Quito

After a quick stop in Otavalo and its famous market (that we didn't find this famous) and a nice volcano crater hike; we headed up to Quito where we were going to meet up with some travel buddies and enjoy a bit more of nightlife.

Cuicocha Crater

Hiking near Otavalo

In Quito we have been advised a really cool place to stay (La Casona de Mario). An hostel that felt more like a family home. Kitchen garden and a nice living room, even a private room: full comfort.
Quito felt huge! The first taxi ride to get from the terminal to the hostel was just over an hour.
The setting of the city is impressive with high mountains all around and a view on the erupting Cotopaxi volcano in the background.
Our first impression of the city was mixed. First we had been told that Quito was a very dangerous city so we were always on our guards and secondly we felt that everybody (taxi drivers, shopkeepers...) were trying to scam us. It wasn't much money most of the time but it got a bit tiring to be constantly fighting for the real price.
Apart from this, we had a good time in Quito. It has been good to catch up with our travelling friends and enjoy a few proper parties in the downtown clubs. We even managed to get invited to a French party with loads of people from the ambassy thanks to Delphine, a French girl that we had met in Ibarra paragliding.

The highlight of our time in Quito was the climb of the Pichincha volcano that is located right over the city. For the first part we took the cable car that took us from the city (2950m) to the start of the hike (4050m). The hike was fairly straight forward, but we could definitely feel the effect of altitude as we were approaching the summit (4696m). From there we had terrific views of the city on one side and other peaks on the other side. It was funny to think that we had nearly climbed the Mont Blanc on a little afternoon stroll with only two bananas and a bit of water.

Top of the cable car with Quito in the background

The Pichincha

Behind the scene

The top

We quickly felt the need to leave for other adventures; the city had claimed too much our savings and we were desperate to experience more flying in Ecuador (too much wind in this part of the country).

Bonus:

One skin two bananas