Quito

We docked in Manta and it was raining and very foggy.  So our flight was delayed because the airport was closed.  We were put on the bus and then taken to the museum in Manta which was a treat as we were not scheduled to get to see this. 

At Manta Museum

We were finally able to go to the airport for a charter flight to Quito.  In our group, which was the first of several, were about 22.  The flight was short and on a small plane.  Upon arriving in Quito we were taken right to the hotel as we were late and now it was lunch time.  They had a buffet set up for us but because I did not feel well, I did not eat.  Bob and I decided not to go with the tour after lunch and took a nap instead.  After that I did feel a little better so we took a taxi to the old City.  We walked around the square and bumped into our group so we joined then and visited the La Compania de Jesus.  This church is rich in art treasures, fine woodcarvings and the altars which are covered in gold leaf.  We were not able to take pictures inside.  We then returned to the Swissotel to clean up for dinner.

Dinner was in the refectory of the San Francisco Monastery.  This is the largest religious complex in South America.  The church took 70 years to build, starting in 1536.  Its seven cloisters house a number of spacious rooms, including the refectory, the largest in Quito.  I did not drink any wine as I was still feeling the effects of the altitude.   We returned to the hotel and went to bed.

Breakfast was a lovely buffet and we sat with Gary and Lorraine from Brisbane.  After breakfast, we checked out the the hotel and headed to the Middle of the World.  This location was determined by the scientists of the French Geodesic Mission.  In the 18th century there was debate as the whether the circumference of the Earth was greater around the Equator or the poles.  Two expeditions were sent out by the Academy and King Louis XV to determine the answer and one group was sent to Ecuador.

Standing in both hemispheres

Bob in South and me in North

After the visit to this location, we visited the Inti Nan Museum which has become a didactic center that promotes both the culture and the identity of Ecuador since 1960.  The museum has the only solar clock in the world that has two faces on the equator line, and agricultural calendar: a stone index that shows the 4 seasons as well as the solstices and equinoxes.  It was determined by GPS that the Koriolis were correct in stating there were at the center and Latitude Zero.

We were then taken to the airport for our flight to Guayaquil and return to the ship.  This was a scheduled flight and on a big airplane.  Upon arrival we were taken by bus to the ship where we were greeted by the staff lining the entrance and the band playing.  They had a sail away Panama Hat party.  Ecuador is where the Panama Hat is made and many men and women bought them.  We did not.

We tried to have dinner in La Veranda but there was a waiting list so we went to Compass Rose and sat with Spencer and Linda from Houston.  His is physician in Internal Medicine and she a stay at home mom.  Their eldest daughter is getting married in May and they are quite excited with the planning.  After dinner we went to the show. This was a vocalist Dale Kristien.  She played Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera for many years.  She was very good and we did enjoy the show.  We returned to the cabin and bed as we did not sleep well in Quito.

Our greeting returning to the ship