Journey to the Centre of the World

Aida has been keeping her guesthouse for over 30 years and knows what she's talking about.

I arrived late one afternoon, and despite having a large tour group in already, they bent over backwards to fit me in.

Casa Aida is an ideal base for acclimatisation walks nearby, such as Imbaburra and Cubiliche, and their local know-how can be invaluable.

If your Spanish is up to it, talk to Aida and her daughters. They're very friendly and eager to chat. Aida also knows English, Italian, French, and a few words of Czech and Japanese. Ask her about her grandmother's engagement ring!

The volcano Cotopaxi (5,897m) dominates the national park of the same name, about 2 to 3 hours south of Quito. The ascent itself is not technically difficult, but it is physically tiring with 6 to 7 hours of walking up 45-degree ice. It is absolutely essential to be acclimatised.

So that’s the bad stuff. And don’t underestimate it - I thought I was acclimatised and I only made it to 5,300m before breathing became impossible and we had to turn round. People who regularly compete in triathlons didn’t make it.

But on the positive side, we started the ascent at 1am under a bright full moon, which made our head torches somewhat irrelevant. And, as we descended, dawn broke from beneath the clouds in the valley, which was a magical moment.

The climb is winter walking with ice axes and crampons. There is no need to be a master (or indeed a novice) at ice climbing, but previous experience is useful.

Kit-wise, I rented practically everything from Safari Tours in Quito, which I can thoroughly recommend. At $165 for the 2 days, it’s not the cheapest, but they’re highly regarded and know their stuff, which, on a mountain, can be invaluable.

If you’re up to it, both physically and in terms of acclimatisation, then go for it. It’s a real challenge.

The Waist of the World

This is the only place on the Equator that isn´t deep in forest. As such, there's a suitably impressive monument to mark the meeting of hemispheres.

Unfortunately, this monument is 200m out from the Equator, and this should be a hint for you: avoid the big obvious park. Go right for a bit to the Museo Solar Itni Nan that marks the actual Equator.

This lo-fi museum is a very enjoyable hands-on experience that is well worth the $2 entry. It's full of pop-science experiments to demonstrate the different forces at the Equator.

But what the kids will really enjoy is the chance to fire a 6-foot blowpipe! I was surprised at how easy and powerful it was.

So how do you get there? Well, it's about an hour by bus from Quito, but I took some pretty random buses. Best option is to ask the people where you´re staying - it's a huge tourist attraction.

So you want to go visit the monument? Well, alright then. Go and speak to the endearingly crazy research people in the Ecuador pavillion. They'll flash pictures at you to try and convince you that they're right, but more interesting is their discovery of the secrets of Quito...

This attraction only opened in May 2005, so isn´t popular yet among tourists, but it's a big hit among the local Quitenias.

In its simplest terms, it's a cable car from Quito up the volcano Pichincha to an altitude of 4,100m.

But it has something for everyone. At the bottom, it has a full theme park for the kids. There are shops to browse through and restaurants in which to relax.

At the top you are rewarded with spectacular views over Quito which allow you to really appreciate the scale of this city. If you want to, there's plenty of walking on the hills.

It opens at 10am, but get there before to beat the queues. An adult ticket costs $4, but you can buy express ones for $7 to jump the queue - especially useful later in the day.

As this attraction is so new, it is not an established major sight, but surely it's only a matter of time.

Glory in the Heights

White-knuckle thrills in a church? No way!

The Basilica is by far the newest church in Quito Old Town, with building commencing in 1926. As such, it's in far better condition than many others. The design is simple, relying on stained glass and sheer scale for decoration.

For only $2, it is possible to climb right to the top of one of the twin 83m clock towers. At reasonable heights, there's a good view, complete with free telescope and a pleasant coffee shop.

But it keeps on going. A narrow walkway takes you over the nave of the church itself, the arches encrusted with a century of dust. An exposed staircase leads to the top of the dome, from where we can see the twin clock towers (Pic#1). Notice how they don't show the same time!

But you can go higher, back to the clock tower and up the stairs. Past the clock (Pic#2). Keep going past the belfry up iron ladders to just below the top of the tower.

Just when you think you can go no further, you can go outside the tower to a small stone gutter with nothing between you and a terrifying plummet (Pic#3). But the freedom and sight of Quito laid out before you is rewarding.

As a climber, I consider myself pretty good with heights, but I was hanging on for dear life, and the adrenaline was pumping!

For those more ghoulish in nature, underneath the Basilica are the catacombs full of graves. Very eerie.

Many will miss this Basilica by taking the Trole straight to the centre, but I enjoyed this more than any of the Old Town.