Hola amigos,

We leave Quito tomorrow, off south to Cuenca, another colonial city.  We´ve had a great a time here, Quito is beautiful and interesting and huge! We´ve made a couple of good friends, lots of French people around!  One night there were three languages happening simultaneously, Spanish, French and us in the corner with English.  Lots of miming involved and tri-lingual drinking games! Plus a day at the equator, including llamas, balancing eggs on nails and trying to walk in a straight line (this is basically impossible at 0-0-0 Latitude). 

Thanks Quito, its been great and we´re sad to leave! But time to continue on…

Its an Ecuadorian double rainbow!  It was almost a triple. No kidding.

Acacia and the awesome Quito clouds

Pete with his study game face on

Arrogant peas. 

Us with our teachers

I see you Llama. you can´t hide

Acacia and a truck

Pete takes the giant leap into the Northern hemisphere at the false equator

The REAL equator (200m North)

French party in Ecuador

Hola  New Zealand!   A few more oddities of Ecuador...tiny dogs dressed up in costumes, including booties and hats, puppies for sale on the street, everywhere are policia and the army with their weapons  including shot guns, swords and even a couple of spears, fairly disconcerting! The official road code is beep at everyone, other tourists tend to be rude americans, the local girls are prone to giving me (Acacia) disapproving stares. Everyone second shop (or more) is a shoe shop...
Here are some photos of us sightseeing in Quito...

..

Cache way up high on the Basilica

Basilica stained glass

View from our first hotel of  Santa Domingo Square

Pete on the Basilica with a koru

Basilica

posing at the cultural Centre

Cathedral at Independance Square

Quito, Ecuador

Quito is...diesel fumes, street sellers, beeping cars, crazy drivers, narrow footpaths that disappear, $1 food, eggs and cheese, cobbled streets, beautiful architecture, upset tummies, thin air, farm trucks with men in the back on cellphones, homeless people, green hills and spanglish!

We have arrived and are overwhlemed but amazed.  The shops jump out at you from hidden door ways, the fumes are exhausting as is the lack of oxygen and cathedrals and colonial architecture seem to appear on every corner. 
The people speak very little english, but seem to be  friendly.  We are somehow managing by piecing the odd sentence together!
After having an awful time arriving in town in the rain at night with the hotel cancelling our reservation, we ended up somewhere nice and are managing to venture out into the city.
Photos to follow soon (when we feel more accostomed to avoiding looking like a tourist!).