Post a Comment On: VagabondJim

Day 3: - 01Jun23
Written: Quito, ~1500First: Happy Birthday, Dad!
What a day so far.
I thought I'd head to the other end of town.  (No, I cannot remember if it's North or South.) The Cathedral (OK, that makes it the southern end.  I think.) side.

About half way there I though a bird shit on me.  Then two guys started to try to help clean off what was more like mustard than bird poop.  I knew something was wrong.  How could it come from above only touch my hat brim above but stretch down my neck to my right leg.  Makes no sense.  It must have come from behind.  Bells and whistles started in my head.
One guy started cleaning my left leg.  Which happened to have a zippered pocket on the side of my thigh.   And did not have stinky stuff on it.  Alarms, klaxons, and "hooters" (So. African for a klaxon) started SCREAMING. Full alert, this is not a drill!

I looked.  The pocket was open.  I slapped a hand; my wallet fell to the ground.  I stepped on it.  Suddenly my helpers disappeared.  Ladrones!  Thieves!

Thankfully ,and humorously, it was my throw away wallet!  Maybe $10.  Plus an expired passport card (will serve as emergency ID but ok if lost), an AARP Card (the guys were old enough...), a card with the Admirals Club WiFi password, a Skymiles card (I fly American), and my REI card (the number is in my phone.)  HA!  It would have worked.

[Image]
While I'm sure that I will get rolled at some point, it will take more than this.  I was wise to this type of 'distract and snatch' game in 1980 when I foiled an attempt on a Roman bus.  I foiled an attempt at a straight 'snatch and dash' in Valle du Par, Colombia in the 1990's.  I'm sure I'm somebody's fool.  Just not today!

There's money hidden in my Tilley hat (and another expired PP card too (purely for emergency ID).  Gonna have to work harder (and include violence) to get one over on me.

I hoofed it back to the hostal.  Showered, cleaned what I could, and dropped laundry off with the reception (Don Jorge, the proprietor is great!)

Fuck them.  I walked right back up the same street.  And, on the ground was a stain that validated my assessment.  It showed it came from my right hand side.  My friends were not to be found.

I got to the church.  It looks familiar...[Image]
[Image]
[Image]


[Image]
[Image]
[Image]The designers of Notre Dame have been ripped off so often.  Including by the Diocese of Covington.  The cathedral next to my HS was a similar knock off.

$2 for entry was a bit of a buzzkill.  But it's standard practice here.  And, that's within "market prices" ($1-2 is typical, like at the original cathedral.)

It's Gothic (duh!) and that's unusual here.  A lot of Romanesque exteriors around town.  A lot of Baroque and even Rococo interiors (the Spanish and their gold fever...)  But not much Gothic stuff that I've seen.

The big surprise was the interior.[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]Yup, every one of those is a different representation of the Virgin Mary.  But none are apocalyptic!  Nice girls, not mean ones!  That was nice to see.  Yesterday's version didn't comport with my recollections of Mary or the Rosary. 

For reference, the stones in the wall are all the same size.  There are small, medium, and large Virgins to be found.  I'm going to make it a practice to avoid the occasional gargantuan apocalyptic ones when possible.  Nice Girls >> Mean Girls.  

Then Mass started.  And, the doors were locked suddenly.  Damn, conquistador traditions run deep here. I respectfully circled until, suddenly, one was open.
The concession stand on the little plaza was staffed with thieves too.  A small bottle of strawberry Fanta ("Fiora Vanti" fresa) should be $0.35.  It says so on the label!!!  They wanted $0.75.  The lady rambled on about "un lugar y precios turisticos"  ... 'tourist places and prices."  I re-shelved it and walked out.  Nobody's fool today, indeed!

The Jesuit Museum was another rip off!  $5.00 and photos not allowed.  It was Romanesque inside and out.  And gilded beyond belief.  Maybe there are online pictures you can find.  It's this type of stunt that gets an order excommunicated en-mass.  No?  And, I had to show a receipt to exit!  Revenue preservation can be absurd.  It was also the ONLY place I've heard English spoken since leaving the airport!  Bye bye, thieves

Across the street is the Banco Central Ecuadoriano.  Their entry fee: my name, country, passport number (I'm sure I remembered most of the digits correctly, ok, some of them), my phone number, and age.  Even at $5 it would have been great!  Everything was in Castilian.  But, I'm an economist by training (including Jesuit training no less, JCU '86)  Fun stuff.

Things about pre-Incan money.  Gold, of course, but also sponges!  Then Incan stuff.

[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image](And, too many reflective surfaces.)  The kind of axe head shaped things are early coins.

I really enjoyed it.  And, remember my issue yesterday with 1809?
[Image]It was the year of independence.

All these prices I quote in USD...it's the official currency here.  Has been for 22 years+[Image]
Nearby is the Quito Municipal Cultural Center.  Also excellent and free.   Some incredibly cool graffiti art on display.  [Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]Inspirational too.

Speaking of street art.  A doorway caught my attention too.

[Image]
[Image]
Speaking of streets.  Here are some cobbles, in incredibly good shape.

[Image]
[Image]

Who hates Batman?

[Image]Or, has the blessed finger grown angel's wings?

Beats the hell out of me.

Finally, I backtracked a bit to get lunch at the Central Market:

[Image]
[Image]$2.50 for a hearty, delicious, and filling meal.  I need the calories.  So, I washed it down with an Inka Kola.

Then back to the hostal, to rest and write, by the infamous TroleyBus. 

How many more passengers can fit on the TroleyBus?  The answer is always the same: at least 5 more.  Always 5 more.  Just like the public transit in Rome and Buenos Aires.

More to come.



Ahead!


Jim