Quito Accomplished: Coping with Danger in Cities

Famed "Virgin of Quito"  on top of El Panecillo

View from El Panecillo

The is no doubt in my mind that Quito is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited and that Ecuador is a treasure trove of vistas and experiences.  Quito is surrounded by mountains and volcanos, some active, and there is no street that is not steep. It is totally amazing.  

All that being said, I found that there was some truth to written reports that Quito, in particular its historic center, is not without its dangers.  The northern more modern parts of the city are considered safer by the locals, but again, not without some risk.  However, I need to preface this by saying that I do live part of the year in a US city that is not particularly safe and almost anything that can happen to you in Quito can happen in my home town and maybe worse.

When I travel I relish being able to wander solo and soak in the local street culture. To an extent, I could do this in Quito, but not to the extent that I did in China or Japan.  A primary problem in Quito, even in the safer areas, is petty street crime.  

One morning I wandered up a hill a little beyond the tourist area.  I was loving it. The streets were filled with people selling their wares along the street and I was later told that they do this because this area's, San Roque, market is considered dangerous by the locals and they prefer to do their commerce on the street.  I could not verify this, but there was definitely a different "feel" to the neighborhood.  The church was lovely, simple and very different from the more formal churches of the area's center.

San Roque Church, Quito, Ecador

San Roque Church, Quito Ecuador

I suddenly heard quick steps behind me and saw a tall man running away.  I, of course, yelled "ladron", Spanish for thief, after him and suspect that he had run when someone around me had noticed what he was trying to do.  He had not gotten the chance to take anything from me and could not have, because I carry nothing but water, an umbrella and a few other value-less items in my backpack.  My policy is to carry very little with me, at all,  on the streets, a few dollars, and anything of value is in a pouch, like a bra pouch or waist pouch, concealed on me. (Safety principle 1:  hide it all or don't carry it).

My second brush also happened when I was slightly off the beaten path.  Heading to Quito's City Museum,  I had taken the route suggested by my hotel's desk clerk. It was Sunday morning and the streets, at least where I was walking, were calm and, though not crowded, not deserted. As I walked down a street, I felt something wet on my head,  My first thought was, pigeons, and despite the superstition that having a bird use you as a restroom is "good luck" was irritated.  I saw a man across the street holding a bottle of water and it occurred to me that it was the old South American trick of someone squirting a liquid on you, and then someone else offering to clean it off and robbing you.  I had not considered stopping for the idiot with the bottle of water and pulled out my bottle of hand sanitizer and cleaned off.
Whatever they had used did have an odor (I still do not know what it was, but there did not seem to be any adverse consequences), so I went through the museum more rapidly that I might have and went back to my hotel to clean off where the goop had gotten on my clothes.  I definitely resented the inconvenience and having to wash my hair that night.
My clothes went to the hotel laundry and for $2 were washed. I later discovered a much quicker and safer route to this museum.   (Safety principle 2:  consider your route before you start walking.  Is it the most direct and safest one?  If your hotel gives you directions, ask about these things).

Apparently stealing iPhones is a prime focus of thieves in Quito and everywhere else.
I never felt any danger with this in Asia, because for instance in China, most people had better phones than mine.

Every thief's target

So what do you do if your phone is your primary camera?  Having gotten really lazy as iPhone cameras kept improving, I had not used a real camera for about two years and even though I had an actual camera packed in my luggage, never took it out.  My solution, and maybe I was just lucky, was to keep it on a phone holder around my neck where they would have to conduct a major assault on me to get my phone. I kept the phone itself tucked on my cross-body purse which itself was mostly under my coat or sweater.  A woman I met told me that someone, in a "good area" had taken her phone out of her hand and she had fought him for her phone and won.  After that she made sure it was attached with some kind of strap and had no problems. I only took my phone out when there was something I wanted to shoot, the rest of the time it was out of sight.  All this being said, Quito is not the only place where you can get your iPhone stolen and in crowded tourist areas, anywhere, you have to be vigilant. (Safety principle 3:  only take your phone out when you need it and see who is around you when you are using it. )

One night I went on a "foodie tour" and this tour ended up being of restaurants in the San Blas area, which has a reputation for not being a particularly safe part of the city.  We were a group of about 8 and had not problems, even in our  20 minute walk from San Blas to Calle de la Ronda, a picturesque tourist street filled with restaurants and bars that went through some really questionable territory.  Nothing at all happened.  (Safety principle 4:
there is strength in numbers).

I saw numerous people in the historic center dangling very pricey cameras from their necks and no one seemed very worried.  

When you consider the fact that you can be murdered in the safety of your own school in the US, or at a concert (Paris, Las Vegas and elsewhere), the petty discomforts of Quito seem very small. Having someone pick your pocket is a far cry from being shot for your wallet, as does happen in some US cities.  I would go back to Quito tomorrow by myself, if that were the situation, and not think twice.  I would take what I learned on this trip and try to avoid the pitfalls that do exist there as well as in many other interesting places.