While traveling from Lago Agrio to Quito (in Ecuador) I remembered what I originally thought about this travel.
I was still in Italy and my idea was to divide my South
American journey in two, more or less equal, parts. A dozen days in Colombia and as many in Ecuador.
As often happens, however, once on the road I let myself be transported and blown away by the country I’m in and it suddenly seemed absurd to run somewhere else when what I had in front is so interesting. Besides that, you have to consider the Colombian Andes. With that mountain in the middle, the map is not the territory and even a few hundred kilometers can be a rather complex trip, especially considering my “size” (I mean height, 2.02 or 6’6′ ). That’s why, in the end, I spent 19 days in Colombia.
From Lago Agrio to Quito, Ecuador
My arrival in Ecuador, the 21st of February in Nueva Loja (the official name of Lago Agrio), coincided with a minor intestinal problem (well, I can honestly say “shit happens”) that led me to a fast. In case you are interested, at this link you can read about the San Miguel border crossing between Ecuador and Colombia.
The next morning, february 22nd, I took the bus from Nueva Loja/Lago Agrio to the Ecuadorian capital, Quito (8 hours).
I finally reached my hotel (which I strongly recommend, Casa Carpedm, in the neighborhood of San Blas, close to the historic center of Quito) around 6 pm. I took a quick shower (by the way, to finally found hot water again after a week of cold showers was the most precious kind of joy you can feel apart from a cold vodka tonic in a hot summer night) and I let Google maps take me somewhere to eat.
Form Lago Agrio to Quito! I can finally eat
With my journey from Lago Agrio to Quito now past, I end up at the Altar Cerveceria (see the update at the end), a nice place run by an Australian guy who knows how to run a restaurant/bar.
Regarding this I want to say something that may sound as a streotype but, you know, it’s my limited experience. If there is one thing that changes between the Anglo-Saxon world and the Latin one is the kind of service you can have in restaurants and bars. In the Anglo-Saxon world, particularly the USA, I found waiters and baristas who really know how to make you feel at home (and obviously make you drink 5/6 extra beers, but it’s part of the game and I like it).
In Colombia and Ecuador, as well as in Central America, the service is almost always good but you never have the feeling of being in a special place. My guess is that tips play a role in all of that. What do you think?
Here we go again my shitty friend
Let’s keep it short. At the Altar I tasted craft beers, a delicious salad and one nice antipasto. Only than I throw myself into a Lucullian dinner based on burgers, chicken, hummus and a couple of other things. Plus 3/4 beers and a mojito. Maybe it doesn’t look very much but I remind you that I came from a fast and my stomach was still upside down.
I clearly exaggerated. During the night I spent more time on the toilet than in bed and in the morning I had the impression that even just moving a leg was an almost impossible exercise. What I drank or try to eat went out immediately and walking in the old town was like climbing Mount Everest (or Cotopaxi).
In short, the first day in Quito struck me in the lower abdomen and then there was this strange air of the city, with guides and hotel receptionists who strongly advise me not to walk around, certainly not at night but if I could avoid it even during the day it would be better. After all, taxis costs only a few dollars.
Are you telling me something?
Therefore, for the first 3/4 days, the city seemed almost dangerous to me and I really had the impression that there were neighborhoods where it was better not to set foot or, at the very least, I would be robbed.
Yet I knew there was something wrong in this assumption. I went around Bogotà on foot and I had no problems even passing through areas of the city which would have been a clear understatement to call disadvantaged.
Was Quito really worse? Was it really, as I read online, the most dangerous city in South America? I had survived the neighborhoods of Medellin, the ones with Narcos and the Cartel and now I could have found myself naked and robbed in Quito?
Let’s see here if Quito is really dangerous.
If you are not interested in Quito/Ecuador we can go to :
Panama for the carnival
Armenia, in the Debed gorge
P.S. 30/03 update. Altar cerveceria is now EXALTAR – Culture, food, drinks.
