WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND FRANCISCO´S SERVICES

 

This is written to recommend the guide services offered by Francisco Guayasamin, who showed us Quito and its environs for several days and accompanied us on a day trip to a shrine church, Las Lajas, built in a gorge over the Guaitara River in Ipiales, Columbia.  The day trip included a visit to Ecuador’s Otavalo Market and the Municipal Cemetery in Tulcan, which is known for its topiaries.  Three of us had come to Ecuador to visit Tom, a retiree friend who lives there, and is the one who found Francisco through Francisco’s website. 

Francisco suggested we tour Quito’s historic district for our first day.  Quito, a North/South-oriented city, hugs the Andes traversing its peaks.  The old town contained its historic center with several churches, and we visited a number them: La Campania, a beautifully appointed Jesuit Baroque church is quite ornate and covered in gold leaf and La Basilica del Voto Nacional.  What was most appreciated was Francisco emphasis on how the Church interacted with the indigenous population and how these structures represented themes that the indigenous found meaningful to them, including the local fauna.

On subsequent days we visited a few museums, one emphasizing indigenous art (La Casa de Albabado), which is maintained in a beautifully restored building which was once a house.  We also saw some of Ecuador’s more modern art, visiting the exquisitely appointed home of Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador’s most recognized modern artist, and his Chapel of Man, which contains several of his paintings.  Francisco also took us to an Inca ruin, which represented a border area of that Empire, and a local site on the Equator which demonstrated several phenomena experienced on and slightly north or south of that line.  While several of these sights can be found in the guidebook, value was also found in Francisco’s diverting from the beaten path.  His deep knowledge of his city allowed us to see some of its more remote treasures and his knowledge of shopping opportunities provided access which we would not have come upon through our own explorations.  He also was helpful in ferreting out store opening times and in negotiation with Its merchants. 

In sum, we can highly recommend Francisco’s services and note that the costs associated with them were more than reasonable.  

EVERETT HUGHES