"Gringo Town"





Gringo Town or more properly Mariscal Sucre is really a part of New Town Quito, but it is an area full of guesthouses, where a lot of budget travellers (called hippies among many here, although hippi culture died when my generation moved on from the 60ties - and 70ties, and put down the flowers. Some of us still around are now living through the 60ties again, and still like flowers).

This is also the nightlife area full of bars, restaurants and dance"places". Late in the day and at night it is teeming with Gringos (even a tame Dane, is a gringo in these surroundings, which feels kind of degrading culturally, but then again all whites look alike). But there is a lot of Quitenos who enjoy the nights here as well, this is where  the money flows.

 



Time Square of Gringo town

 

Some of the signs around 

The language is 70ties

Pope or potatoes??

 

 

Maybe I am wrong. This is the 60ties all over again

  

Its an area with few highrises of concrete, but with a lot of small streets, many lined with the old colonial style buildings. Some used to be mansions for the gentiles Quitenos as  they moved out of the more and more congested Old Quito into the country side, where they enjoyed the forests and fields with livestock. Would have been very interesting to have been around a couple of hundred years ago, now its all built up and no pastures or forested areas around.

 

 

 And then there is a bit of Canadian  culture. Poutine anyone and beavertails (maybe) for the taking

Sherry and I saw this place a couple of weeks ago, we did not go in, we were looking for a meal of guinea pigs. Although we did not get that dish that night, and still haven't, we will soon. One must try the local food where ever one goes, and since we have lived in China where you eat anything on four legs except the table as well as a lot of things without legs, a roasted guinea pig will be great for sure.

Candles and incense sold outside a church

     

                                         It is a strong Catholic society and churches are big and abundant

Not camels, llamas, donkeys in the street picture pulling carts only bicycles, cars, buses and small trucks. Traffic is very civilised, although being on a bicycle appears suicidal. Traffic actually stops at red lights, rarely run a yellow, only full stop signs seems more suggestive than "do come to a complete stop". And a very nice thing is they almost everybody does obey speed limits, likely because first time offence means car impounded and driver 3 days in jail.

 

 



There is quite a presence of police in the street picture, not least in gringo town. In many places in the world that is not that comforting but here they are very friendly as long as you are a a tall, blue eyed gringo that could be their granddad. But we have seen them in rather firm action a couple of times against a local youngster. It is clearly not smart to be caught pickpocketing, speeding or turning at a red light, they do mean business.