Yippee! Lewis the Lion had achieved what he had hoped to by coming to Guayaquil: he’d managed to sort out his trip to the Galapagos Islands and he was very excited! However, his trip didn’t leave for a few days yet so he decided that it would be a good idea to visit the capital city, Quito and in particular, la mitad del mundo – the middle of the world.
A pleasant boating-lake in the capital
Therefore, he caught a six and a half hour coach one night to Quito and found himself in another South American capital city: his sixth to be precise! Here he discovered a city filled with elegant, colonial style buildings
Lewis admires the colonial style buildings
Some of Quito’s fine architecture along with the national flag
and beautiful, grand churches. Along with its pleasant parks, Lewis the Lion thought that Quito was a very attractive looking city.
Lewis stands outside the Basilica in Quito
Like many cities that Lewis the Lion had already visited in South America, its main square is also called la Plaza de Armas and it seemed to be a bubbling hive of activity on this sunny afternoon.
Lewis admires yet another Plaza de Armas, Quito
In particular, there were some theatrical comedians entertaining the crowds who were sitting and enjoying the show from the cathedral steps.
Crowds enjoy the comedy from the Cathedral steps
Lewis the Lion liked nothing better than to hear people laughing and enjoying themselves: it instantly seemed to make him smile too!
Crowds are entertained by some performers
However, Lewis the Lion didn’t feel quite so comfortable wandering the streets of Quito if he were honest.
A painter hangs off some scaffolding!
There were signposts proclaiming the large number of attacks that there had been here in the last seven months, and people were concerned that Lewis and Helen were travelling on their own and warned them of armed gangs and kidnappings. Lewis the Lion thought that nothing was worth risking his or Helen’s safety and so they stuck to the busy streets and made sure they were back in their hostel before it got dark. He realised that in parts of South America there was a real problem with security and being a prudent traveller it was always best to err on the side of caution and trust your gut instinct. For example, Helen always tried to leave valuables locked up safely in the hostel locker rather than wander around with them. Lewis the Lion understood how important it is to travel with a padlock as many hostels had lockers but you needed your own lock to make sure your valuables were stored safely.
Lewis stands outside the National Assembly, where national security decisions are made
What do you do to ensure you are always safe when leaving the house? Talk to your friend or teacher about the safety measures you take, e.g. How do you cross a busy road safely?
