Decided to stay in the same small boutique hotel Jane & I stayed in during our Fall 2017 trip, La Casona de Rhonda. It’s close to the main square , but far enough from the crowd to be safe and convenient. Large rooms, great bathrooms and very clean.

After breakfast walked into town to the Gold Church, one of the most impressive churches in the entire world. Taking over 160 years to complete starting in 1600, it is an outstanding work of art, filled with alters, domes, stained glass, and painting masterpieces…but the most impressive feature is that the majority off all the walls and structures inside are gold plated showcasing more than 70 tons of gold. When you are walking thru the church, you can’t help but be inspired and impressed with the exceptional work and abundance of time the talented craftsmen from that era put into building such a tribute to their religion. I would say this church rivals San michel in Venice and Notre Dame in Paris.

We also took a short ride today up to see what most refer to as The Virgin. She stands high on a hill overlooking the city, and measuring over 135 feet,. Built in 1889, she holds the title of the tallest aluminum statue in the entire world. She is taller than most of the statues in South America, including The Christ in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.

Fact…(per our driver) Ecuador supplies 85% of the roses shipped to the USA. 2 dozen fresh roses costs as little as $1 here in Quito. As you can imagine…all the stores, restaurants and hotels are filled with fragrant colorful roses.

A great bottle of 2015 Ecuadorian Cabernet with fresh jumbo garlic shrimp and a volcano desert featuring the amazing chocolate only found in Ecuador finished off our first day in this mountain city of 2 million.