por Jim
Quito is not a city for bikers. Like more than a few other cities -- Rome comes to mind -- it is built on a series of big hills. That means the phrase "as the crow flies" isn't terribly helpful to a non-crow tourist. Fortunately, there's a good bus system with reserved bus lanes and prepaid boarding areas that allow passengers to get on and off with as much speed as in a familiar subway system. A bit quicker, actually, as I found out when I nearly lost my shoe in a relentlessly closing door. Better a shoe than a foot. The better news is that the basic fare to get anywhere in the city is 25 cents. The best news is that seniors like us pay only half price.
Today we took the express bus to the historic area of the city and inadvertently ended up in the plaza fronting on the presidential palace as the president was hosting a rally devoted to, near as I could tell, saluting his current popularity. According to a free newspaper distributed to the crowd noted that very few world leaders -- Evo Morales and Vladimir Putin were named-- are more popular. It was good theater and the uniforms of the military are quite impressive. Unlike anything I've seen outside of an old American movie musical.
Vendors circulated in the crowd and Leslie got a good deal on a few scarves. Presumably pickpockets were circulating as well, but I didn't seen any. The issue was raised later in the day when a fellow bus passenger advised against carrying my cellphone in my back pocket. Everyone we've encountered has seemed friendly, even when the buses were packed, as they usually are.
We snacked at a small restaurant, of which there are a lot. All seem cheap. The few we've tried are good. There's also a collection of the usual fast-food guys around and a lot of coffee shops where one can hang out and watch the world pass by. One was the falafel shop where we lunched with our grandson Sylvan who's now teaching English down here. He gave us a quick brief on national natters, including his sense that the left-leaning president was truly popular with the poor masses of the nation at a time when the economy seemed to be booming generally, particularly in the wealthy neighborhood where he teaches. He also pointed out that the the politics of the place were reflected in the absence of the large multinational banks like Citi and Bank of America.
As is often the case with such touring, it is pretty difficult to understand what's really going on. We know the economic boom was initially caused by oil exports, which don't bring in the money they once did. We know that the economic policies pursued by the government seem unconventional by the standards of those who read and write the Economist. And we know that the United States has a long record of trying to destabilize Latin regimes that have a left-leaning view of American-style capitalism. Think Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela (recall the Nixon visit in the 60s). On the other hand, we seem to be improving our links to Cuba and folks who live by the Monroe Doctrine worry more about Venezuela and Bolivia, and perhaps Argentina, where things tend to seem more crazy than provocative.
The world spins on. The residents of Quito seem reasonably content.
Quito is not a city for bikers. Like more than a few other cities -- Rome comes to mind -- it is built on a series of big hills. That means the phrase "as the crow flies" isn't terribly helpful to a non-crow tourist. Fortunately, there's a good bus system with reserved bus lanes and prepaid boarding areas that allow passengers to get on and off with as much speed as in a familiar subway system. A bit quicker, actually, as I found out when I nearly lost my shoe in a relentlessly closing door. Better a shoe than a foot. The better news is that the basic fare to get anywhere in the city is 25 cents. The best news is that seniors like us pay only half price.
Today we took the express bus to the historic area of the city and inadvertently ended up in the plaza fronting on the presidential palace as the president was hosting a rally devoted to, near as I could tell, saluting his current popularity. According to a free newspaper distributed to the crowd noted that very few world leaders -- Evo Morales and Vladimir Putin were named-- are more popular. It was good theater and the uniforms of the military are quite impressive. Unlike anything I've seen outside of an old American movie musical.
We snacked at a small restaurant, of which there are a lot. All seem cheap. The few we've tried are good. There's also a collection of the usual fast-food guys around and a lot of coffee shops where one can hang out and watch the world pass by. One was the falafel shop where we lunched with our grandson Sylvan who's now teaching English down here. He gave us a quick brief on national natters, including his sense that the left-leaning president was truly popular with the poor masses of the nation at a time when the economy seemed to be booming generally, particularly in the wealthy neighborhood where he teaches. He also pointed out that the the politics of the place were reflected in the absence of the large multinational banks like Citi and Bank of America.
As is often the case with such touring, it is pretty difficult to understand what's really going on. We know the economic boom was initially caused by oil exports, which don't bring in the money they once did. We know that the economic policies pursued by the government seem unconventional by the standards of those who read and write the Economist. And we know that the United States has a long record of trying to destabilize Latin regimes that have a left-leaning view of American-style capitalism. Think Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela (recall the Nixon visit in the 60s). On the other hand, we seem to be improving our links to Cuba and folks who live by the Monroe Doctrine worry more about Venezuela and Bolivia, and perhaps Argentina, where things tend to seem more crazy than provocative.
The world spins on. The residents of Quito seem reasonably content.
No comments:
Post a Comment