Ecuador
September
15, 2012 - Day two in Quito saw us at the Guayasamin museum,
the best museum we've seen since the Museum of Modern Art in San
Francisco.
Guayasamin's style is quite unique and pretty dark. No Pleasantville or Wisteria Lane here. Unfortunately photography was not allowed in the museum but I managed to shoot one picture somewhere in a remote corner.
At the end of our wander around the museum, I was allowed one quick shot. It gives a good idea of some of his art and the place he designed to showcase it. Unfortunately he died before he could complete painting the interior of the dome, visible in the upper right of the picture below.
His house, a short stroll up on the hill from the museum, is being spruced up, but the grounds were accessible, including a few old cars he owned.
When we arrived in Quito, we did the usual stuff around the downtown area. First off we went to presidential palace, trying our luck to see the man himself. Unfortunately, like the Virgin Mary in Ipiales, he sent his regrets. Nice digs though.
We also wandered around some more remote parts of town.
Another tourist trap visited was the Teleferico, taking you 3,000 feet above the city to just under 12,000 feet. What initially seemed like a snooze turned out to be quite interesting, but the pictures don't do it justice.
The temperature range in Quito is quite narrow throughout the year and it's always comfortably warm during the day and a little cooler at night. An ideal combination. Location is everything.
On day three we took a trip into town to see Casa del Alabado, a museum dedicated to "the ancient people of Ecuador" as their website states it. Certainly not a place to miss when in downtown Quito.
In Quito I also connected with Diego Salvador, a local Racetech suspension specialist. I fixed a few minor issues on the bike, such as re-soldering a few wires that had come loose and we moved the side stand. Since Diego was a good contact for the local bike scene, we also sourced a spare ignition module for a fraction of the BMW dealer price and I found some Acerbis hand guards I liked. Our next stop is the Galapagos.