Friday, June 8, 2012

Day 1 and 2: The Andes mountain, Quito night tour, and Otovalo market

~Me and Spirit bonding on a mountain in the Andes~ 
~The cute trinkets (llama/alpaca herd) in the Otovalo market~
Bienvenidos to Quito, Ecuador! The elevation here is 9, 000 feet, and is quite trying on my unacclimated body. We have been introduced to SO much new food my mind is overwhelmed from trying to comprehend what I am eating! I can only get a few weak hours of sleep due to the incessant and unceasing honks, music, motorcycles, and people. The following is what our main activities were comprised of :) 
On day one, we went on a 3, 000 ft gondola ride up a mountain, that was 12, 000 feet high! We took some gorgeous landscape pictures, some pictures of the horses and dogs, and I took a couple pictures of the flowers. It was very tall, windy, and chilly, but extremely gorgeous. After that, we went to an old basilica that looked like Notre Dame. We used our tripods to capture the gorgeous light in the sunsetting sky against the top of the church. After that, we went on a night tour of Quito with El Diablo as our guide. We learned about the history of Quito and the natives. We went into the St. Augustine cathedral; it was quiet and serene, and very secluded. 
Today, day two, we went to the market in Otovalo. There were many cute people and interesting goods. There were many patterned blankets, hammocks, and bags. After we shopped, and I bought a BUNCH of stuff, we went to lunch. At lunch we had a nice meal of organ soup... The broth and potatoes were delicious ;) After lunch we headed to the native market where the people sold produce, meats, and a variety of other wares. There were many severed pig heads and skins... the smells were very unique! After we got our pictures and arrived back at our house, Hostal el Arupo. We had a nice Asian fusion meal for dinner. It is always interesting to find yourself looking at an English menu in an Asian fusion restaurant in Ecuador! After dinner, we headed back and began sorting through our pictures from the past two days; I had 641 pictures! Well, it has been quite a day, and time for me to retire so I can grab a few hours of sleep. Hasta luego!

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