Quito’s old town is a truly fascinating place. Full of history and charming architecture. Travelling as a solo female, I had arranged a hotel pick up when I arrived. The driver was polite and amicable. I managed to converse with him in my limited Spanish during the journey from the airport to the old town.
Upon arrival in the hotel, I was met with the hotel receptionist. Once I settled down, he took out a local map which has been marked with a traffic light colour system. He started by pointing out the location of the hotel on the map. Then he explained to me that I need to stay away from streets marked in red. He continued on to say that I must be cautious of the amber zone and ideally avoid being around there especially during the night. So my first impression of the old town didn’t exactly start on a positive note.
However that was about to change the next day when I met my local guide, Natalia. She grew up in Quito and her insights about the city put me at ease immediately. She took me around the old town to some of the interesting points in town. We also stopped at a few places to taste local food and local coffee.
I felt much more confident exploring the city on my own the following 2 days I was there. I met a few more friendly locals. By the end of my third day, my perception about the place and the people completely changed.
