last hours in quito

after a great & relaxed ecuadorian evening yesterday, which was exactly what i needed after my overheating / altitude overkill during the day, i enjoyed my last night at the hostel and as usual woke up early in the middle of the night!

today we strolled through the quito old town and climbed the beautiful basilica, a great church near the secret garden. the ecuadorians really try to make a safe impression by having tons of police / paramilitary guards everywhere... there are at least 5 different types of uniforms on the main plaza in the old town.

that said, it seems necessary since busloads of tourists run around with their canon and nikons around the neck and in general looking as self service for pickpockets

after lunch time the sun was burning again and i went back into the hostel where we spent the afternoon chatting while the quito weather as usual changed from blue sky & sun to thunder and heavy rain

with a tear in my eye i left the secret garden just as i enjoyed it the most; people / location are just perfect, if only food would be a bit cheaper... and took the flight to lima in the evening