Quito old town and New Years Eve

Having returned from our trip to Cotopaxi National Park we have spent the last two days back in Quito, staying in The Magic Bean hostel and doing the sightseeing we missed out on when we first arrived. Yesterday we spent most of the day in the 'Old Town' which is very different from 'Gringolandia' where we are staying. The old part of Quito is beautiful. It's full of magnificent colonial architecture along with large plazas where people gather to sing, dance and generally people watch. We visited churches, museums and a wonderful cafe set high above Quito with incredible views over the city. We've also been really lucky with the weather over the past couple of days and have been enjoying almost unbroken sunshine, the first we've seen since we arrived in the country.

Today is New Years Eve which is a very big deal here in Quito. Preparations started very early this morning and many roads have been closed for the day. New Year celebrations begin a few days before the 31st here in Ecuador with processions, dancing and music. During our walk around the old part of town yesterday we bumped in to a procession on it's way to the Plaza de San Francisco. It was made up of bands, dancers, drummers, clowns, men on stilts and the obligatory men dressed as women (it seems to be a new year theme of sorts here!). Today the main street in our area of Quito is closed and effigies line the pavements alongside bands both traditional and modern and food stalls. The streets have been packed with whole families in fancy dress and an inordinate number of police and security guards. Having been warned of the dangers of Quito at night, we decided to take a look during daylight hours and stick to our hostel after dark. Hopefully we'll catch a glimpse of the effigies burning as they are set alight at midnight. These 'puppets' represent all sorts of well known people and characters and we've seen everything from Bart Simpson and the Ecuadorian football team to Fidel Castro! The celebration seems to be an opportunity to vent political frustrations and as a result George Bush becomes is a regular sight when strolling down Ave. Amazonas!

Early tomorrow morning we leave for an 8 day cruise around the islands of the Galapagos. This is a part of the trip that we have been especially looking forward to and having checked the weather forecast it looks as though we're in for a warm and sunny week. We will be based on a yacht called the Beagle and will sail between the islands finding out about their unique habitats and wildlife. We won't have internet access while we are there but plan to write blog updates offline and upload them when we get back to Quito. We're particularly looking forward to the photo opportunities - be sure to check out our photo galleries when we get back.

Today was also a day of administration. Due to the ridiculous price of flying between Ecuador and Peru we've decided to change our plans a little (check out the itnerary on my website for more details) and travel overland to Lima by bus - should be an interesting 24 hours!

I hope you all have a wonderful new year's eve and wish you all a very happy 2008. I'm just off now to buy Simon a dress...while in Rome!