El TelefériQo

Today my host brother took me to part of Quito called the telefériQo. The telefériQo is a lift that takes you up the side of the Pichincha volcano and over looks the whole city. We left in the morning got there by taxi and waiting in line for awhile. While we were in line I think that I could hear at least 4 different languages being spoken. The telefériQo is a big tourist spot in Quito. We finally got in one of the cars and headed up the mountain. We started at about 10,000 feet and when the ride was done we were close to 13,000. The Pichincha volcano is a little over 15,000 feet high just to give you an idea of how far up the mountain we were. 

     
   


I had no idea what to expect before I went on the telefériQo but once we got to the top it was a lot colder and really windy. At the top there was some small cafe places and some other buildings and then the trails started. We walked by a small church and started to head up the mountain. At first I was doing really well, but then I really could feel how hard it was to breathe and how even harder it was to catch your breath after. But we keep on hiking up. It was amazing how big the city was from up there and at the same time how small it looked. My host brother pointed out where my university and a large park I went to earlier this week. I could also see the Basilica and the part of Quito the is the historic center. I tried to look for my apartment but all the buildings were soo small I couldn't find it. 

This was a great thing to do for one of my last days here in Ecuador. If anyone ever comes to Quito the telefériQo is a most! Ever if you don't like hiking the view is worth the ascend. It was a great experience and was my first time climbing on a mountain and it won't be my last time.