We’ve been settling in quite nicely during our first week in Quito Ecuador.
We’ve gotten our Airbnb set up just the way we like it. We found all of the good stores near us for day-to-day living. We’ve found some really great restaurants. We reconnected with a local friend. And we’ve even done some sightseeing!
Our first week in Quito has been action-packed!
But we’ve set up a really good foundation for the next several weeks here. So let us give you the rundown on what we’ve been up to!
Living in the Pambachupa Neighborhood of Quito
The Pambachupaneighborhood of Quito is a non-tourist, middle-class residential area.
Small and medium-sized tiendas abound. And there are numerous local restaurants within easy reach. Many produce markets are also close by, which provide EXTREMELY cheap fruit and vegetable options.
For any other groceries though, we tend to go to our local SuperMaxi chain supermarket.
We like our neighborhood. We have everything we really need within easy walking distance and the neighborhood feels safe.
Speaking of safety…
Safety
To start, we should state that we haven’t felt unsafe in our neighborhood, or in any other region of Quito that we have explored on foot. But we follow common sense rules of safety when traveling – namely don’t be stupid or flash any obvious indicators of wealth.
That said, we have been warned by multiple locals to be careful, particularly at night. As with much of the world, the COVID shutdowns hit this city hard economically. And then when the city started to revive as the pandemic was lifting, national strikes and protests hit that slowed recovery to a crawl. Thankfully those incidents are now in the past, but Quito is still feeling the effects.
When economic times are hard, desperate people are more likely to engage in theft in all forms. Locals do say that robberies/muggings are down compared to a year or two ago. But times are still hard for many, so exhibiting caution, especially at night, is still advised by locals.
Our boots-on-the-ground observations are that if you avoid the dodgy areas of Quito, you’ll be fine during the day. And as far as our neighborhood is concerned, it seems fine at night at least if you travel as a pair. If we need to go somewhere else in Quito at night, we call an Uber and all is well.
But we do listen to the locals and take their advice. If we ever want to visit an attraction in a famously unsafe area, we know to call an Uber or taxi to get in and out.
Local Transportation
There are a number of excellent local transportation options here.
The public bus system is extensive and cheap, with several lines coming within a couple of blocks of our Airbnb! And as an added bonus, the Quito public transportation system is integrated into Google maps, taking the guesswork out of things.
Also, taxis are numerous and reasonably affordable. A $3 USD fare can get us to most places in the city from our neighborhood.
Uber, Cabify, and Didi (and similar apps) have an interesting relationship in Quito. Being a driver for one of these app providers is technically illegal, we suspect due to unappreciated competition with taxis.
But no one seems to really care. Even taxi drivers list themselves as drivers for these apps!
So you CAN use those apps here. We’ve done so many times. But one passenger will be asked to ride in the front next to the driver to keep up appearances that you personally know the driver!
Getting our Airbnb Settled
As always, our first task when we arrive at a new long-term Airbnb stay is to get our place the way we like it. So we started our first week in Quito with shopping!
Thankfully, this didn’t take much effort for our Quito Airbnb, but it did take a couple of days.
As usual, we had to replace a couple of kitchen knives that weren’t sharp enough to cut anything. For some reason, at every Airbnb we have stayed in the serving spoons are sharper than the kitchen knives!
We also bought a cheap plastic cutting board which is thin, flat, and portable in our suitcases. We picked up a couple of facecloths to replace the crappy ones we bought in Guatemala. And most importantly, we picked up a really nice French press coffee maker for a surprisingly reasonable price (1 L size for $15 USD).
The nice thing about all of these purchases is that we should be able to take them with us during our travels in Ecuador. Bus companies don’t care what you pack in your suitcases, unlike airports!
A Happy Reunion at TelefériQo
Soon after we were settled in our Airbnb, our friend Ximena, a Quito native, reached out to us to get together!
We met Xime in 2018. Back then, I was a zoology professor at a small college. That summer, I planned an international trip to Ecuador for a small group of students, emphasizing the culture and biodiversity of the region. Rhonda was a chaperone/medic on this trip. And Xime was hired by our travel agency to be our full-time tour guide!
We all loved the trip and loved Xime. So much so that Rhonda and I maintained a friendship with her on Facebook over the years! So when we told Xime we were coming to Quito, we were all excited to get together and hang out during our month here.
So on our first free day, she came to visit our Airbnb and eat giant empanadas!
But afterward, since the afternoon was clear and calm, she suggested we go to TelefériQo. TelefériQo is a gondola that takes you to the edge of Pichincha Volcano (extinct) and lookout point Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, going from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft)!
And it just so happened that it was very close to our Airbnb, so we could get there on foot!
We had a wonderful time on the steep walk to TelefériQo catching up on life since 2018!
Catching up with Xime at Volquano Park, on the way to TelefériQo!
But we eventually reached the TelefériQo visitors center.
The visitor center had lovely murals from local artists.
And after waiting in a short line, we bought tickets ($9 USD each)…
Jumped in a gondola car…
And rode to the top.
The city view was fantastic!
We highly recommend TelefériQo, especially if the skies are not cloudy.
Exploring Parque La Carolina
About a 45-minute walk from our Airbnb is one of the most popular public parks in Quito, Parque La Carolina (Google Maps)! This sprawling green space has a lot to offer visitors. Aside from walking the grounds, the park has a botanical garden, several natural history-focused museums, dozens of street food stalls, a water park, and numerous public fitness and sports facilities. There are even two large shopping malls associated with the park, one at each end!
The day after we went to TelefériQo, Rhonda and I decided to do an exploratory visit to Parque La Carolina. It was a wonderful way to spend the day!
We spent most of our time on the El Jardin half of the park which emphasized horticulture, trees, and walking paths over tennis courts and football fields.
We walked along many paths…
Gorged ourselves on street food…
$3 USD per plate. Included pork, crunchy corn, fried plantain, beans, salad, banana chips, and a huge pork rind!
Admired the art installations…
And enjoyed ourselves at the water park!
We even paid the $5.50 USD to rent a paddleboat for 30 minutes. It was a lot of fun!
We would have visited the botanical garden, but several major sections were closed off for replanting. So we decided to come back next week when that was all finished.
We want to get the most out of the $4 USD entry fee!
Visiting Parque Bicentenario
On yet another day, we met up with Xime and her friend Andreas at another popular public park in Quito, Parque Bicentenario (Google Maps).
Parque Bicentenatio is a long and wide area of land, the former site of the Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre! The airport could not keep up with capacity and was moved 1 hour outside of Quito to better handle the volume of flights, as well as ground traffic and noise.
So the entire former airport site was turned into green space and walking trails! And the old airport terminal buildings were repurposed into a convention center and event center. Needless to say, Parque Bicentenario is very popular with dog walkers, cyclists, and anyone looking for space to picnic or play.
So we met up with Xime and Andreas and spent a couple of hours walking the park, practicing Spanish, and exercising her two small dogs!
After our walk, we went to a fantastic seafood restaurant, EcuavicheSucursal (Google Maps).
The encebollado de pescado was to die for. And the fish was albacore tuna! Outstanding quality for $4.50 USD
Then Xime and Andreas helped us to get our teeth cleaned at a local dentist! $20 USD per person, which included descaling and fluoride treatment.
We finished up with a visit to Xime’s new apartment, then headed out by taxi before rush hour kicked in.
Museo Nacional de Ecuador
The next day, Rhonda and I decided to follow Xime’s suggestion and visit Museo Nacional de Ecuador (Google Maps). This museum is supposed to house some of the most significant national art and archaeological finds in the region! And best of all, the entrance to the museum was free!
Here are some of our favorite exhibits:
Afterward, we went to Mercado Santa Claro (Google Maps) to get some great local food. We were literally sitting elbow to elbow with the locals at common tables in this busy place! But the food was fantastic!
Pulled pork, fried plantains, mashed potatoes, and greens. $4 USD.
Figs with cheese in sweet syrup. $1.50 USD.
Fancy Dinner at La Terraza de Guapulo
Near the end of our first week in QuitoEcuador we took a day off to get some work done. But we wanted to get out of the house at least a little bit!
So we met Xime in the late afternoon and walked to a gastropub she suggested for dinner, La Terraza de Guapulo (Google Maps).
Nestled in the hills of western Quito, if the scenery along our walk were any indication, the view during dinner would be epic!
Oh my.
La Terraza de Guapulo is located in a funky, bohemian neighborhood that used to be a hippie enclave back in the day.
What a cool, quirky place!
There might have been a dozen tables total in the restaurant. But luckily we were able to snag one of the two remaining tables that weren’t reserved.
The view was excellent!
As was the food! They had a special going on that scored us a free dessert and hot drink, so we took advantage of that!
I got the orange salmon dish, with grilled veggies, salad, and potatoes.
Rhonda and Xime got the Pollo Honolulu. Chicken and pineapple galore!
And for dessert, a triple chocolate brownie ala mode, a cafe americano, and lemon pie.
And it wasn’t outrageously expensive, especially for the quality. Dinner for three came to $68.80 USD (with tip). And that included main courses, hot and cold beverages, and two desserts!
Here is an image of the main dinner menu, where you can see the wide range of prices. But not too expensive, which is the way we like it!
Sadly, this restaurant is in an area of Quito where you are not advised to walk at night, so the restaurant staff called a taxi to take us home once we were ready.
But we definitely want to come back! The Sunday brunch menu looks wonderful, and the combination of view and price can’t be beat.
Closing Thoughts
Our first week in QuitoEcuador has been great! The locals have been kind and helpful, our extended reunion with Xime has been wonderful, and we have seen so many great things.
And we haven’t even visited the major tourist attractions of Quito yet!
We’ll write about those in the coming weeks.
Until next time…
Thanks for reading!
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