Baños: Día 3 - Baños to Quito!

I woke up at 11am because I didn't get to bed until 4AM last night!  I needed to be in Quito in the afternoon because Kary would be meeting me there.  She had some business to attend to in Quito and we thought it would be fun to explore Quito together.  She had been there before, but not as a tourist so that was new for both of us.

I missed breakfast (as it ended at 9AM), so I just ordered coffee from the restaurant downstairs and asked Libeth if she wanted to have brunch with me.  I needed to stop by Blah Blah Travel Agency anyways to pick up my voucher for my Galapagos cruise.

I walked to the bus station and arrived at 2:15pm and was lucky to catch the 2:30 bus to Quito.  The bus ride to Quito runs about 3 hours.  I was seated next to an elderly man.  We exchanged pleasantries and I quickly dozed off to much needed sleep.

During the trip, vendors selling things like candy, water, and other foods came and went in the bus. One interesting fellow came on board and started to sing.  He was a music artist singing traditional songs.  At the end of singing a song, he came around selling his CD for $3USD.  I really liked his music so I bought a copy.

I also noticed kids ride with their parents and sit on their laps, even kids as old as 10.

The bus ride was comfortable.  Actually, the bus I was the most comfortable bus I had been in since leaving Guayaquil.

I arrived in Quito at around 530. Kary's flight would arrive at 6.  I waited for Kary at the Quitumbe bus terminal where I had arrived and we both went together to the apartment via taxi after eating something from the terminal food court.  I say 'something' because I couldn't figure out exactly what it was :/

Unlike Guayaquil, taxies are fairly safe although I have heard of fake taxis holding up passengers for money.  The taxis you can get from the terminal are safe because there are cameras set up to record you going in and out of taxis.  We got this information from the police stationed at the terminal.

We stayed in a condo in La Mariscal which we found from Air BnB.  Mariscal is known for it's night life and has many bars and restaurants.  The condo we stayed in was nice (and should be for the price we paid).  It was at the 8th and top most floor of the building.  We had access to the rooftop which was amazing with its views of the city.

Later in the evening, we went to La Plaza Foch, which is an area in Mariscal to drink and go dancing. I ordered a pilsner beer and it was warm.  The waitress said this is normal in Quito in which I immediately called bullshit and insisted for a cold beer which they reluctantly gave me. Seriously, this happened??

The bar started to close at 12AM.  Saturday night. 12AM... Yes, I had to think about that many times. I didn't understand why the bars closed so early especially on a Saturday night.  I'll have to inquire later why this is so..

The picture I took below shows a very very drunk couple in the background.  It was really funny because people were trying to help them but they were totally incapable of anything including listening to anyone.

After dancing and having a beer, we ate at a Venezuelan burger place where we met the owner of the bar.  What are the chances?! He told us that the incident with the beer was not right and he will correct the person when he sees them next. At the burger place, we also met a group of very friendly Indians who are working in Quito.  Kary was excited to meet and talk to the indians because she got to practice english with them.  Venezuelan burgers tasted like a lot of other burgers I've had in the past. Is it just me?? :D

We decided to retire early so we could get up early the next morning to start exploring the city.