![]() If you use your head and limit your alcohol intake, Mariscal is safe enough in spite of all the bad reviews. The cabs do not use their meters at night so be sure to tell the driver where you are going and establish the price BEFORE you get into the cab. This is also the best place to get a cab for the trip back to your hotel. Avoid the dark side streets and stay where the crowds and cops are. My advice is to take a cab to Plaza Foch and stay within 2 blocks of the plaza. If you look carefully you will see that tourists are watched and followed if they appear to be drunk or if they display any expensive items. If you are foolish enough to bring these items be prepared to have them stolen. Leave your expensive cell phone, camera, ipad, etc. Just bring enough cash in small bills with you to cover your evening’s expenses. Never bring your passport (a photocopy of it is all you ever need) your purse, or your wallet. However BE WARNED that this is not the place to get “blasted” and then try to stumble back to your hostel or hotel. There are lots of bars, nightclubs and restaurants to choose from. Or, if you want to get something decent to eat after 6:00 pm you will probably end up here. However, if you are looking to dance and party into the wee hours of the morning this is the place to come. Too many muggings, too many robberies and too many bad reviews. Locals now outnumber the tourists as many people avoid a visit here. On weekends the sidewalks and streets are jammed with tourists and locals. Mariscal is where the action is in Quito and where the crowds are. In addition, my experience of Quito so far is that it is no different to any other big city in the world from a safety perspective. Giving up wifi on your phone for 5 minutes of the day in a coffee shop is so worth it for avoiding the worry of having it stolen. Since doing this, I have felt so much more confident walking around, and I'm enjoying it so much more. Clearly I'm working on the basis that the biggest risk is petty theft here, but I understand violent crime against tourists is rare. I can then return to the hotel where all the things I need are. Now, if I'm mugged, they can have my camera and the money I have in my pocket (obviously not an excessive amount) and to be honest I'm not too bothered. Leave the iPhone, iPad, wallet with cards in, and passport back at the hotel/ hostel. The solution is really simple (for me at least, I appreciate others won't be as sad as I am with dependencies on the Internet). I'll be open enough to admit that I'd be pretty lost without my phone now as I'd have no idea how to book things, read about things, read reviews which scare me etc. In fact the Internet didn't really exist. In the good old days, we didn't have iPhones to be stolen. Despite a natural reduction in confidence as the years go by, I was wondering why I was finding myself so paranoid about being mugged / the possibility of safety issues all the time. I have been travelling before, but not in this way for a long time (previous "longer" trip was through Mexico in 2002). About me: 33, male, solo traveller, slightly spooked out reading various things about safety etc.in Quito.
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