Sitting on my bed, looking at the ipad, the room begins to shake. A guy on the top bunk wakes up and wants to know what is going on. I say maybe it's an earthquake. I have never been in one so I am not sure.

 I go to the window and look out but cannot see anything unusual happening . "If it's an earthquake I don't think the 3rd floor is the best place to be", I tell him.
  
"And being on the top bunk is even worse", he says. A few minutes later there is another trimmer and I am sure now it is an earthquake.
 
Later I find out it was a 5.1 earthquake that hit Quito. There were some landslides outside of town, and several people were killed and more were injured.

Quito is the capital of Ecuador. It is the highest capital city in the world with an elevation of 9,350 feet and a population of over one and a half million. It is surrounded by mountains capped with snow. The city is only 15 miles from the equator. 

Every 4 years the people elect their president and other politicians. The voting age is 16. I found it interesting that everyone 18 to 65 is required to vote. Those 16 and 17 years old have the option to vote or not.
 
Quito is located in South America and bordered by the Pacific Ocean. The city is divided into two areas . One is the modern city with the tall skyscraper buildings with the shining glass and sleek lines. 

The other is the old city with the colonial type buildings and sculptures from its Spanish conquest days. The old city is filled with well preserved colonial churches and convents. It sits in the hills and every small street seems to go up or down all the time. Quito is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in all of Latin America!

As the plane flies into Quito from the Galápagos Islands, I know the old city is where I want to stay. High on top of the hill in the old city there is a large statue of the Virgin of the Americas. There is an observation deck and from there you can get a panoramic view of the Old Town that sits in the basin, surrounded by volcanoes. At one time this was the Inca site for sun worship.

But, it is not safe to climb the path and steps that lead to the statue on top of the hill . You are most likely to be robbed on the way up. The only way to go safely is by taxi. It's strange that you can see this from the city but still it is so dangerous to go. I did not go to the top while in Quito because of the safety issues. It's such a shame such an interesting place so near to town is so unsafe.

It's mid-August and Quito is near the equator. I expect nice warm weather, but I get surprised to find the temperatures only reach 65-68F during the day and EVERY night the temperatures drop to the mid 40's. It seems to always be cloudy also. People wear long sleeve shirts and jackets all the time and long pants. I am told the temperatures stay like this in Quito year-round. The only difference is that there is a rainy season and dry season, but the temperatures don't change much.

I explore the old town of Quito and some days walk to the new town which is only a 20 minute walk away, or you can take a bus.

The small streets are filled with autos and people . There are lots of horns blowing and barber shops are set up on the sidewalks.

Quito is a clean town and the air pollution seems not to be too bad.

They LOVE sugar here! It seems they coat everything with sugar! The sugar is a mix of brown and white sugar, and they put in on things I would never have thought of putting it on.

You can buy bananas here for almost nothing. I buy a bunch of bananas for 20 cents. Ecuador uses the U.S. money for it's currency. A great breakfast or lunch here can be bought for between $1 and $1.50.

I notice as I walk around the town there are a lot of schnauzer dogs. I ask some locals that work at the hostel and they say they are popular dogs here. I think maybe because of the cool climate. They are my favorite breed of dogs and I stop to pet them if the owner is okay with it.

I'm surprised that not many people speak English here. It makes it very difficult to get around and buy things. I should have brushed up on some Spanish before coming!

NEXT: The Presidential Palace