DIY QUITO LANDING GUIDE (259 PAGES) $16.99
The land of Ecuador has a lot of natural beauty, and a lot of future potential. It is our observation that Ecuador has been on a mission of slowly improving itself, and most of the changes are positive.
Quito Ecuador is in the top 20 destination cities to visit in the world!
Just like its smaller sister city Cuenca, Quito is a UNESCO Heritage Site with the largest and least altered historical district in the Americas. Quito’s historic district is amazing and quite large.
Many new and wonderful things are beginning to happen with Quito, especially in the colonial section that many refer to as “old town”. Colonial restoration and new tourist services and amenities are in the making as we write this.
Quito experiences pretty fine weather for being located so high up in the mountains. Quito stands majestic at an altitude of 9,350 feet and is perfectly surrounded by the stately Andes Mountains; they create a breathtaking view and backdrop anywhere you happen to be in Quito!
Some would refer the weather in Quito as being perfect because it is never too hot nor does it ever freeze. However, it is far from perfect for many people, especially if coming from a hot climate in the northern country.
What makes the weather special in Quito is its protection by the Andes Mountain range; for this reason, it rarely experiences awful storms. There are no tornados or heavy winds causing damage to the city or its population.
When we are asked, “What is the weather like in Quito?” We reply, “It is temperate mountain weather but your mileage may vary; so come and experience it for yourself for at least 6-months to a year, and then you will know what it is like for yourself”. When your future enjoyment is on the line and you’re thinking of uprooting your whole life, you need to experience Quito and everything it has to offer for yourselves.
Some things in life cannot be written in stone and that includes weather and climate of a particular city. However, we think this book will help you to get a feel for this beautiful city and become familiar with it enough to ease the trepidation many people have about Quito. We think Quito is a beautiful city because that has been our experience.
The historical district (old town) has some of the most spectacular colonial construction you have ever seen. Walking down the charming cobblestone streets with the beautiful old world architecture is an amazing experience. There are numerous cathedrals and historical sites to visit in old town which tells us so much about the history and its people that make up this beautiful country of Ecuador.
The diversity of the city of Quito is amazing. Besides the huge colonial section, Quito it also home to a well-known tourist sector called “La Mariscal”. La Mariscal has numerous restaurants, cafes, discotheques, nightclubs, bakeries, hostels, hotels, museums, parks, shopping and more.
Our recommendation: Enjoy all this area has to offer during the day time hours, but when night time rolls around, be inside your accommodations. Again, this is just our way of doing things and we’re just offering up a few words of advice.
Unfortunately this area of Quito is known for a lot of crime against foreigners, gringos in particular, however, we believe many people are giving this area a bad name without knowing all the facts. We discuss the issue of crime in depth for Quito more in the chapter on crime and safety.
Just in case you are wondering, there is much more to La Mariscal than the nightclub scene. La Mariscal is home to a really nice park called El Ejido Parque. There are walking trails, bike lanes, trees, playground equipment, food stalls, restrooms, and it is all surrounded by shopping, cafes, restaurants, and businesses.
Speaking of parks, Quito has some of the most beautiful park areas with something for everyone; from athletic activities to picnics, you can’t miss out on experiencing the parks here. As to the outdoors, the parks are the central themes of the city and the Ecuadorians love to bring their families and spend the whole day here. The city is simpler to navigate once you get familiar with it and its transportation system and that is just one of the things this guide will do for you.
We begin this DIY Quito Guide with North Quito, el Batan Sector and the Quicentro shopping mall (pronounced “key centro”) area where you will find nice restaurants including fast food, cafes, coffee shops, Ecuadorian almuerzos, La Carolina Park and department store shopping.
There are nearby stores such as Megamaxi, Super Kywi, and Quicentro Mall, all within walking distance of the park. Quicentro (the mall) is a huge shopping plaza, comprised of three floors that seem to be never-ending!
Quito boasts 14 Supermaxi grocery stores and 6 Megamaxi (we list the addresses in the book) department stores so that means you are never too far from one no matter where you happen to be in the city.
How to BEST Use This DIY Quito Guide
The first three chapters will help you orient yourself when you land in Quito. Get from the airport to your room, know where to go in advance, how much it will cost and do it as economically as possible.
You’ll understand and get a feel for how the public transportation system works and know what bus to get on to go to popular areas of the city, including the hostels and hotels we list in this book.
The three main areas of Quito in this do-it-your-self guide are:
1) North Quito – Quicentro area
2) La Mariscal – Tourist area
3) Historical Quito – Old Town area
We have devoted whole chapters for each of the three popular areas of the city. Let this guide do the walking for you and SAVE money, save time and energy! And you will save your emotional self because you’re going to be on top of the Quito traveler game and not be stressed out, at least not too much anyway. Take the fear out of traveling to a large foreign city!
Be sure to click on the links to the videos that are located throughout this guide because they will take you to our personal experience about that particular subject you are reading about. Yes, we did everything you read about in this book first then we wrote about it.
If you are moving to Quito we know how stressful that can be because we did it when we uprooted our family and moved to Cuenca Ecuador. So we know what it is like and that is why we know exactly what you will need help with to ease the stress and save you time and money.
With this guide book in your hand, you will be able to locate and choose a hotel or hostel, get a tourist map, get on the trolley, go shopping, and go out to eat without having to bumble around like a lost puppy! In fact, you will not look like a tourist. You’ll be telling the locals where to go!
Come follow us and Do-It-Yourself!
We have so much to share with you and it is all detailed in this DIY Quito Landing Guide. Make good use of it! Print it out or put it on your kindle, and bring it along with you when you visit or move to Quito.
Although we live in Cuenca, we visit Quito whenever we get a Chance! We Love Quito!
~ DIY QUITO LANDING GUIDE ~ 32 chapters with Everything You Need to Know to Make this Large City Cozy, Comfortable and Inexpensive!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us your thoughts.