At La Carolina park, there are three gusanitos, a green one, a pink one and a yellow one. This past Saturday, I sat down with Hugo Andres, the owner and operator of the green gusanito. Hugo Andres is a cheerful man in his forties who inherited the business from his father, who operated it for 30 years before Hugo took over. It truly is a family business, with a fantastic track record. Despite the bobbing and weaving in Quito traffic, there has never been an accident, and no one has ever fallen out. This is particularly impressive when you realize there are no seatbelts and the train travels at approximately 20 miles an hour.
When I rode el Gusanito, I felt like a child again. As we bumped up and down while music blasted and careened around corners, I couldn't help but smile and laugh. I understood immediately why Hugo had said people ride el gusanito for their birthdays, carnivals and holidays. Adult riders are much less common when not accompanied by children, but it's still a popular choice for anybody in a nostalgic mood, or for that matter, for anybody who wants to spend $1.50 getting around the park since it's a cheaper and faster ride than an Uber/taxi! I did feel like a tourist, which is a client demographic that makes up about 20-30% of the riders, according to Hugo.
That said, I felt like a tourist on the coolest ride in the country. Over our 15 minute journey, I saw every edge of the park. I saw sculptures, sports courts, a Japanese garden, a skateboarding arena, a fountain and so much more.
