Quito - The Hop on Hop off Bus - part 1 The Basilica

In Quito there is a special tourist bus that makes 12 stops and costs $12.00.  You can get on at any stop and get off at any stop.  It comes to each stop every hour between 9am and 4 pm.  That sounds like a good deal and an adequate amount of time however you need to plan what you want to see because you won't have time for everything.  I planned to see the churches, the angel monument and the market.  We ran out of time, missed the market and had an adventure. 

Here is where we got on the tourist bus.  It is a shopping district a couple of blocks from the tourist party area.  It is called La Mariscal.

 Here is where the tourist bus lets you off to see the Basilica de Voto Nacional.  The special benefactor of this church was President Garcia Moreno.  He ordered it to be built but was assassinated before it was begun.

From here we had to go to the corner and then down a steep hill to get to the courtyard and entrance to the church.  You pay $1 to see the inside of the church and then need to go to a low building on the side to purchase tickets for $2 to climb the tower.

Here are large wooden doors on the front of the church.  Notice the indigenous people carved into the scene.









Through this large glass heart you are supposed to be able to see El Panecillo which is a hill and monument on the outskirts of town.  

The gargoyles of this church are not usual in that they are in the form of local animals. 

The church is 150 meters long, 35 meters wide and 35 meters tall in the central nave.  It is said to be the largest church in South America.

This pipe organ was on the second floor.

This is the beginning stairway that takes people up to this plank walk across the roof.