Last day in Ecuador's capital

The last day in Quito and therefore still many things to discover!

Of course, my day starts before breakfast at the hostel, so I take my last German protein bar and make my way through the city center and two parks to the meeting point for my day trip. Since there is a referendum today that is mandatory for all Ecuadorians, the streets of Quito are already very busy early on. We set off in a small group by bus to Pululahua, a geobotanical reserve with a great view - beautiful! Next stop: "Middle of the Earth" (fun fact: Quito means exactly that in Kichua). Even though the equator stretches around the whole world, Quito is the highest point and therefore also the place with the lowest gravity, so you can probably jump the highest here (unfortunately I had no reference value to prove or disprove the theory). In addition to the obligatory photo, we also did experiments to "prove" the Coriolis effect (quod erad demonstrandum!). The clouds are gathering as we drive to Quito's Centro Histórico and look at the Basilica, the Presidential Palace and other churches.

After lunch we did a little chocolate tasting and learned a lot that could help me later in Shandia (to be continued on April 24). Here I got confirmation that chocolate with 70-100% cocoa content is healthy and that continues to be my justification for eating dark chocolate. At the end we drank hot chocolate and I was able to eat one of the most delicious brownies I have ever had the pleasure of trying. Following the motto "Support the locals" I bought myself some chocolate tea. The tea is made from the shells of the cocoa beans and is brewed with boiled water - I'll save the tasting for when I get home to think back to my time here.

For our last stop, we chose the most famous viewpoint over Quito - up at the "Virgen del Panecillo". She is considered the protector of Quito and looks down on the north of the city. Dropped off at the hostel, I treated myself to a final shower in the Secret Garden and drank a final glass of wine with the people I met at the hostel before going to my new "family dinner". Even though the new hostel is on the parallel street, I arrived there soaking wet. In Quito, you really experience all seasons in one day. We all got to know each other over Ecuadorian tacos and Alina, our companion from G Adventures, led us through the stops and activities for the next two weeks. After dinner and the first few hours together, all I can say is that I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks and our adventures!