Day 2 - Sunday 6/16

Literally so much has been packed into these last two days that I just don't know where to start. I've been completely exhausted at night and sleeping like an absolute rock.

Our first full day in Ecuador was Sunday, and we started our day bright and early with breakfast at 8AM. The breakfast at the hotel is really nice and yummy. They always serve scrambled eggs, which I love. There's also always granola and yogurt, coffee, toast and lots of fruit. At 9:00AM, we went to the Mindalae Museum, which is right down the street from our hotel. We got a little tour of the museum, which had all sorts of stuff related to the indigenous people of Ecuador. There were lots of neat little things and facts.

Mindalae Museum

At 10:00 am we had our Ecuador orientation. Marylene is our orientation leader and she will be with us until we reach Otavalo. We talked about different stereotypes that the USA has of Ecuador and vice versa. We also discussed our hopes and fears for this stay. Finally, we talked about staying safe and healthy. 

The room where we had our orientation

We had lunch in the museum and then we were allowed a little free time back in the hotel to rest. I took a nap because I was so exhausted. At 3:30pm we took a bus tour of Quito. Our first stop was this park with what they call their "crystal palace." It basically is just a community center where they host different events. What's cool is that it was actually designed by Mr. Eiffel (aka who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris). 

The Crystal Palace

The park was so pretty and it had a great view of the volcanoes and city that was below. It was great for photo opportunities. I know I ended up in a lot of other people's pictures - I just don't have them yet hahaha. The park was packed, because a lot of Ecuadorian families head to the park on Sundays to spend time together. 

Me and Tara in front of the city and volcanoes

The view

The park

Our next stop was what is called the Virgin of Quito, and despite the wings, it is not an angel. Marylene told us that it is the only virgin of the world with wings. There is a snake around her at the base, but to the indigenous people here, the snake does not represent evil. Rather, it represents wisdom. 

The virgin of Quito

View of the city and volcanoes from the statue

Me and a fellow classmate, Brayden 

There were also a lot of families here, and we were basically on a big hill. It was really funny, because as we were getting back on the bus, there were these kids playing on this hill, though it looked more like a cliff to me. The would hold onto each others' legs and slide down head first! We all panicked because we thought they were going to die!! But they were just having a fun time, I guess haha.

Next, we were dropped off in the old city of Quito. We started off at this square (I forget the name) and we went into this church. They are very very very Catholic here in Ecuador. They were just finishing up mass as we went in, and the church is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. 

Outside of the church

The gorgeous inside

After this, we walked down to another square that is a big part of Ecuador. Here, the president's palace is on one side, the basilica is on another, and the archbishop's mansion is on another. This square is where a lot of protests are held, because basically all the important people of Ecuador are located here.  We had dinner at this place called "Hasta La Vuelta, Señor" in a little shopping area right next to the archbishop's mansion. I had a grilled cheese : ) I am very thankful I have been able to eat mostly American food hahaha. After dinner, I went back to the hotel and showered and slept like a little rock! 

The top of the Basilica

The archbishop's mansion