I walked across the Colombian-Ecuadorian border a few days ago, and have been enjoying my time in Ecuador´s capital city, Quito, since. So far, I am completely in love with this country, and the best has yet to come. I am constantly struggling to live in the moment because my sheer excitement for what tomorrow brings always has me looking toward a new day.

A snapshot of Quito, Ecuador: Quito is a dichotomy of old and new. Cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks make the path for colonial houses in the city´s small valley. In the backdrop are towering hills of bold greens stitched together with trees in perfect lines as if the mountains were a quilt. Short concrete boxes with flat rooftops and no dimension stack up the hillsides like children´s Legos. But across town is a sign of a new era. The plazas are not full of Old Town´s historic monasteries and the president´s palace; instead, it´s modern restaurants and hotels. The landscape of rolling hills takes a backseat to towers of apartments and office buildings starting to take shape in New Town.

Quito and one of its nearby hills.

The city from atop the telefériQo, a sky ride in a cable car.

In the telefériQo.

Old Town, or Centro Histórico, is the heart of Quito. Old colonial houses line cobblestone streets near ancient churches rich with history and tradition. The city is surrounded by hills with various attractions, from monuments to theme parks to the cable car sky ride. But more than anything, the surrounding hills make for a gorgeous backdrop to this busy little city of 3 million inhabitants.

Quito´s oldest church, Monasterio de San Francisco, was built from 1534 to 1604.

El Panecillo hill.

La Ronda is a street in Old Town that was once home to about 250 families. It is full of the capital´s best colonial architecture from the 17th century. It is presumed that its history dates back even earlier when the Incas arrived in the area. In the 1930s, the street had a tight-knit bohemian community of artists, painters and poets. But by the 1970s, the area grew dangerous and a bit sleazy. In the mid 2000s, the families were relocated and the homes were transformed into artisan shops, art galleries, museums, restaurants and hotels, while preserving the street´s colonial character. On every corner, traditional games and information about the people who once lived in the area are on display.

La Ronda

Local boys playing foosball.

Me and Nora on La Ronda street.

While walking through the city, Nora and I bumped into a motorcade complete with dozens of police and military forces. As we waited on the corner, a limo then passed. A young professional-looking man smiled inside as he looked out the open windows. Nora and I commented to each other that we were probably seeing a famous Ecuadorian and we didn´t even know it! The man laughed, as he was so close to us we could put our hands out and touch him (we didn´t!). As soon as we could cross the street, I asked a guard who we just saw. We had seen the president, Rafael Correa, who was elected in 2006 and has an approval rating of more than 70 percent.

On the corner was the presidential palace, where government business is conducted and the president resides. The building was giving free tours, so we of course took advantage of the opportunity, especially after seeing the president, himself. The tour was great and I was impressed with how much I understood in Spanish. They even took a professional photo of us at the beginning and then printed it and gave it to us for free at the end (not pictured here).

Ecuador´s “White House.”

The cabinet meeting room.

In the hallway with a courtyard view.

A view of the plaza from the presidential palace´s balcony.

Above all, Quito is a great hub for trips to other places in Ecuador, like the Equator line, cloud forest and Amazon Rainforest. The capital is easy to navigate and has plenty of cheap Internet and laundry options for days off between touring the nearby hot spots of this diverse country.

-JDF