Day in Quito

Before bed last night (Thursday) we got to visit he new area of Quito which is very modern with tons of restaurants, bars, stores, and shops. We were shocked by how nice this was but learned from our local leader that this was built with the boom in tourism

On Friday we were able to maximize our day in Quito starting with an early breakfast.

We spent the morning visiting 3 churches with one being the largest in South America! The best part was the fact that we were able to tour while a mass was in session giving us the full spiritual effect. It also was pretty amazing climbing narrow stairs on the outside of the church to reach the bell tower.  I have climbed to the top of a church before in Europe but it was not close to this risky.

The other churches were much smaller but had a lot of great history and intricate artwork

We headed to the town center to see the presidents house, political buildings, and learned a lot of Ecuadorian history from our local leader Miguel.

After lunch at a local restaurant that consisted of meatball soup, meat, rice, lentals, plantanes, and salad, we took a trip up the mountain to a statue of an angel which can be seen all throughout Quito.  

The view was something out of a magazine with the Andie mountains cradling this vast city 

The final stop before dinner was the local market. The smells, sounds, and sights reminded me of my other experiences and made me remember why I love the cultures around the world 

The real adventure started after dark when we embarked on our 9 hour overnight bus trip from Quito to Puerto Lopez. 

Packing 16 bags and 8 people in a 12 person van without a trunk was hard enough.  Adding a wheelchair was an adventure. Luckily the bus was much more spacious but I can say it wasn't the most sound sleep of my life.