I went out to walk into the centre. The weather was good, quite sunny and already fairly warm (at 9.00). I walked down a main street which went through a park on the way to the centre. The streets were not too bad, some rubbish and unrestored roads and buildings but there were some nicer ones to see, too. In the park I found a market which was mostly traditional style clothes and jewellery. I had a look to see if I could find a shirt like I planned to get. I saw a blue one which was quite nice. The woman said it was $14 but I managed to get it down to $11.50, which was decent. That was the first thing ticked off the list.
The park (La Alameda) was nice, big and some people around. I was already experiencing problems with the altitude. I walked slowly but I still felt like I had little energy as there was not enough oxygen going into my blood. When I had to walk uphill, which happens a lot in Quito, I felt short of breath and light-headed. The altitude is around 2500m, which is was more than I had had to deal with before. It didn't help that I'd spent the last 6 years living about 2m above sea level in Porto!
I reached the centre and it was already busy. There are lots of people around and you can see who are the poorest, mostly the ones who are indigenous and dress traditionally. They sell cigarettes and other bit and pieces. As the centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are lots of nice buildings to see but a lot of uphill walking. I'd bought a bottle of water at the hostel as the man said is wasn't recommended to drink tap water. I later realised I hadn't drunk enough as I had a bit of a headache, too. In the main square, the Plaza de la Independencia, it was interesting to see the local people. They mainly sit around, as I did for a while, and I saw lots of young children who shined shoes. Some were as young as about 5 and it was sad to see but at least they do make a bit of honest money.
I had a coffee and a cheese toastie in a café and watched the people go by outside and walked around a little more. I didn't want to listen to music or read because I wanted to feel a part of the life here.
I managed to find a ferreteria (hardware store) which sold plug adaptors. I asked how much it was - $2.50. I said I only have a 50, is that o.k? No, said the woman, 50 cents? I told her I meant $50 and asked because of the change needed. She checked my note very carefully and accepted it. She also warned me to keep my bag on my front as assaults can happen here. I thanked her but kept it on my back but was always wary of it and I didn't get any trouble at all. No-one even looked suspicious but there are certain areas which are more dangerous, although I didn't go to them.
I was thinking of maybe going back to the hostel to rest and then go out again later but I came across another park with people in boats going round. I took off my socks and trainers and sat watching them have fun.
After a while I went back to the first park and looked around it some more. There were some nice sculptures and a funny act of some men doing a long taxi sketch, which the people enjoyed. I went to walk back and it started raining so that was quite good timing. It wasn't very heavy and I got back about 3.00.
I tested my adaptor with my phone charger in case it blew up but it looked fine so I used it with my notebook computer and uploaded my photos and video.
I took it easy for a while as I was feeling low on energy but I couldn't sleep. At 6, I went out to the area near the hostel, had a cappuccino then went to find a restaurant. Not many were open and I couldn't find the Mongolian one I'd seen last night but found an Ecuadorian one that even did veggie food. It was actually excellent, too. Nice and spicy and with good flavours. I'll have to go there again when I come into Quito for weekends. After that it was around 8pm and I walked around a little then came back. After a pleasant day with no problems, on the street of the hostel, a dog started barking at me and even though it wagged its tail, was quite aggressive. It even tried to bite my foot and it was hard to make it go away. I didn't get attacked but it felt like I was going to, right at the end of my otherwise good day. My heart was still beating fast when I got into the hostel.
But, I escaped being savaged and could just relax for the rest of the evening, ready to get up early and start the real adventure.
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