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Quito, Ecuador

Nestled in a valley in the Andes mountains, Quito, Ecuador is one of the highest capital cities in the world, sitting at a 9,350-foot elevation (2,850 meters). This capital city sits on the equator, the middle of the earth. The original name of the city is Quitu, which is Quechua for “center of the earth.” The Spanish couldn’t pronounce it so they called it Quito, and the name stuck.

When I first came to Ecuador and got cash, I was surprised to find a familiar currency: U.S. dollars!

To start, it’s worth noting that Ecuador has been in deep economic insecurity since the 1990s. Back then, it was the perfect storm: oil prices fell, there was political instability, and banking regulations were weak. Ecuador’s national currency, the sucre, collapsed as inflation soared and people lost all of their savings. Since the sucre was beyond saving, Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar because it was the fastest way to restore stability. But in turn, it gave up its monetary independence, and it’s at the mercy of U.S. market sways. People are trying to survive, with unemployment rate being 37%.

Safety in Quito

While Quito has a lot to offer, the city can be a little rough around the edges in some parts. There are petty thefts and sometimes robberies. I wouldn’t go more than a few blocks without taking an Uber, because the rides are tracked and are considered much safer. For instance, I walked 2 km to La Mariscal Artisan Market from my hostel. As I walked through a park, there was a masked man hiding behind a tree, looking right at me! I immediately switched paths and walked faster. After perusing the market, I took an Uber back to my hostel.

Anyway, it’s best to keep your wits about you and use common sense as always. Don’t flash your valuables, avoid wandering around alone at night, and don’t take anything from strangers. Things I wouldn’t even do in the U.S.

Quito is breathtaking—literally!

Since Quito sits at over 9,000 feet, I definitely felt the elevation! After my first night, I woke up with a headache and my heart was pounding. It felt harder to breathe. Chewing on coca leaves helped alleviate the altitude sickness. They taste like yerba mate and green tea. Coca leaves are what cocaine comes from, but this plant isn’t a drug; it’s medicine. It doesn’t get you high. Instead, this mild stimulant works by dilating the blood vessels to let more oxygen pass through like caffeine does. You can make a tea, but I preferred to chew on them to get a fuller effect. The headaches cleared away like clouds parting to let the sun through.

Aya Huma

The Inca Empire spread its influence throughout the Andes mountains. In Ecuador, Aya Huma reins supreme. Literally meaning “head of spirit,” it’s the vital guiding life force present in rituals, resistance, and warfare. When the Spaniards came, they denounced these celebrations as Satanic, calling them “diablo uma” (head of the devil). Today, crocheted rainbow masks appear everywhere in Quito. The mask has two faces to represent the dualities of life: light and dark, sun and moon, masculine and feminine, hot and cold, good and bad, etc. The masks are rainbow-colored, because mixing light and water makes rainbows. Rainbows symbolize circle of life, which is why Andean clothes are colorful.

The summer solstice is when people celebrate Inti Raimy (festival of the sun), where Aya Huma lays a homage to the sun god (Inti Raymi) for the maize harvest. People may have ritual baths in waterfalls, rivers and springs at midnight, aiming to drive out negativity and welcome in new energy for the coming year.

Exploring Quito

I highly recommend taking a walking tour to get to know Quito and its gems. Some of them are free, although a tip is expected at the end. It’s truly worth it.

Basílica del Voto Nacional

Starting with the Quito’s crown jewel, Basílica del Voto Nacional is an ornate 19th-century neo-gothic Catholic cathedral. Inspired by the Notre Dame in Paris, you can’t miss this Catholic temple among the hills.

Upon closer inspection, instead of stone gargoyles, you’ll find the big contenders of the Amazon rainforest: jaguars, iguanas, tortoises, condors, monkeys, and more. The Basilica is a tribute to Ecuador’s biodiversity, bridging the gap between nature and faith.

The Basilica is perpetually unfinished for two reasons. First, if it’s finished, taxes must be paid to the government. That’s why you’ll see unfinished buildings around Quito: it’s a loophole to avoid paying taxes. Second, if the cathedral is finished, many believe that’s when Armageddon starts. The inhabitants would like to avoid that as well.

I didn’t go inside, but apparently you can go into the highest tower and feel the wind as you climb further up. Just don’t look down. 😉

Plaza Grande

Plaza Grande, literally meaning “big square,” is the city’s most popular meeting spot. It includes the colonial-style Presidential Palace, the metropolitan cathedral, and the City Hall. People gather at this spot to eat, gossip, share news, sell their wares, and just hang out. Ladies would sell fruit for a dollar. I stocked up on pitaya and mangos for the week.

La Mariscal Artisan Market

One thing I love to do is meandering through artisan markets and finding culturally-specific pieces you won’t find anywhere else. La Mariscal Artisan Market has rows and rows of vendors selling wares, like hand-painted crucifixes, intricate indigenous beaded jewelry, chocolate straight from the source, and colorful woven fabric. I often collect magnets, so I got a little Aya Huma magnet.

TelefériQo Cable Car

For some local hiking and sweeping city views, the TelefériQo Cable Car can carry you over the green hills and farms to even higher ground. The top sits 4,000 feet above Quito, which made the elevation over 13,000 feet! I was hiking among the clouds amid the surrounding beauty, overlooking the city below. Although the thinner air made me breathe harder, I wouldn’t say the hike was too difficult.

The sun was setting behind the clouds, emitting golden god-like rays to the city below. I kept walking on the dirt trail through the dense clouds, passing a small basic restaurant and a horse stall. The journey took about an hour and a half. Eventually, I passed a modern-looking church, which was near the end of my little hike at the top of the hills.

It was getting dark, so I went back to the cable car station to go back. Descending over the shadows towards the glittering city was the perfect way to end a day of exploring.

Vegan food in Quito

Like in Medellín, vegan options are plentiful in Quito. Most of my vegan meals consisted of fruits, veggies, and seeds. I did visit a couple of vegan places.

Vegano de Altura was not to be missed, especially since they offered a 7-course Saturday brunch for only $14. The plates included a small bowl of granola with fresh fruit, bean-based ceviche with plantain chips, an arepa with a pickled side, and a slice of apple pie to finish it off.

Just a block away from my hostel, Coffee Romance offered the best arepa I ever had in South America. The owner of the restaurant is Venezuelan, which is where the arepa comes from. (Colombia claims this, too.) This corn-based treat was stuffed with seasoned black beans, fried plantains, and buttery sliced avocados. Not only was this arepa bursting with flavor, the protein, fat, and complex carbs were also grounding for my mind and body. The owner was easy to talk to, and he clearly took pride in the food he has to offer.

Cotopaxi Mountain

I took a group tour to Cotopaxi Mountain, the second highest active volcano in Ecuador. In the Quechua language, “coto” means “neck,” and “paxi” means “moon,” since the crater at the top looks like a crescent moon. The Andean people worshiped the sacred mountain, believing the gods would bless them with rain, which would provide fertility to the land.

Hiking among the clouds to basecamp, where the mountain touches the sky.

Remember when I mentioned that Quito’s elevation is over 9,000 feet, and that the cable car takes you past 13,000 feet? Cotopaxi is even higher. The group and I set out for a hike from the bottom of the volcano to the base camp. Then I ventured a little further to 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), where the snow starts. That’s 2,000 feet higher than Mt. Rainier in Washington State! As hikers, we couldn’t summit the mountain. That requires special training and climbing gear for the hardcore mountain climber.

Here I am, standing at 16,031 feet (4,999 meters). That’s as far as I could go.

Bringing the coca leaves was a must, because my head was absolutely swimming and my hands tingled as I gasped for air. I thought about going further to 5,000 meters. Another guide said it would take another half an hour to get to that altitude. I wanted to keep going. But my body wasn’t having it, declaring that 4,999 meters was enough. And honestly, that was the right call.

Then we went down to the utilitarian base camp to have a snack and a drink. It was bare-bones yet quaint, a convivial meeting place to swap travel stories before going back.

If you’re in Quito, definitely try to get to Cotopaxi! That might have been the highlight of my trip to Ecuador.

Mitad del Mundo

Since Ecuador sits at the equator, I decided to check out Mitad del Mundo. In case you wanted to know what the equator looks like, it’s a big red line running across. The line is marked as accurately as possible by GPS. The museum, Intiñan Equator Museum, is an interactive site offering immersive science experiments, pre-colonial and indigenous exhibits, and a demo on how chocolate is made from the cacao plant. One of the indigenous exhibits even features a real shrunken head! A shrunken head was considered a war trophy back then. It’s made from the head of a captured enemy and boiled to shrink it. Then a stone is placed inside before it’s sewn shut.

The immersive science experiment shows the Coriolis effect, such as watching water drain clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on where it stands on either side of the equator. You could even balance an egg on the equator itself. The Coriolis Effect influences everything that moves on the face of the earth. As the earth rotates, it pushes any fluid, mass, or particles towards the poles. The magnitude of this effect is proportional to the speed of the fluid, or the swirl that the Earth’s rotation creates. So, a fluid in motion will turn counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. A good example of this is seeing how a toilet flushes. At the equator, the Coriolis effect is cancelled and water falls straight down the drain. (As an aside, this is why hurricanes don’t go to the equator.)

Notice how the water drains clockwise, pulling the leaves with it.

At Intiñan Equator Museum, our guide filled a sink with water, put it on the north end of the red line, and drained it. We watched the leaves swirl in a counterclockwise direction as the water drained into a bucket below. On the south end of the red line, the water flowed clockwise.

While it was cool, I question the validity of the experiments. First of all, with enough patience, you can balance an egg anywhere in the world. Also, I would think that moving the water just a few meters from the red line wouldn’t make much of a difference, if this effect gradually gets stronger towards the poles of the earth. But I don’t know how the museum would stage this, since it was just a bare-bones sink with a bucket underneath. It’s still cool though. Maybe kids would like this more.

Final thoughts about Quito

While I liked Quito, Ecuador is better known for its nature and biodiversity, whether you want to check out the hiking trails at the top of the hills or visit Cotopaxi Mountain. If I were to go back, I’d check out a chocolate farm next time or even visit the Galapagos Islands. The entire country is beautiful beyond the city. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed my visit in Quito and now I know what I can do next time!

World Travel

Buenos Aires, Argentina

A wrapped alfajor cookie sits on top of a handmade necklace with tassels, surrounded by Argentinian money and the flag.

Aboard the foot ferry from Montevideo, it took three hours to cross the river into Buenos Aires, Argentina. This city was my last stop of the Southern Cone trip in South America. That ferry might be the nicest boat I’ve ever been on. It even has a duty-free shop! While I never buy anything from those stores, it’s still nice to look around while enjoying the smooth sailing across the river.

Anyway, here are my observations about Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Comparing Notes about Argentina and Uruguay

Uruguay and Argentina are like two peas in a pod. Both countries speak the Rioplatense Spanish dialect, and both are best known for yerba mate tea, asado (steak), and fútbol (or “soccer,” but don’t ever call it that over there). For example, in both places, “dale” (pronounced “dah-lay”) means “okay” or “go ahead.” It’s an important one to know, because people say it all the time to express agreement or encourage someone to do something.

Argentina reveres Lionel Messi like a god.

Argentina won the World Cup two years ago, and they still talk about it. The Argentinians revere the famed football player, Lionel Messi, like a god. As such, you’ll see grand murals of Messi throughout the city. They take pride in this national sport.

Another thing about Argentina is to never, ever call Las Islas Malvinas (Malvina Islands) the “Falkland Islands,” because they’re supposed to belong to Argentina and not the UK. In fact, there was a war disputing the territory in 1982, where Argentina invaded the islands in the South Atlantic, claiming ownership. The British disagreed and counterattacked until eventually Argentina surrendered. Hundreds of Argentinian soldiers died in that war. It’s a sore subject to this day.

Finally, the Buenos Aires version of the Rioplantense dialect has a separate set of vocabulary called Lunfardo, which is Italian blended with Spanish. In the late 19th century, Italian prisoners created Lunfardo as its own coded jargon in the underbelly of Buenos Aires. Eventually, this jargon spread into the mainstream. There are about 5,000 Lunfardo words, so it’s practically its own local dialect.

One difference is that Uruguay is expensive, while Argentina is cheap. While I thought that Montevideo is a sleepy little city, Buenos Aires is buzzing with activity. There’s something for everyone in this international city. And since it’s summer and school is out, many of these places can get crowded.

La Navidad in Buenos Aires

Christmas Dinner: Vegan *vitel tone* with stuffed peppers, mac & cheese, bread, and potatoes

It was my first time spending la Navidad, or Christmas, in the Summer! In the Northern Hemisphere, I would bundle up and sip hot drinks while staying inside with my warm sweaters. In the Southern Hemisphere, people fire up their grills to make their holiday asados, or barbecue meats. People tend to eat dinner rather late, around 10 or 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, instead of Christmas Day. A tuna-based dish called vitel tone is very popular, as is pan dulce (sweet bread with bits of chocolate and dried fruit inside). Since I’m vegan, my host graciously prepared vegan vitel tone made of seitan, along with veggies filled with seasoned vegan meat. We broke out the pan dulce at midnight to ring in Christmas.

My Spanish Immersion in Buenos Aires

During that night, I managed to hold up a conversation in Spanish for almost three hours! I was so pleased with myself. My host’s family said that I speak very clearly. I still wouldn’t say that I’m totally fluent, but I am comfortable enough with the language. The good people of this city can tell that I’m not from around here, so they speak standard Spanish with me instead of the Rioplantense and Lunfardo.

The Argentinians talk really, really fast. It can be challenging to follow along, but by immersing myself in this language and speaking it daily, I’m learning faster. I even dreamed in Spanish a little bit!

Getting Around in Buenos Aires

Getting around Buenos Aires is easy. Personally, I prefer going by subway, or the Subte. Sometimes I also had to take the bus. I highly recommend getting a rechargeable Sube card, which you can purchase at a Subte station or at a kiosko (kiosk). If you’re taking the bus and see it coming, wave your hand to flag the driver. Then tell them where you want to go in order to pay the correct fare. Easy!

Exploring Buenos Aires

After arriving in Buenos Aires from Montevideo, I rested for a couple of days, especially after walking every day in Chile and Uruguay. It was also much hotter than what I’m used to. It’s okay to take days off and save energy.

Buenos Aires is big. Everywhere I went had a pleasant surprise in almost every corner. It was still an adjustment to experience summer in December, and one that I welcomed. While Montevideo is more reserved and slower, Buenos Aires perpetually pulses with life and energy. Even introverts such as myself might find something they like.

The “Paris of Latin America”

European-influenced architecture is ubiquitous in Buenos Aires.

On Christmas Day, I walked around in downtown Buenos Aires to see what the hot fuss is about. Everywhere I went, an eclectic mix of European architecture flanked the streets. There were influences from Italy, France, Britain, and Germany: Neoclassical palaces with Greek-inspired columns, curved nature-inspired motifs of Art Nouveau, and geometric shapes and hard lines of Art Deco. Buenos Aires feels like being in a European city in South America. Some call it the “Paris of Latin America.”

This is an interesting juxtaposition of a modern art nouveau tower embedded in a contemporary glass building.

This Brutalist building is the National Library of Argentina.

I walked to Avenida 9 de Julio, which is considered the widest avenue in the world, boasting seven lanes on each side. It takes a few minutes to actually cross the whole thing. I did see the towering Obelisco, a major landmark along the avenue. Several blocks away and over is the Casa Rosada, where the President works. Everywhere I went in the Downtown area was an architectural treat.

Palermo has a lot of colorful restaurants and bars.

Then there’s Palermo, where all of the trendy bars and restaurants are. It’s much more expensive, but I really liked just walking through in the daytime and seeing the quirky, painted buildings. On the weekend, there was a street fair with more vendors. I did some holiday shopping there, so my loved ones at home could have a taste of Argentina.

Parque Centenario

One of my favorite things to do was walk among the verdant gardens and lakes within the round Parque Centenario and browse the open-air librerías, or bookstores. Many famous books in Spanish were for sale, such as collections of famous poetry from the late Pablo Neruda or magical realism stories from the renowned Colombian writer, Gabriel García Marquez. I found a Spanish translation of El Principito, which is originally written in French. As an aside, that was the first book I finished in Spanish!

In fact, it was common to see the open-air book stands in other parks as well. Sometimes vendors sold books in their single kiosks on the street. There’s something romantic about distributing knowledge and information for cheap in the form of a good book in an artfully painted kiosk.

El Cementerio de la Recoleta

Eva Perón rests in peace somewhere in this cemetery.

One day, I went to Cementerio de Recoleta, a majestic 5-hectare cemetery where some of Argentina’s most important historical figures are laid to rest. This includes Eva Perón, the wife of Argentina’s most controversial president, Juan Perón. Marble mausoleums and intricate sculptures–mysterious robed figures, stone crosses, and grand winged angels–line the pathways like small city blocks. Walking among these tombs was tranquil yet eerie, as you walk among former presidents, notable political figures, famous writers, and Nobel Prize laureates.

After visiting the cemetery, I strolled in the green space lined with street vendors selling art, jewelry, confections, and other handmade goods. I’ve collected a lot of jewelry from around the world and was eager to add to my collection. For only $20, I found a multi-colored braided necklace with four black tassels hanging from silver rings. It would go nicely with many of my outfits.

Centro Cultural Recoleta

A sculpture referencing the work of Julio Cortázar.

Within the same area is the Centro Cultural Recoleta, a multimedia art and cultural space offering exhibits, classes, and performances. Many exhibits featured contemporary art, such as exploring a bizarre fantasy world through a VR headset or kinetic sculptures made with branches and strings. Currently, the main exhibit features the life story of the renowned Argentinian writer, Julio Cortázar. Personal artifacts such as hand-written letters and photographs are on display, as well as original audio recordings and fragments of his writings. Video shorts, sculptures, and installations created by numerous Argentinian artists serve as an homage to his literary works.

Museo Nacional de Bella Artes

Onward, I went to Museo Nacional de Bella Artes, which houses an international public art collection. There are paintings by many iconic European artists such as Francisco Goya, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and more. The exhibits transition seamlessly from pre-Colombian, to rococo, to modern, to contemporary art. You could spend hours immersed in the beauty of these pieces. Admission is free, but a donation is suggested.

Jardín Japones

Buenos Aires is known for its many parks and extensive gardens. In the same area as the major museums is the Jardín Japones, or the Japanese Garden. It offers a peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Since it’s summer from December to March, the garden is lush and green under the sun. Manicured paths wind around the koi ponds, as the huge fish glide through the water. When I went, the azaleas were at their prime this time of year. In the building upstairs is a beautiful kimono exhibit, showcasing colorful traditional garments of Japan. I’ve never been to Japan, and this garden just might be giving me ideas.

How I Feel About Buenos Aires

Ronnie in a green space with the Argentinian flag in the background

I was really blown away by how incredible Buenos Aires is. Everywhere I went, there was something special. Of course, there was a lot of vegan food in the city. I will be writing a separate post about the plant-based food in Buenos Aires. The food discoveries deserve their own page.

There were some other places I really wanted to visit in Buenos Aires, such as the illustrious Caminito, a colorful street lined with multi-colored houses towards the edge of the city. The neighboring La Plata, with its beautifully symmetrical city design, has the towering Gothic cathedral as its centerpiece. I also would love to go inside the National Library next time.

This expansive international city is one that I will have to return to one day.

Coming Full Spiral

A journey of growth through art, travel, vegan health & fitness, and connection