After our long bus ride into Quito, we then had to get two more buses into the historic centre where we wanted to stay. At 25 cents each per bus it was a lot cheaper than a taxi but a little more crowded. We hadn't booked anywhere as we'd decided it was low season and the hostels wouldn't be full however we were mistaken and were turned away from two before arriving at Huasi Lodge, fairly newly opened. We accepted a room but quickly realised that there were a few problems due to the owner not planning to rent the room so soon. The glass see-through door was far from ideal! But a curtain was quickly put up so all good. The building was a lovely colonial one with a central courtyard and served a good breakfast.

That afternoon we braved the rain and went to explore the historic centre including a few churches and plazas. We went into one church which was almost completely adorned with gold inside (Simon took some pictures even though he wasn't allowed). We had an early dinner- pizza for a change after lots of soup and rice- then headed back to the hostel for an early night after the 4am start.

The next day was fully taken up with working out a plan for visiting the Galápagos Islands. We had originally wanted to go on a cruise, which is expensive, but after hearing about the great times had by our Dutch and Aussie friends who went to some islands independently, we wanted to weigh up the options. After visiting a couple of travel agents, much thought and discussion, we booked a seven night cruise which goes to lots of different islands including several that you wouldn't be able reach on your own, which was the deciding factor for us. We also decided that we wanted to stay some extra nights after the cruise on Isabela island. After much to-ing and fro-ing to get passports and money, we were booked on the Golondrina boat for 24th October and went to a nearby bar for a celebratory drink while Luis (the very knowledgable Ecudorian agent) sorted out the ticket. We think we got a good deal and can't wait to go now!

On our third day, we met up with Tijs and Jacqueline, who had just returned from the Galápagos, and went to visit the large Basilica church and its towers. We then left them to make our way by bus to the Equator, some 20+kms away for our last northern hemisphere fix of the year. When we arrived, it seemed that the majority of middle class Quiteños had joined us there as it was a national holiday. We went first to the incorrect equator line, (the yellow line in our photos) as the French had done their best in the 1730s but they were a few hundred metres off. However it's still a big tourist attraction with a large monument and lots of restaurants and shops. After a walk round, a look at a couple of llamas (or llamingos as the sign described them!) and some lunch, we left this slightly disappointing attraction and went next door to the museum where the real equator is (the red line in our photos). Here was much better, if a little gimmicky and strange. We had a tour and after being told a bit about some indigenous groups and the Amazon, we moved onto the equator line and a series of demonstrations of phenomena that occur either side of it. I was pleased that our tour guide was honest with us and explained he was only simulating water going down the plug different ways in the northern and southern hemphispheres and that moving only one metre from the line wasn't going to make a difference. There was also balancing an egg on a nail which is apparently easier there. Simon was able to achieve this and was very pleased to receive his 'egg diploma' at the end- probably one of his better qualifications. It was a good way to fill a day although we would have been happy missing the fake equator but we finally enjoyed some sun and a bit of heat in Quito (a change from the heavy rain the previous days). But before we got too used to it though, the heavy rain was back by the time we got off the bus so we dived into an internet cafe and booked our flights to the Galápagos.

In the evening we once again met up with Tijs and Jacqueline for some craft beer, cider and a pretty average Chinese meal while we caught up, got Galápagos tips from them and agreed to hike the Quilotoa loop with them. It's great that we were able to see them again when we thought we'd said goodbye.

Quito was nice for a few days but the weather was particularly cold and rainy which wasn't so fun. We got to experience the bus system many times: cheap but often very crowded and we were extra- vigilant the whole time we were on the bus as they are notorious for pickpockets (the vigilance paid off). Even all the locals were wearing their backpacks on their fronts. Quito was also probably where we have seen the most children working. We saw a few selling things on the buses and I would guess they were as young as about eight years old. Also one evening when we were out eating, a girl came to our table trying to sell us sweets. Very sad but perhaps a product of people's increased ambitions in life, which requires them to move to the city but when they arrive, it's even harder to survive than in the countryside.

Katy