Day 4 - Damn, I am TIRED!
Quito, 1430 I slept poorly last night. On previous nights I was dead to the world by 2000. Last night, I saw 2335 and beyond. (One learns to NOT check the time too often as a chronic insomniac. I checked only once.) Part of it was noise. When the sun goes down, this part of towns shuts comletely down. The streets are absolutely empty. The stores are all shuttered by 1800. The place rolls up the sidewalks, the tourists disappear. (I am in the historic old town it is tourist laden by daylight as is appropriate for one of the original UNECO Heritage Sites.) It has usually stayed deserted until a few hours after sunrise (~0615 +/- 20 minutes year round. Sunset is always ~12 hours later.) When I wake at 0800ish the stores are just re-opening. Last night there were trucks parked outside. Lots of conversation. Lots of diesel engine noises. Lots of exhaust fumes. Ear plugs and a mask helped. But only a bit. I awoke tired. And I still feel so. Here's the street when I woke up