Crossing the Ecuadorian Border with Refugees, 50 Shades of Stark and Unwelcoming Quito

How I broke the laws of two countries in order to cross the overcrowded border and my impressions from the enormous capital of Ecuador

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It was May the 4th when I visited Santuario de Los Lajas, which was my last destination in Colombia. This country I liked so much, I've spent more than 2 months there, a long time for someone who's usually staying no longer than 2-3 days in one place.

But time goes on and this blog is not gonna write itself, so I had to move on as well. The only thing between me and the new horizons of Ecuador was a border crossing which proved to be a challenging task. You see, nowadays it is very crowded with the refugees from Venezuela, which is in the state of crisis and turmoil. And by crowded I mean 8 hours long lines crowded.

So, after the sanctuary I boarded a collectivo in Ipiales, the Colombian border town, which brought me to a certain parking near a building, completely surrounded by a crowd. Immediately I got an offer from another collectivo driver to take me to Tulcan, the Ecuadorian border town. Now, if I learned anything in this life, borders do not work this way and it was quite weird.

An investigation revealed that I actually was already in Ecuador, somehow passing the checkpoints. The surrounded building turned out to be the Ecuadorian migration office and the crowd nearby it to be the line, spiraling around it like a galaxy. It was also evident that I was not supposed to be there before checking out of Colombia first. It was late in the afternoon and I had no place arranged to spend the night - Couchsurfing didn't bring any results and I had no booking anywhere.

So I went back to Colombia, passing across the bridge, and inside their migration office which had two lines - one big-ass line for refugees and the second for those with a passport. In about an hour I got stamped out. I was free to go to the Ecuadorian (common) line and wait 8 hours with the rest of the poor sods still growing in numbers and not really moving anywhere. That's not something I would gladly do, so I decided to take a bet.

I got a collectivo back to Ipiales to spend the night there - something I'm NOT supposed to do for sure, but fuck it, I'm not sleeping on the asphalt. In the early morning I returned to the border to proceed with this bureaucratic nightmare. This time the line was next to nothing, and I quickly found myself in front of the official's window. The woman there told me I had to restamp my passport anew so it would be a today's stamp. However, I could do it without waiting in the lines. So I went back to the Colombian side and got a new stamp, piece of cake. Than I returned to Ecuadorian office and received an entry stamp in my passport at last. Took me less than an hour total, no regrets.

Next stop was the capital, Quito, where I went in the bus full of refugees. We were stopped frequently, with different checks and delays as the Venezuelans were required to get a health checks and some were even vaccinated, though I have no idea against what. Maybe I should've got one too, but whatever...

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Quito

Fast-forward to Quito center - a dark, brooding and pretty cold place with enormous gray colonial buildings all around, towering above you with solid impenetrable walls and metal doors and shutters. Every climbable surface is covered with thorns, broken glass, barbed wire and electric fences. Feels like a maximum security prison, not really comfy. It is not uncommon to see it everywhere I've been to in South America and the Carribean, but Quito takes it to a new level.

The enormous buzzing megapolis stretched 40 kms along the valley with elevation of almost 3000 mts. Built on the remains of an ancient Incan city, it’s known for its well-preserved colonial center, rich with 16th- and 17th-century buildings. It is the second-highest capital city in the world and is located just a wee bit south of the Equator. This is an important milestone as for me as the first time in the Southern Hemisphere ever. Despite being in a supposedly hot region, the altitude makes the daily mean temperature in Quito equal ~16 °C. No bueno. But at least it's mosquito-free.

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Not all of it is so dark and dull, though. As soon as you leave the historical center, the joyful southamerican houses of every shape and color start to take place. Still, it is a world away from the colourful and bright Colombia which I'm already missing. Hopefully, the rest of the country is warmer and more cheerful than the capital. Don't get me wrong, the city still has some charm in its austere beauty, but still not my kind of place.

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The currency used in Ecuador is US Dollar, which is neat, and everything is pretty cheap - a joy for my broke-ass self. I'm not sure when I'll be leaving Quito and where will I be going yet, so if you have a suggestion, let me know in the comments!

More photos of Quito:

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