Day 2: Tour of Quito

January 4, 2013

Today started with hotel breakfast - runny eggs and a slice of lunch meat ham. I didn't want either but they served you. Luckily, we also got some bread (it makes the eggs less soggy when eaten together). We then had a short orientation of the safety in Ecuador. Andrea (the director of international students) spoke to us.

How to be safe while in Ecuador:
1. Wash hands - with soap
2. Don't pet the dogs!

Andrea y Cody petting the dog...

3. Dress conservatively, it will help keep the attention off of you - well that ruins my plans!
-It is pretty easy to stay safe. I think of everything in Quito, the scariest is the traffic! I run across the street every time because I don't want to get hit. AND THE TAXIS! Let's just say, I'm glad we made it safe; the driver was honking at red lights and drove in the middle of the street.
4. Personal tip: always have your sunglasses. Even though its overcast, you still squint because it it so bright!

We went for a walk around the city. 

First we toured an old church - it was

 muy bonita! If you stood in a certain 

spot you could see an important statue 

of the Virgin through the window. 

Churches always have such incredible 

architecture! After that, we walked to 

another amazing church -

 Iglesia de La Compania! 

The inside was completely gold. 

Unfortunately, we could not take pictures.

It was very elegant though. Completely

decadent.

The last church we seen was the 

oldest in Quito. It was very very long. 

There were many people outside

 (along with too many birds)

Most of the birds flew away

Next we went to the house of an artist; Guayasamin. His house was turned into a museum after his death. He collected many works by other artists. It was really neat to see engravings by Goya, as I am familiar with his work! I don't know if it is the elevation or what, but by the end of the tour I think I can speak for everyone when I say we were all exhausted! It was so nice to sit on the bus, but between the crazy driving and the bumpy roads there was no chance any of us could sleep! A nap was necessary when we arrived back at the hotel. Tempted to sleep the rest of the night, a whole group of us went walking to find a place to eat. We ended up at a Mexican resturant. A few of the guys ordered a 600cm3 beer (notice how they measure their drinks?) It was really nice to learn about the other students' home countries - Mexico, Japan and United States.

It was another great day and I am super excited for tomorrow!