Quito, Ecuador!

I spent 4 days in Quito, which pretty much rocked. They use the same currency as we do in the U.S., but generally speaking, a dollar goes quite a bit further in

Ecuador

. I would estimate that the dollar is worth about four times as much down here as in the States. You can get a four-course lunch for under $3, cocktails are about $3 – actually, now that I think about it, just about everything is $3…

I also managed to switch out my passports while crossing over into Ecuador -- woohoo! As it turns out, citizens of Ireland need a visa to enter Colombia and citizens of the USA need a visa to enter Brazil. So I had been traveling on my US passport until I landed in Quito and then successfully managed to use my Irish passport to enter Ecuador without too many questions about why I was missing stamps from Colombia in the passport, etc. So hopefully I should have no problem getting into Brazil now. I'm sure you're all thrilled.

Quito gave me an opportunity to finalize my travel arrangements for my upcoming tour of the Galapagos Islands, and also to ship back home all my camp gear and other miscellaneous items I decided I no longer needed. It wound up filling quite a large box and weighing over 15 pounds. It is such a pleasure to be carrying around so much less stuff! (Of course, I’ve probably just given myself license to start shopping aggressively in an effort to refill my pack, but what’s wrong with that?)

Even though I was a bit tired on my day of arrival in Quito, I mistakenly thought it was Thursday instead of Wednesday, and so forced myself to go out. I moseyed on down to Bar-Ril, a really down-home and kitschy gay bar run by longtime owners (and boyfriends) Caesar and Fernando. Still not realizing it was Wednesday, I couldn’t quite understand why it was so quiet. I wandered towards the back of the bar, the only place where there were other people, and ordered a caipiriñha. Then I studied the other folks in the bar. There were five men and five women sitting in one large circle, fully engrossed in animated conversation. They all looked to be about 30-ish, and were sitting boy/girl/boy/girl. They seemed to be dressed up for a night out, but slightly sleazily to be honest. The ladies had incorporated quite a bit of lycra into their ensembles, and the men didn’t shy away from synthetic fibers and loud colors, either. Although I found myself wondering wistfully where I myself could find some lycra in this city, I was also befuddled by the scene, as none of these folks struck me as gay. I was wondering whether the bar was no longer gay, or I had gotten misinformation, but the rainbow flags and music selection ruled that out. Then I wondered if gay bars in Quito had “straight nights,” which seemed like a kinda cute idea (provided it didn’t get out of hand…).

I finally had to ask the proprietor what the deal was, and as it turns out, these guys and girls were all there for a "swingers’ party." (I didn’t even realize that swingers’ parties included visiting a bar.) I guess it gives all the participants a chance to feel comfortable with each other before slipping out of all their spandex. Frankly, I was a bit horrorified that a gay bar had been commandeered for such an overtly heterosexual activity, but then again, the caipiriñhas were only $3, so I stayed for a third…

Then I meandered over to Matrioshka, a gay disco in the Mariscal Sucre neighborhood. $10 cover included open bar all night. I normally wouldn’t touch well liquor, but I figured this was a cultural experience. Ecuadorians aren’t quite as short as Colombians on average, but this place had more than its fair share of pocket gays, and as far as they were concerned, it was open season on the gringo. I was asked to dance by one guy after another, and I did my best to salsa in my hiking boots.

Here I am with one of the many pocket gays who asked me to dance at Matrioshka. I actually thought this guy was really cute at the time, but now that I’m seeing this photo, he certainly has a bit of a dastardly look about him, doesn’t he? He said his name was Jimmy, but I’m sure it was Jim or James or Mack or Buddy…

This whole blog should really be called “Crêpes & Caipiriñhas,” since I clearly have an irresistible yearning for both in every city I visit. Nothing like a warm Nutella crêpe à la mode, drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped off with whipped cream. Except perhaps for a nice, fresh and frothy caipiriñha wrapped in a paper napkin pashmina…

One of several Nutella crêpes I consumed in Quito. I’m not sure why I felt it so necessary to undo the benefit of all that hiking in

Venezuela

so quickly…

I did actually manage to squeeze in some sightseeing in Quito. Alex, yet another adorable pocket gay, took me on a full-scale walking tour of his city.

Plaza de la Independencia (a.k.a. Plaza Grande). The white building to the left with the Ecuadorian flag flying atop is the Palacio del Gobierno (the Presidential Palace)

Me in front of the Palacio del Gobierno

Alex and me in front of the Palacio del Gobierno

Plaza San Francisco, looking Southeast towards El Panecillo (translates to “Little Bread Loaf,” which I plan to popularize as a term of endearment), topped by the statue of La Virgen de Quito.