Last weekend our group took a field trip to the small towns of Mindo and Nanegalito, about 2 ½ hours outside of Quito. The nature and diversity that we saw was stunning. The first thing we did when we arrived in Mindo was visit a Butterfly Garden – the guide told us that if we put a special type of food on our fingers the butterflies would come land on our hands and arms. After we had taken about a million pictures and dodged thousands of dive-bombing butterflies (okay, sort of an exaggeration..) we walked down a little path and learned that we were going tubing down a river! I was super excited because I love exhilarating things of that sort, and even though it wasn’t class 5 rapids or anything like that, it was still pretty awesome. After tubing and then relaxing in the river for a while, we proceeded on to Nanegalito, and after a slight detour (a.k.a, getting lost for about an hour), we finally made it to the beautiful hotel (or more correctly, in my eyes, resort) that we were staying at for the night. We were fed 3-course meals every time we ate, and of course the food was fabulous – fresh juices, delicious soups, and every type of rice/potato/vegetable/meat combination you can imagine, plus dessert at the end of everything! I definitely felt very spoiled by how nice our accommodations were. The second day we went on a “nature hike” of sorts through a river! I somehow managed to not fall in (I was being very careful because I had my camera in my hand), and when we reached a little waterfall some of our group slid down it – overall an exciting trek. The only downside of the weekend was getting eaten alive by mosquitos, but the whole experience (and amazing food!) was definitely worth it.
Yesterday we didn’t have classes or orientation-related events, so Phoebe and I decided to venture to one of the more touristy areas of Quito in search of some of the famous historic churches we had heard about. After asking about a hundred different people which bus/trolley to take to get to El Centro, we managed to end up where we wanted to go! El Centro is busy and bustling, and we walked up and down the steep streets taking everything in and walking into different stores and buildings. We finally made it to La Basílica del Voto Nacional, which is apparently the largest neo-gothic basilica in the New World, and to us looked like an epically huge and more elaborate Duke Chapel! We walked up to the top floor of the Basílica where you can look more closely at the beautifully intricate stained-glass windows, and also see a panoramic view of the city on Panecillo hill and the famous Virgen de Quito statue. After that, Phoebe and I headed back to El Centro to get some lunch (and for dessert, some torta de chocolate and café) at a cute little restaurant. Later that night when we came back to our side (el Norte) of Quito we went to the movie theater and saw Loco, Estupido, Amor (Crazy, Stupid, Love). It was all-in-all a perfect day filled with good food, beautiful sight-seeing, and great conversation – couldn’t ask for anything more!
I’m so excited by all Quito has to offer. There is so much to do and so much to see – I guess I’m actually a little surprised by it all (in a good way!) I’m glad that I have plenty of time here not only to explore, but also to integrate and immerse myself in the culture, learn about and meet the people, and figure out how I fit into the rhythms of this big Latin American city.
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