Here is the news from Quito for Tuesday, January 11 as per Harold. Julie was immensely tired this morning and Harold was a bit queasy. We attributed both to the altitude. So after a nice buffet breakfast here at the Radisson, Julie went to bed and Harold went for a walk to the Quito Market. Harold checked things, returned to the hotel and Julie felt better. So off we went again. We visited a number of artisan stores along with the Quito Market (see pic with Julie at the Market on Jorge Washington Street). We returned to the hotel mid-afternoon, took a short nap and went to the hotel lounge where we visited with a Washington state couple who are now living in Costa Rica and had just returned from the Galapagos. They also are headed to Cuenca, but are going by car with a hired driver. Must be nice. It was interesting to hear their perspective on the Political situation – increased Chinese presence in Central America (from the Chinese government that was being followed by Chinese businesses).
We believe we have seen most handcrafts that we are going to see in Ecuador – alpaca scarves, leather goods, hats, carvings, jewelry, etc. We walked by the Petroleum Institute and had fun trying to decipher the “anti-oil” graffiti on the walls across the street. See the picture. We think it means that the founders of Quito (the Quitu) didn’t use fuel; they liked the sun.
Plus or minus slight variability in quality and price, I agree, you've probably seen all of the crafts you are going to see. However, I suspect, you'll keep going back to the craft market, wondering if the stock has changed.
ReplyDeleteI like the graffiti - looks like they're in support of "green" energy like solar. (No habla espanol) BTW, is the Spanish they speak there like the Spanish in Mexico, or like Spain, or is there some other language. I look forward to your updates!
ReplyDeleteHola, Bernadet. We are JUST learning Spanish, but I am reasonably certain it is more like the Spanish in Mexico, although each country has its own quirks. Glad you are reading the blog; makes it feel worthwhile. Julie
ReplyDeleteI RECANT, BERNADET: I was reading a book entitled _Culture Shock: Ecuador_ last night, and they had a brief segment on the language of the country. The Spanish in Ecuador is referred to as "castellano" (Castilian). Castilian Spanish is spoken in northern and central Spain, but is also spoken in southern and western Spain but with a different accent. So I guess the language is connected more with Spain than with Mexico. The book also indicated that Ecuador is the main Latin American location for overseas Spanish study by students.
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