Letters from a Wandering Soul

🕔 05:00–07:00 | From Quito to Otavalo, Dawn Air of the Andes The clock pointed to 5 a.m., and damp mist wrapped around my ankles. The air was 8°C. I got into the taxi I had reserved and entered the northbound E35 highway. The lights of Calderón, Cayambe, and nameless villages guided the way. After driving for a little less than three hours, the ridges of the Andes gradually came closer. Clouds were hanging low, billowing as if they could be touched above my head, and the air felt heavy with moisture, as if soaked in rainclouds. At last, we reached the center of Otavalo, where the lights along Simón Bolívar Street twinkled as if to welcome me. The lights of Calderón, Cayambe, and unnamed villages flowed past the car window. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | First Breakfast on the Terrace of the Ancient Land’s Casa Sol The breath of the mountains of Otavalo gently touched my skin at La Casa Sol. Beyond the stone wall, sunlight pierced through the trees, streaming in between branches. T...

  🌄 Quito Day 3 – A Journey of Breathing Senses on the Final Day 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Walking Through Fog in Plaza de San Francisco Before the sun even rose, I stepped toward Plaza de San Francisco at dawn. The sound of bells hitting the old stone walls stirred the Andes valley. A layer of fog lay across the damp ground soaked in morning dew, and the tower of Iglesia de San Francisco appeared. A few drops of light rain began to fall from the sky, so I opened the umbrella I had brought, gently parting through the fog, quietly walking step by step, savoring the cold morning air. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Classic Breakfast at Café Gótica As I walked out near the square, I saw Café Gótica. The morning sun was starting to peek out just slightly. I ordered a warm cup of cinnamon-scented coffee, fruit slices, freshly baked yucca bread, and added scrambled eggs. Before I knew it, the soft sunlight was gently covering the red bricks outside. 🕘 09:00–11:00 | Quito Contemporary Art Museum ...

  Quito Day 2 – A Day That Gently Glowed in Stillness 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Greeting the Sunrise at Itchimbía Park Under the shade of a eucalyptus tree, where birdsong clears the mind, I spread out the picnic mat I had brought. Sitting atop the hill in Itchimbía Park, overlooking Quito’s old town, I quietly inhaled in a meditative posture. The morning sunlight landed transparently on every drop of dew resting on the brown and green leaves, and the soft mist that wrapped around my feet spread in all directions like ripples on a lake. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Simple Breakfast in the Garden of Casa Gangotena Sunlight twinkled around the garden fountain, and a kitten that looked young and well-acquainted with human hands appeared for just a blink before disappearing, only to be seen again. On the table, a single lilac blossom was placed in an elegant white ceramic vase. I enjoyed a soup made from Andes potatoes and spread apricot jam on homemade yuca bread. A glass of passion fruit juice at ...

🕔 05:00–07:00 | Andes Dawn, A City of Bells and Mist I welcomed the morning at Casa Gangotena , a charming boutique hotel located at the heart of Quito's old town, right on San Francisco Square. This 19th-century mansion, now elegantly remodeled, features high ceilings, colonial-style furniture, and graceful balconies. Outside the window, I could see domed rooftops in Baroque style and the quiet square below. The sound of church bells floated through the mist, and the windows were still fogged up like a trace left by the breath of the night. As I pulled back the curtains, a brisk morning breeze swept in, cool and refreshing. The morning mist looked as if clouds had descended from the sky and were now perching softly upon the rooftops. True to the early morning, birds quietly sang as they stretched into the day. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Cup of Tea Beneath the Basilica To reach the Basilica del Voto Nacional , I had to walk thr...