Ecuador - Quito

This morning I flew from Bogota to the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Quito is located in the Andes at an altitude of about 2800 meters, making it the highest capital city in the world. The security situation is similar to Bogota, not very rosy. My travel guide warns of robberies and pickpocketing. However, during the day, it is relatively safe in the historic district and the so-called Gringo neighborhood of La Mariscal, as there is police presence on almost every corner. In the evening, it is advisable to only use official taxis, even if it's just a few blocks away. My hostel (Masaya) is located in the historic center. Here, there are many churches, museums, old and magnificent houses, beautiful squares, and a viewpoint above the city called El Panecillo. At the viewpoint, I witnessed two guys being arrested by two police officers right in front of me. I have no idea what was going on, but it was definitely an interesting welcome to Quito. On my way back from the viewpoint, I was warned by a sign on a house wall saying: Attention tourists. This is a robbery zone. Do not walk along this street. Danger. Okay, thanks for telling me that when I'm already in the middle of this street. Well, it wasn't that bad, there were no suspicious characters around, so I quickly made my way to the busier downtown area.

Considering that I initially wanted to skip Quito entirely, I actually ended up liking the city quite a bit.