Quito airport is in the middle of town, which makes it very convenient for the tourist, probably a bit hairy for the pilots. A new one is being built a bit further out as I write..Accommodation was in the 5 star, conveniently named, Quito Hotel. Not as new as it was, but very comfortable and with an astounding display of roses in the lobby.Breakfast and Evening meals in the penthouse restaurant were notably good and reasonably pricedImmediate attractions include an equatorial monument (la mitad del mundo) and a ring of active volcanoes around the town, The highest of which can be accessed by a furnicular railway Called Pichincha, it is an active stratovolcano and Quito wraps around its eastern slopes. The mountain peaks at 15,696 feet/4,784 mtrs. In October of 1999, the volcano last erupted and covered the city with several inches of ash. This fact, combined with the altitude,and obscuring cloud gave me the perfect excuse to avoid being singedSo off we went to the middle of the world. Well, actually about 240 mtrs south of it. Some smart alec took a GPS reading at the site after they'd moved it the first time. There doesn't seem much point in moving it for a second time, continental drift will only mess it up again.It's a long way to get there through town by reasonably priced but very crowded bus, Since we were running late, we expedited our return in three Taxis, it was rather more exciting with a native driver but also more expensive. Nice to find another race that thinks louder can substitute for translation, but I think that might have been a compensation for the broken car horn. We got back in time for a last supper ( I always avoid the middle chair if they call it that ) before flying off in various directions earlyish next morning.
