Carol's Travels

We had a tasty breakfast at the hotel then went on our tour of Quito. First we enjoyed an orchestral and dancing performance by the physically and mentally disabled students at Sinamune Disabled Children’s Orchestra. I recognized one of the female dancers with downs syndrome that I had seen in 2008. These students have performed all over the world, including the Vatican. Afterward, we contributed to the school by buying some beautiful Ecuadorian handicrafts made by the indigenous people of the Amazon.

Next we walked about 3 1/2 hours with our very capable local guide to the region of the town square. We saw the interior of the two most beautiful churches in Quito. The conquered Indians who had been trained to be artists created gorgeous interiors of the buildings. At La Basilica Church there is estimated to be seven tons of gold leaf on the ceilings and very fancy Baroque walls. By the way, the Indians were not paid wages. They worked for the love of creating something beautiful and hope of going to heaven. They were only fed.

Prostitution is now legal in Ecuador. Our local guide arranged for us to meet a local prostitute and ask her questions. She has a husband and three children. She is twenty-five and has been a prostitute since the age of fifteen. She charges $10 for her services, but $3 have to go for the room. She doesn’t like her profession, but she and her husband both have to work to feed the family. She would like to open a nail salon. I told our local guide about Kiva, and she was excited to have that information to give to the prostitute.

We enjoyed a lunch on the square where we could people watch. I had a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and mushrooms plus slices of heart of palm and grilled cheese sticks. I had a strawberry milkshake to drink!

This evening we will have a welcoming dinner at the hotel. Our group size on the main trip now is fourteen which includes five teachers. Tomorrow we will drive to Coca to begin our Amazon experience.

. Dancers in foreground and orchestra in background

. Notice the city statue with wings.

. We learned a lot about high quality chocolate here.

. The only photographs allowed at the Basilica are of this ornate set of front doors.

We said good-bye to Freddy at the airport. The eight of us flew to Lima where we were met by an OAT agent who helped us get to the international gate. We then flew to Quito, Ecuador where we were met by Delphin, our guide for the rest of the trip.

He checked us into the hotel. An hour later he showed us a good place near our hotel to eat Ecuadorian food. Shrimp is one of the specialties of the area. Of course, I ordered grilled shrimp, vegetables, and potato fries for dinner. I had sangria to drink. The drink looked quite festive with small cubes of strawberries, apples, and other fruit floating on top.

Delphin told us a little about his background. He grew up in an Amazonian village where everyone grows what they need to eat. They hunt for their meat. There is no electricity, and education is not a priority. He has a wife and a little daughter. I am looking forward to experiencing life for a few days in the Amazon.

This morning three of us left the hotel at 8:00 with Freddy to go back up to Machupicchu. The other five left at 7:00 with another guide because their hike would take longer. I had already done the Sungate hike in 2008, and I wanted to see more of the ruins. The third option had cliffs, so I easily passed up that opportunity. Paul, Susan, Freddy, and I boarded the bus to ride the winding road up to the ruins.

Freddy knows so much about the Incas and the ruins that he is like a walking encyclopedia on the subject. He guided us through another part of the ruins that we hadn’t covered yesterday. I had brought Cha-Cha-Cha along because she wanted to be photographed there. Freddy became her official photographer.

There are some workers on ladders taking off certain species of lichen off the walls. It is a slow process because they are using wooden picks and toothbrushes to do the job. They are only earning $7 a day!

We were lucky that it was sunny and the temperature was very pleasant both days. The other group finished their hike at the same time as we did. They had more steps to walk down, though, so we took the bus down to town before they did. We met at the restaurant and had a wonderful lunch which was more like a dinner. I had soup, grilled chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit.

We then walked to the train station and boarded the train. I enjoyed the 1 1/2 hour ride back. Our bus driver was waiting for us. We stopped along the way for a restroom break at a small building were the ladies were selling sweaters and hats in front. I found a beautiful alpaca sweater for $20! It isn’t as good quality as the handmade one I got near Cusco, but I liked the red color and the designs on it….and the price was right 🙂

There was a beautiful huge full moon at sunset that the bus driver stopped so we could get pictures. When we got back to the hotel, we all had dinner next door to the hotel where Paul and I had eaten two nights before. I tried some typical Peruvian food: Pisco sours, peppers filled with chopped vegetables then deep fried, alpaca steaks, potatoes, mixed vegetables, and ice cream. I could only eat half of my dinner because I ate so much food today!

. Cha-Cha-Cha is excited to at last see Machupicchu!

. Taking lichens off the walls

. Gorgeous full moon at sunset