Seniors Head South To Quito

Senior travelers, if you’re looking for a South American adventure, consider booking a trip to a 16th century Andean city known as the cradle of ancient pre-Incan history and recently named South America’s leading tourist destination by the world’s travel industry.

Quito captured the lofty title at the World Travel Awards for South and Central America in Peru recently, just in time to fete its 35th anniversary as a UNESCO Heritage site — one of the first capital cities in the world to be bestowed with the title. Senior world travelers can set their compass when planning a trip by going to Google/Yahoo/Bing and typing in where you want to go followed by World Heritage Sites.

World Travel Awards Interests Seniors

Ecuador’s tourism industry generated $1.2 billion in revenue in 2011, which signaled 5% growth from the previous year, and the industry continues to grow in 2013 thanks to promotion efforts that expose the beauty of Ecuador’s four different worlds: The Pacific Coast, the Andes, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands.

So is Quito safe for seniors? According to the U.S. Department of State, petty theft is by far the most common problem facing American tourists. Fodor’s Travel Guide recommends taking the same common-sense precautions that apply to any large city in a developing country, including traveling in groups when possible, avoiding travel after dark and leaving valuables in a secure place such as a hotel safe. Just don’t go off my yourself, okay? And look for hummingbirds that are as large as full-grown robins.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

They say “Live like royalty in Ecuador.” I did not live like royalty but with a group of MDs and DDS I did spend two weeks providing health and dental care to the poorest of the poor in rural Ecuador. Our R&R was spent in Quito, and why not.  Great food, modernity and just fine, friendly people.

The city’s Old Town—a restored UNESCO World Heritage site—is a window into the country’s colonial past. The #1 “must see” in Quito is Iglesia de La Compania de Jesus. #2 is The  Museo Casa del Alabado, an art museum devoted exclusively to the preservation of Pre-Columbian Art.

 Wikitravel fills in early history, the local visitor’s bureau, getting around and advising seniors to take the world’s second highest cable car to overlook the city. I find the Wall Street Journal Travel section very informative. They note that early evenings are the liveliest, and loveliest time to explore.

Along the Old Town’s cobblestone streets, women prepare empanadas and fried corn in doorways. In the Plaza de la Independencia, candy sellers in felt hats with peacock feathers and boys with shoe-shine kits wander among pink-flowering trees. Overlooking the Old Town is the winged Virgin of Quito, the city’s signature statue, built on a hill that was considered sacred in pre-Incan times.

Quito belongs on your travel bucket list.   jeb