The Proud Capital

Daniel started introducing Quito to us as soon as we embarked on our vehicle for our transfer to Hotel Patio Andaluz. The main highlights that we learned about the country on our one-hour ride are the following:
 - their indigenous group's language is Quechua
 - there are approximately 3.5 million people in the capital
 - the religion is primarily Catholic
 - it is the only country that crosses mountains, particularly the western and eastern Andes Mountains
 - condor is the national bird
 - Ecuadorians eat guinea pig on special occasions (called kuy because of the sound they make)
 
We pulled off to the side of the road to enjoy a traditional Ecuadorian drink called "canelazo." You can have it with or without alcohol. We liked its sweet flavor and cinnamon aroma.

In the year 2000, Ecuador replaced its former currency, the sucre, with the United States dollar, mainly due to problems with inflation. Please note that $50 and $100 bills are not accepted in Ecuador. Even though they utilize US dollar bills as currency, Ecuadorians also have their own dollar coins in circulation.
 
This is a photo of a one dollar coin. This is only valid in Ecuador, not the United States.

We traveled for about an hour to reach Hotel Patio Andaluz, a lovely boutique hotel conveniently located in the Old Town. We stayed in a standard twin room, which is very spacious and has two large double beds. The staff assisted us with our luggage as the hotel doesn't have an elevator, and our room was on the second floor. Their restaurant is on the first level inner courtyard. They have nice and spacious sitting areas outside the rooms, a coffee/tea lounge, and a library area. We loved the hotel's overall colonial ambiance and decor. We stayed there for just one night before we began our journey to Otavalo and Termas the next day.