On Top of Quito

Last weekend we set out to take the Teleferico up towards the top of Pichincha to see the view of Quito since it was a beautiful clear day. The teleferico is a cable car that takes you on a 10 minute ride along the Eastern side of the Pichincha Volcano. I was a little nervous on the way up, but it was a nice ride. Once we were up there it was clear how much less oxygen was in the air. I quickly began to feel the slightest headache and could feel myself huffing and puffing as we walked around. I believe Quito is approx. 9,600 feet above sea-level and the teleferico takes you up to approx. 13,000 above sea-level. We walked along the trail that leads you to the peak of Pichincha, but we didn't make it very far being that breathing was a bit difficult.

After the teleferico we went to El Panecillo, a hill situated between south and central Quito. At the top of Panecillo is a 148-ft. Virgen de Quito, an enlarged copy of Bernardo de Lagarda's La Virgen de Quito sculpture that is on display on the main altar in the San Francisco church. It's quite amazing to be so close to such a huge structure and being at the top of Panecillo offers some amazing views of the city.