2008

Wanderlust (see PDF here )

Lyn Hughes revisits Quito, Ecuador 15 years on

The high life

Following major investment in its cultural heritage, the Ecuadorian capital Quito is a city reborn. Nick Elvin travels to where the equator meets the sky.

This is the largest historic centre in the Americas, yet for many years the old town was, in parts, a den of thieves, drug addicts and pickpockets. In the past decade, however, a truly amazing transformation has taken place. Thanks to an investment of more than US$200 million the old town has been cleaned up, and the buildings have been restored to their former glory, while there's also now a highly visible security presence.

Center Stage

Not far from the "center of the earth," Quito's own historic center is symbolic of the city's rejuvenation

Thanks to an infusion of investment and attention, Quito's downtown, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is being reborn.

Indeed, Ecuador's capital city—just a few miles from the equator, which tourism officials like to call the "center of the earth"—has rediscovered its own center.

QUITO, Ecuador -- Sitting at an outdoor cafe in the shadow of a 16th century church, I could have been in any number of European cities.

Pigeons hopscotched on uneven cobblestones. Old folks and young kids loitered near a gurgling fountain.
Spain? Italy?
Nope. I was a few miles south of the equator in Ecuador's capital, Quito, a place that literally takes your breath away thanks to its lofty location more than 9,200 feet above sea level.

Quito, ciudad colonial con renovado encanto

Cuatro edificios históricos fueron convertidos en hoteles de lujo, con boutiques, y en la zona abrieron varios restaurantes de comida local gourmet. Gracias a esta transformación, Quito dejó de ser una escala en los viajes a las Galápagos y el Amazonas y se convirtió en un destino turístico en sí.

An Old Capital’s New Look in Ecuador

The transformation is most noticeable in Old Town, a whitewashed sister of Seville, Spain, that is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

New hotels have also given tourists a good reason to stay. The elegant Hotel Plaza Grande (Calles García Moreno and Chile, 593-2-251-0777; www.plazagrandequito.com ) in a restored Spanish-colonial mansion has rooms starting at $500. And the Hotel El Patio Andaluz (García Moreno N6-52; 593-2-228-0830; www.hotelpatioandaluz.com ) has handsome suites that open onto a 16th-century courtyard for $250.

Journeys | Ecuador

Meals and Wheels on Avenue of the Volcanoes
In Cumandá terminal in Quito, more than 30 competing bus companies vie for customers, shouting impending departures from their ticket windows, so the wait is never long and the price is right. Even at the extranjeros, or foreigners’, price, tickets average $1 per hour of travel (the American dollar has been the official currency since 2000). Besides the music, all buses come with air-conditioning — and a chance to acquaint yourself with local culture and cuisine.

Ecuador's capital, Quito, is in the middle of everything

In Quito, the southern part of town is the must-see: It's the colonial section, with gloriously over-the-top architecture and bustling streets (look up from the Moorish and baroque decoration of La Compañía church to see the gleaming, gilded ceiling; there's also a more modern basilica that sports Galapagos tortoises and iguanas in place of the usual gargoyles).

Story Highlights
In 2000, the city started a project to reduce crime and restore its historic center
Crews have finished more than 200 rehabilitation projects
Four historical buildings have been converted into luxury boutique hotels

It's a scene in stark contrast to Ecuador's Centro Historico of its historical past. An evening stroll down these parts eight years ago was a stroll into a world of crime, ghettos and dilapidated buildings. But it's amazing what $200 million and a vision to attract tourists can do for a capital city. In 2000, under the direction of Mayor Paco Moncayo, the city embarked on an extensive restoration project to save its historic center, deemed a world UNESCO site in 1978, from increasing decay and rid its streets of crime.

What $100 Buys in... Quito

For their latest mother-daughter trip, Cathy Alifrangis of Herndon, Va., and daughter Christina explored Ecuador's capital, where the American dollar—the local currency—goes a long way.

Once a jewel of the Spanish colonial empire, the historic core of this capital city spent decades in a downward spiral, reeling from urban flight, high crime and official neglect.