FIESTA DE LA LUZ – QUITO’S OLD TOWN SHOWS ITS MOST COLORFUL SIDE

Last week starting on August 9th to August 13th Quito lightened up for the second edition of the Fiesta De La Luz (festival of light). Of course the SOLEQ.Travel team didn’t want to miss the opportunity to attend this amazing event. Therefore last Wednesday we went to Quito’s old town to see what it was all about. Experience the FIESTA DE LA LUZ – Quito’s old town shows its most colorful side.

The first little hurdle on our way was the transportation. Even though we left 2 hours before the festival started the busses to the old town were already really crowed, which is actually a normal thing during rush hour in Quito. Nevertheless we made it safe and sound to the event location. By the time we arrived the sun was still up and there was no sign of any lightshows yet. Nevertheless people where already saving the best spots to see the display later.

To recharge our batteries before the festival we went to a lovely little restaurant in the old town “La Hueca De Cantuña”. Unfortunately it was very expensive in comparison to other restaurants nearby but the drink where really tasty. When we left the restaurant there where countless people on the streets, all trying to make their way to the next attraction. Throughout the night it turned out to be of advantage to have at least one or two tall people in the group because it was easy to lose your group in the crowd.

Surprisingly I didn’t feel uncomfortable or not safe on the streets throughout my whole time over there. Of course I took extra care of my belongings but there was a lot of police around and all the visitors of the Fiesta de la Luz were really calm end everyone just tried to get the most out of the night.

The streets between the illuminated buildings were fairly wide. However, due to the large amount of people participating in the event it took a long time to get from one display to another. Luckily for those who got hungry during the walks there was the opportunity to buy sweets and snacks off numerous food vendors. Also the famous Ecuadorian drink “Canelazo” could be found on every corner. “Canelazo” is a very common alcoholic drink in the capital of Ecuador and in the Andes. It’s made of cinnamon, naranjilla juice and methyl alcohol and better drunken really hot.