El TelefériQo

Yesterday morning, Katia called and asked if I'd like to hang out again.  We met in Quito and had lunch at a 1950s-style soda fountain.  Afterward, Katia and Miguel accompanied me to one of the hottest tourist attractions in Quito: El  TelefériQo.  The word "teleférico" means gondola lift.  For publicity's sake, they stuck a "Q" for "Quito" into the word.  BAM.  TelefériQo.  The TelefériQo was built in 2005 and was meant to be hot stuff.  They built shops and restaurants and a sad little amusement park called "Vulqano Park" (you guessed it!  "volcano" with a Q!) at the base of the gondala lift.  While the gondala ride continues to be popular and lucrative, attracting HORDES of gringos on clear days like yesterday, all of the other little ventures have shut down, leaving a creepy ghost town with tinny amusement park music drifting through empty buildings.

Though the TelefériQo may cost a pretty penny, it's definitely worth the ride.  The gondala carries you from northern Quito (elevation ~9,000 feet) to a point called Cruz Loma (elevation 13,400 feet) on the side of the Pichincha volcano.  From there, you can see nearly all of Quito and the surrounding mountains on a clear day.  There are several hiking paths and lookout points from which to take photos.  Pretty neat stuff!