By: Paul Morrone
There are few friends that I can truly say I’d go to the ends of the earth for, and my friend Kyle has proven to be one of them. When his wedding invitation arrived and the location was Quito, Ecuador, I immediately had to pull up a map on my phone to figure out exactly where the celebration would be held. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not one who easily turns down an international trip, especially one with a bunch of my college friends who I rarely get to see anymore thanks to geography, kids and the overall chaos of life. The decision was easy, the logistics were not.
Located in the heart of sprawling valley in the upper Andes mountains, Quito is located on the equator (literally, latitude zero). Now one would think that the equator = hot. If that were your assumption, you’d be mistaken (as I was). Because Quito’s location is in a valley high in the Andes and its altitude is over 9,000 ft, the city experiences perpetual spring-like weather with warm days and cool nights. The afternoon thunderstorms will put Florida’s to shame, and they typically last about an hour. We were instructed to ‘pack for all four seasons’ as the weather can be unpredictable and changes very quickly. Fortunately, Mother Nature blessed us with uncharacteristically sunny and warm weather during our short jaunt, so I never had to use the raincoat and sweater that I packed.
Direct flights were close to nonexistent, and the timing of everything was inconvenient. Unlike many international cities I’ve been to, locals spoke virtually no English. Altitude sickness was a real thing, and you can easily find yourself out of breath when you don’t expect it. Communication was over WhatsApp rather than phone or text. There were so many little things that I simply didn’t expect, which made it such a unique trip.
On the plus side, the views in and around Quito are nothing short of spectacular. From lush jungle-like valleys to snow-capped volcanoes, descending into the airport part of the experience. Driving in and around Quito is also not for the faint-of-heart, where lane lines, stop signs and speed bumps are merely a suggestion, and you just need to trust that you’re not going to fall off a cliff. For those that have drive on the Amalfi coast with a local driver, it’s a similar experience and I joked a few times that my mother would have had a heart attack driving around the country. But it is definitely the best way to see the local neighborhoods and appreciate the dramatic changes in elevation in the area.
The wedding itself was the pinnacle of the weekend, which began at 10am at a 17th century church carved right into a mountain, it was like nothing I’ve ever seen. The all-Spanish mass was also a first for me, as was the 10-hour reception that followed. Not one, but two, bands played for multiple hours each and tested the stamina of the energetic youth (not sure us 40ish year olds qualify as youth anymore, but we partied like 20 year olds that night..) and former college athletes that made up most of the US guest list. When the music (finally) stopped, we hobbled off the dance floor like we were in search of a nursing home. The next day we all complained of sore legs and blistered feet.
It all added to the memorable experience of going somewhere that was never on my radar, which always produces some of the most unexpected joys in life. The icing on the cake was spending quality time with longtime friends, many of whom I haven’t seen in years at this point. We picked right up where we left off, as if no time had passed, and at times it felt like we were back in the dorms at Bentley with not a care in the world. If only that were the case!
Cheers to Kyle and Gloria, and thank you for the memories!
Some fun facts for you trivia nerds out there:
- Quito is the oldest capital city in South America, dating back to the 16th century and is built on the ruins left by an ancient Inca tribe
- It is surrounded by multiple volcanos, one of which (Cotopaxi) is still active today
- It is the second highest capital city in the world at 9,350 ft, second only to neighboring La Paz, Bolivia (a staggering 11,975 ft)
- The official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar
- The sun in Quito is VERY strong, even on overcast days
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