Our tour started promptly at 9:30am as we climbed into the SUV of our tour guide, Sylvia. Born and raised in Quito, Sylvia was an excellent source of information, not just on the historical sights but also freely offering her own perspective on anything – throughout the day we chatted on topics ranging from politics to the economy to dating Latin men.
The tour promised the classic “Old Town” highlights – the Basilica de Voto Nacional, Independence Plaza, Iglesia La Compañía de Jesús, and the Monastery of San Francisco among them. We were also to tour a local market, have lunch at an Ecuadorian restaurant and to visit a family-run candle factory. But as often happens, the highlights of the day ended up not being the planned stops, but those that were tailored to our individual interests and allowed Sylvia to show off her love for her city.
When I mentioned that I’d been in Quito for a few weeks and hadn’t yet made it to the nearby El Panecillo hill, Sylvia incorporated a detour to take us up for photos and a look over the landscape of Quito in the shadow of the Virgin Mary de Quito statue, unique for its beautiful wings. She pointed out the major churches that we’d be visiting on the tour and we were able to observe the distinction between the clearly planned grid of the streets in the Old Town and the sprawling high rise development in La Mariscal and the rest of the city spreading out to the North. It was a gorgeous day and we snapped some amazing photos before heading back down to start the walking portion of the tour.
Our first stop was La Ronda, a street with excellent examples of colonial architecture that earned Old Town its UNESCO World Heritage status. We stopped into Chocolateria Chez Tiff, where we were treated to an in-depth look into the chocolate making process – from the cultivation, harvest and processing, to the skill that goes into producing quality truffles and finished chocolate bars. We were given a tiny bite of 80% dark chocolate to sample during the presentation. Typically when I’ve tried extra dark chocolates, I expect them to be a bit bitter but as Tiff explained, the fermentation process that is used in Ecuador reduces the bitterness. It was truly the most rich and complex bite of chocolate I’d ever had, and as promised there was very little bitterness. Again, we benefited from our small group size as my other tour participant was a self-confessed chocoholic. We spent almost an hour at the charming little shop, and left clutching bags of exotically-flavored truffles, dark chocolate bars, and cocoa butter for later.
Next we followed the more traditional sightseeing path, walking along the bustling Avenue Garcia Moreno also known as Calle de Siete Cruzes for the seven churches placed along its path, formerly a part of the Inca trail, to show domination over the indigenous people. We were awed by the inside of Iglesia La Compañía de Jesús with its elaborate gold leaf decoration and I loved the people watching in Independence Plaza almost as much as hearing about the historic significance of the site, surrounded by the Arcbishop’s Palace, Presidential Palace and the Independence Monument. We also enjoyed walking through the cloisters of the San Francisco church, which houses the original Virgien de Quito statue.
Having worked up an appetite after all the sightseeing, we were more than ready for lunch at Tianguez, where we were seated at a cafe table outdoors with gorgeous view of the San Francisco Plaza. One thing on my culinary bucket list for Quito was to try Seco de Chivo, a stew made from lamb, so I was happy to see that it was one of the selections offered for our lunch. It was a tad bit sweeter than I’d expected, with warm notes of cinnamon and I added generous spoonfuls of aji (hot sauce) to compensate, which tends to make every dish better.
Our final stop was at the Mercado Santa Clara, where we strolled past colorful, stacked displays of fruits, vegetables and herbs with Sylvia pointing out some of the more exotic offerings. Local markets in Ecuador also have a section for prepared foods and we were able to browse the counters where locals sat hunched over bowls of seafood ceviches, stews, hornado (whole roast pig) with its mashed potato and hominy accompaniments.
By the end of the day, it was a bit sad to say goodbye to Sylvia as she felt like a cool friend who’d been taking me around all day. While many of the sites might have been easy to visit on my own, there really is no substitute for an insider’s perspective and I feel like we were fortunate to get that with Sylvia.
-Malia Yoshioka
Old Town Quito Sightseeing and Food Walking Tour from Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands Things To Do