custom.