I lived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, 15 years ago and recently had the chance to visit it again for the first time in 13 years (I did visit it a couple years after I left). Of course, the first thing I noticed was that the city has changed. A lot. The second thing I noticed was that, well, it’s a quirky sort of place–one worthy of its own little photo essay.
Hope you enjoy this virtual tour of Quirky Quito…I certainly enjoyed setting it up!
PS: I got in trouble in El Jardin Mall when I shot Photo #8! 🙂
What Has Changed
1. People Multitasking
When I lived in Ecuador, people did one thing at at time. You went to the bank. Or you went food shopping. You put makeup on before going to work.
Now, people are busy. Really busy. And so, they have to multi-task. This woman obviously didn’t have time to get ready for work. So, as one would logically do, she got ready for work–at work. Here, she’s applying makeup while waiting for her customers…
2. Water Faucet in the Sky
Not sure what this is about. I think it’s art. A sculpture of some sort. Anyway, it confused me when I saw it. For a moment, I thought I was under a sink and not in the center of a capital city. Glad I now realize where I really was. PS: I don’t recall this from when I lived in Quito. I’m sure it wasn’t there.
3. Toy Chicky Buses
Back when I lived in Quito, you took chicken buses; you didn’t buy them. Now, you can go to an upscale mall and drop a few bucks on a greeting card and then buy someone a chicky bus (toy version) as a gift. Some more multi-tasking, I think.
PS: Can you imagine how happy I was when I saw these? They made me feel so welcome. It was as if they knew about me and this site.
4. No Longer a Millionaire
I remember how exciting it was to change money–back in the day. You’d go to a “casa de cambio’ and hand over $500 and get back–1,000,000 sucres. ($1 equaled 3000 or 4000 sucres at one point.) You were an instant millionaire–in sucres, anyway. But now, you’re a mere hundredaire or thousandaire–in dollars. And yeah, as you guessed it, that money doesn’t go quite as far. Fortunately, you can still get a cheap almuerzo.
5. Old Town, New Town Safety Reversal
Back when I lived in Quito, the New Town was safe and the Old Town wasn’t. Now it’s the other way around. OK. That’s cool. Still–watch your bag/backpack, etc. wherever you are. Most people I met had been robbed or knew someone who had been. I’m happy to report that I stayed safe.
6. A Bar in the Airport?
I remember the good old days, when the Quito Airport was really limited and had a cage of sorts that one would enter upon leaving. That’s right–in order to leave, you’d enter a cage. And the people waiting for you would look in at you. Or maybe they were in the cage? I can’t remember.
All I know is that a bar in the airport is…well….rather cool. And it feels quirky to me because well, it looks sort of upscale. It’s feels odd to me since it’s not the Quito Airport, the one with the cage, that my friends and I knew and loved. But I’m not complaining…glad it’s there.
7. An Apple Store?
Please, Quito–now, you’re really freaking me out. Now, I know this is not a quirk–it’s a sign of modernity, of being high tech, of a developing country…developing. Still, I included this on my list since it was a shocking change (for me). Back when I lived in Quito, there was no Internet (perhaps the government had it and one or two super rich people) and “apple” was a mere fruit. Now, well, Apple is there!
I like how they handle the name in Spanish, by the way. Sorta funny. I guess it sounds better than “Tienda de Manzana,” which seems a bit ludicrous (if you speak Spanish) because it would seem too literal–as if apples were for sale.
8. Alien Mannequins
Perhaps you thought that unusual mannequins were found mostly in the Middle East. Well, think again. The aliens have invaded South America, too, and especially Ecuador. Check out this bizarre mannequin from El Jardin Mall in Quito. PS: I almost got arrested taking the shot. The police were not happy! Perhaps they were aliens, too?
And the one thing that hasn’t changed in Quito but confuses me nevertheless…
Vulcan Tires
I know that martians have something to do with dry cleaning, so it’s only logical that Vulcans would have something to do with tire repair? Right? Or am I still in MannequinLand? In any case, the tires still say Vulcanizadora on them. And that’s exactly what it was like back in the 90s.
What Do You Think?
Have you been to Quito? See anything out of the ordinary while there? Did I miss anything? LOL Do you find the city quirky in any way? Or does it seem like another other Latin American capital city to you?
Meanwhile…have you unraveled the mystery of the Vulcans and the Martians? Dry cleaning versus tires? If so, could you help shed some light on the topic in the Comments section? Thank you.
