Morgan and I spent the 8th and 9th exploring Quito on our own while Jackson and Caye were busy working. We
were initially a little nervous about speaking Spanish and making our
way around town without getting too lost, but we ended up having a
fantastic day exploring a few parks and the area of Old Town. Parque El Ejido was our first stop for the day. There, families participated in large games of fútbol while merchants sold various tourist items and food. After perousing the isles of the market we walked on towards Old Town
It
just so happened to be Cyclopaseo (or ciclopolis were not quite sure there were signs for both), which occurs every other Sunday in
Quito, in which most of the downtown area is closed off to cars and
everyone bikes around. Morgan's heart sank with every bike that passed
creaking along, but at the same time it was great to see so many people
partaking in the event. (sidenote from Morgan: even though it is sad to see bikes in such disrepair it is much better to see bikes in disrepair then no bikes at all)
(Morgan) To me Quito has been a lot of different things. On Sunday the city was quiet, families and friends occupied the parks and other public spaces. It was amazing to see so many people out in such large groups, just hanging out, playing futbol, grilling, biking, talking, sitting, etc, etc, in the public spaces even after an hour or more of rain people were still out and smiling, very cool to see or as they say here super chevere. One of the big reasons so many people people were out enjoying the day is that most of the city seems to close on Sunday, in Old Town there weren´t many storefronts or restaurants open, the museums were for the most part closed, and the churches and basillicas were being used for services. All-in-all a wonderful day, we will post more when we get back to Quito and our camera cord.
