first time I flew over Quito, the capital of Ecuador, like plywood over Paris. Seen in the bull's-eye liner Costa Rican Company TACA picture reminded not Paris, but the Chechen mountain village after the shelling of carpet federal troops - the slums, buried in a deep pit surrounded by hills around the destroyed buildings and garbage dumps, which plunged me into depression and severe depression, either you azure coast, no skyscrapers, or even run-down waste streams with bridges crosses it.
Later, I even got up, actually, a question, and whether, in general, visit the capital. Guides described the town as three of the colonial area and one business street with the landmarks of the two-page, eyewitnesses intimidated chilling tales about the hellish purgatory, where huge pots right on the sidewalk cook something stinking, or bull, or a human inside and from behind every dark corner looks an evil black mug with a bottle in his hand and about a robbery at gun point pistols day in the city center.
But as often happens - Better go and regret than not go and regret. As a result, I spent four days in Quito, full of surprising discoveries, interesting meetings and enthusiasm.
At Bus Terminal, cute worker Tourist Information in police uniform handed me a detailed map of the city with a sweet smile, "Do not climb a virgin!, necessarily be robbed. " "Yeah, and eaten and the bones of a hilltop at her feet and buried," I joked nervously.
Located in the valley of the Andes at an altitude of 2850 meters, half a million Quito is divided into three parts: the "Old Town" with its massive colonial cathedrals, monasteries and the white-paved squares,
downtown "Mariscal" glass concreted banks and the lights of restaurants and fashionable tourist bookings and the southern neighborhoods of the working margin.
stray among the hills, narrow streets of the capital are arranged vertically, climb to that at 2850 meters above sea level in untrained person finishes pouring sweat and heavy breathing.
weather in the city, to the delight of the Ecuadorian forecasters are surprisingly repeated day after day - before noon of belokucheryavyh photogenic clouds shines a bright sun in the evening dark leaden clouds razrozhdayutsya torrential rain.
22 kilometers from Quito, passes a line of the equator, a point with latitude 0'00'00, her French erected a monument "Mid-World" to the model of the globe on top.
But the French have made a mistake, according to calculations of the ancient Incas, which was confirmed by GPS, this Center is located at 240 meters. The present center of the world in the Northern Hemisphere water runs counter-clockwise, and three meters in the South, already in a clockwise direction hen's egg is on a hat peg, although bespectacled botanists argue that all this tourist bases.
To see the whole city both hands on the highest hill in the mid 20 th century Gothic basilica was built "Voice of the nation", visible from all over the outskirts of the city.
Thanks Latino razdolbaystvu and just $ 2 you can climb the towers of both towers, play "Murka" on the church organ, to test the accuracy of the mechanism alarm clock and knock on the bells that Ecuadorian servants to actively and making, causing a headache for a few visitors, and the desperate climbers can hang on the cross at the top because no windows or gratings, or safety nets in the towers do not.
the four-day stay in the capital I met only one bully-thug crazy ekvadorka washed in the clothes and, as expected with soap and a washcloth, a fountain in the central square capital, as Hippolytus in the "Irony of Fate." Approached police splashed from head to foot with water from the basin and has launched a two-meter remnants of this gorilla Colonel, and then quietly packed up and went home. Imagine what would happen, whether on-site Ecuadorian police Russian riot police.
On second day, I paid an official friendly visit to the presidential palace, which is both an office and residence of Rafael Correa Delgado, the current President of Ecuador.
Remember the old Soviet anecdote: "lie once and Raisa Gorbachev in bed ... Raisa curious: Did you ever, Michael, that you sleep with the wife of the President of the USSR? ". In the early and sunny morning I was going to implement my old youthful dream puberty ... neee not what you think ... jump on the bed of the present President of Ecuador and let, let and one.
Exactly at 9-00 to the gates of the palace came a nice young man diplomatic appearance, diplomatically, perfumed, and diplomatically, trimmed and invited the diplomatic English I and one cute ekvadorku to inspect the palace. "And here is Rice, I was glad to be with someone up to mischief." After
by showing a passport through the screening room with a metal detector and leave the bag from the guard, we proceeded to the depth of the palace.
Room with ministers trimmed with mahogany and has been highlighted, with crystal chandeliers, French ceiling. Following was a banquet hall, where each time to leave the President covers for their employees a huge meadow.
In the corridors of the palace on display gifts to the President country from foreign delegations, fans and groupies and just fleetingly encountered on the street of passers: saber inlaid with precious stones from the Saudi King, a Belgian beer mug, the Indonesian carved mask of mahogany, Chinese vases in 1000 BC, Jin Dynasty with a stamp bottom «Made in Hong Kong. 2007.
Mother Russia was represented, of course, dolls, gzhel, replicas of icons and mantle MGIMO BelgorodGU and KurskGU, an honorary alumnus which the President of Ecuador is. Entrants to note how you can get a diploma, walking lecture.
«Here is our dear Nadaraya and beloved president
The first was a distinguished figulina round shape in the form vodokanalnogo hatch on the scale 1:4.5 to the original apparently made of gold, with the inscription "from the Chairman of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation" in place of Armavir metal factory around. «De El Presidente de la Asamblea Federal de La Federacion de Russia ", I blurted out hurriedly and struck his own ingenuity, then went vosmihu ... ugh .. wings arheangel Guardian Belgorod University, What is an icon with an inscription in Old Russian something like "Zhytie mine," which instantly became a famous football anthem Ricky Martin «Mi vida loca» ("My crazy life "), now without the name a boy of fifteen Russian-Ecuadorian with a samovar in the center of the table I could not identify.
"And where vodka?" I shrugged in bewilderment, and, seeing confusion on his face attache, diplomatically solved the awkward pause, "AAAA, understand, I understand" and a friendly pat on the shoulder.
diplomats Lord! Be civil consciousness! Not pozorte nation! Sign gifts the language of the donee. Well stydoba after all! It's hard to nail a scratch on the back of «De Zhirik con amor» ("Kiss, Vladimir Zhirinovsky).
And in the bedroom of the President We were not allowed, are not supposed to speak only after registrar. Old prejudices.
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