Quito For A Day!

Last night we arrived in Quito and this afternoon we met up with Caye, Jackson, Bernarda, Margara, Mark, and Ellen. We have had a great day reminiscing about all of our adventures and getting to know Caye's mom and sister. We had a delicious lunch of shrimp and quinoa and then went to one of the museums here with works by Guayasamin who is a famous Ecuadorian artist. Guayasamin is famous for his socialist ideas and works depicting indigenous people and those from poor areas throughout the country. After an enjoyable afternoon at the museum we headed towards another museum which turned out to be closed for the day so we decided to start walking back to Caye's house. Of course, in true Ecuadorian rain shower style, right after we decided to walk back instead of taking a taxi the rain slowly started and then soon picked up. By the time we were back in a taxi obtaining area we were soaking wet and no one would pick us up. Sad, we know, but it made for good bonding time as we ran across streets jammed with cars and giant puddles.

The night has continued on with some delicious smoked whiskey and more story telling. We are so happy to have seen Mark and Ellen while here, even though it was quick. Tonight Morgan and I leave for Guayaquil and then tomorrow will hopefully take a bus to Lima, Peru!

Sorry no photos from tonight, but one camera is uploading and the other is charging. Sending lots of love back to Minnesota and Wisconsin!

Quito

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.