The TAME flight was fine – again the food was interesting – a corn salad with turkey twizzlers this time. Our bags came through (despite some worrying by some of our fellow passengers as it looked like a whole baggage trolley had been left on the runway at Baltra), and we were straight out and again on to the Sheraton airport bus. This time we had a suite and Club floor access which was very nice.
We checked emails, I wiped my blackberry as I couldn’t remember the password, we showered, and went up to the Club floor for cocktails and nibbles. Then downstairs, into a cab and off to Plaza El Quinde in La Mariscal to meet up with our fellow Sagitta passengers for dinner. It was raining heavily in Quito but Dorothy wandered in the rain in the square meeting everyone and making sure we knew where to go. All the bars were full as there was the Ecuador-Chile match on which decided whether Ecuador would make the World Cup soccer in 2010. They lost so they didn’t, which left Quito a little deflated (and Ecuador football shirts very cheap the next day).
We moved inside and had a really nice dinner with everyone. I had steak with prawns, potatoes and vegetable soufflés, SS had steak with chips. Lots of people had early flights so headed off after eating, but SS, Phil, Kathy and I stayed back for another bottle until after midnight. Was a really good night just chatting.
Taxi back to the hotel (USD3 each way!). We were a little tiddly so were trying to knock each other over to get to the lifts – I had SS in an arm twist until I noticed that the girls in reception were staring at us. Very amusing. We got into the lift and headed to bed.
The next day we woke early (remnants of the boat). SS snoozed whilst I watched Titanic of all things (limited English channels in Ecuador) and then we stirred and headed late for the breakfast buffet – fantastic Western style piles of food. We were both stuffed when we left.
Checked some things on the Internet, then headed out for the day. We
caught a taxi
to the Old Town at the other end of Quito (USD5!), and got there at about midday. 
We were unimpressed
by the World Heritage listed Old Town
,
and decided to walk to the Artesanal markets down in La Mariscal
. It was a long walk, but showed off a lot of Quito.
My observations
– it is obviously poor, but people are dressed as well as they can be, school children take pride in their uniforms.
- it is the only place I have ever seen where they have security with bullet proof vests and Uzis standing outside KFC
- There are hundreds of shoe polishing stands and mobile shoe polishing people – everyone has shiny shoes
- Ecuadorians are very short – I felt like a giant there. Most men are about 5ft5 and women are lucky to make 5ft at all.
- I saw the cheapest Indian restaurant menu I have ever seen
- old ladies have an appetite for diet coke
- Very few supermarkets – things are still sold out of tiny little stores that seem to stock a couple of hinges, a few screws and a dusty tool belt for example.
- there is no safety on building sites - men walk around with no harnessing right next to the edge of the buildings.
- there are a lot of buildings that must have been lovely in their day, but are now falling apart completely
- as well as internet cafes, they still have cafes with separate phone booths along one wall that you can hire...
- La Mariscal is a strange combination of new and old - with casinos that look like the magic kingdom,
vibrant pink bollards with yellow stripes 
and cheap cafes everywhere...
After reaching the market, we walked up and down the aisles, all the same bits of tourist tat really. So we decided to walk to where the concierge had recommended a wine shop. We went via La Mariscal and also the restaurant we were at the night before
(Q bar). 
We found a wine shop, SS insisted on buying a bottle (which did end up to be overpriced), and then we decided we may as well walk back to the hotel from there, which involved negotiating one of the most daunting roundabouts I have ever had to deal with - and I've been to Cairo
!
By the time we limped back in at 3:30pm we had covered about 8 miles and were quite tired. We collapsed and watched more dreadful television (Carrie 2 this time), then went back up for club level nibbles at 6pm. I downed about 5 shot glasses of sea bass ceviche, had some chicken and salmon and meat and cheese. SS did the same, and that was dinner for us.
Came back to the room, more rubbish TV (The Lake) and I packed ready for the next morning, and our flight home…
We checked emails, I wiped my blackberry as I couldn’t remember the password, we showered, and went up to the Club floor for cocktails and nibbles. Then downstairs, into a cab and off to Plaza El Quinde in La Mariscal to meet up with our fellow Sagitta passengers for dinner. It was raining heavily in Quito but Dorothy wandered in the rain in the square meeting everyone and making sure we knew where to go. All the bars were full as there was the Ecuador-Chile match on which decided whether Ecuador would make the World Cup soccer in 2010. They lost so they didn’t, which left Quito a little deflated (and Ecuador football shirts very cheap the next day).
We moved inside and had a really nice dinner with everyone. I had steak with prawns, potatoes and vegetable soufflés, SS had steak with chips. Lots of people had early flights so headed off after eating, but SS, Phil, Kathy and I stayed back for another bottle until after midnight. Was a really good night just chatting.
Taxi back to the hotel (USD3 each way!). We were a little tiddly so were trying to knock each other over to get to the lifts – I had SS in an arm twist until I noticed that the girls in reception were staring at us. Very amusing. We got into the lift and headed to bed.
The next day we woke early (remnants of the boat). SS snoozed whilst I watched Titanic of all things (limited English channels in Ecuador) and then we stirred and headed late for the breakfast buffet – fantastic Western style piles of food. We were both stuffed when we left.
Checked some things on the Internet, then headed out for the day. We
caught a taxi
to the Old Town at the other end of Quito (USD5!), and got there at about midday. 
We were unimpressed
by the World Heritage listed Old Town
,and decided to walk to the Artesanal markets down in La Mariscal
. It was a long walk, but showed off a lot of Quito.My observations
– it is obviously poor, but people are dressed as well as they can be, school children take pride in their uniforms.
- it is the only place I have ever seen where they have security with bullet proof vests and Uzis standing outside KFC
- There are hundreds of shoe polishing stands and mobile shoe polishing people – everyone has shiny shoes
- Ecuadorians are very short – I felt like a giant there. Most men are about 5ft5 and women are lucky to make 5ft at all.
- I saw the cheapest Indian restaurant menu I have ever seen
- old ladies have an appetite for diet coke
- Very few supermarkets – things are still sold out of tiny little stores that seem to stock a couple of hinges, a few screws and a dusty tool belt for example.
- there is no safety on building sites - men walk around with no harnessing right next to the edge of the buildings.
- there are a lot of buildings that must have been lovely in their day, but are now falling apart completely
- as well as internet cafes, they still have cafes with separate phone booths along one wall that you can hire...
- La Mariscal is a strange combination of new and old - with casinos that look like the magic kingdom,
vibrant pink bollards with yellow stripes 
and cheap cafes everywhere...
After reaching the market, we walked up and down the aisles, all the same bits of tourist tat really. So we decided to walk to where the concierge had recommended a wine shop. We went via La Mariscal and also the restaurant we were at the night before
(Q bar). 
We found a wine shop, SS insisted on buying a bottle (which did end up to be overpriced), and then we decided we may as well walk back to the hotel from there, which involved negotiating one of the most daunting roundabouts I have ever had to deal with - and I've been to Cairo
!By the time we limped back in at 3:30pm we had covered about 8 miles and were quite tired. We collapsed and watched more dreadful television (Carrie 2 this time), then went back up for club level nibbles at 6pm. I downed about 5 shot glasses of sea bass ceviche, had some chicken and salmon and meat and cheese. SS did the same, and that was dinner for us.
Came back to the room, more rubbish TV (The Lake) and I packed ready for the next morning, and our flight home…
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