our baggage arrived intact (even the jars of olives we brought down on behalf of a friend!)
It was SO good to be met at the airport by our dear friends the Erazo family, who after many hugs all around loaded us up in their van and drove us through the quiet Quito streets to their lovely 5th floor apartment (no elevators - we were all pretty winded by the time we
got our selves and out luggage up - )
I cannot wait to share some photos of the views of Quito and the surrounding mountains afforded from their balconies and windows - stay tuned for that!
Once we finally got settled down, everyone seemed to drop off to sleep pretty quickly - I lay awake for a while, but finally slept, although Quito at night is often punctuated with dogs barking, sirens, and the planes that land up until 1:30 am (right down into the middle of the city!).
Our first day has been pretty low key - we need to acclimatize and recover from the long travel day yesterday.
We are all excitedly talking about plans to visit different places and see the sites, and I am excited to hear that some of the places they'd like to take us are places new even to me!
Fabian and I have also already talked about ministry in Carmen Bajo and some things he's hoping I can do in my time there. We look ahead to this month with anticipation and high hopes.
We're so excited and the girls are just LOVING having the undivided attention of the Erazo's, especially Raquel, Santi and Andrea!
Once everyone was awake this morning, (and ironically WE were the first ones awake at about 6:30 am!) Fabian, Amanda and I stepped out to the corner bakery to buy food for breakfast - an experience that was new for Amanda, and a trip down memory lane for me. Sights (like the dad on his motorcycle with his 5-year old daughter dressed in a lovely white dress and tights hanging on for dear life on the seat behind him!) and the
smell of fresh baked bread in the panaderia, and the many people beginning their day in this busy metropolis took me back to my growing up years here - so much has changed, yet so much is still
Distinctively Quito!
We're definitely in a different place that operates in a way different from what we know and are used to! But we look forward to settling in and going with it this month.
Glad to hear you all made it safe and sound. Looking forward to reading more posts :)
ReplyDeleteBakery sounds good - we can almost smell the "pan de sal o pan dulce"! We think our favorite was pan de sal. Will be interested in where your trip takes you. Our trips to the beach were always at Manta.
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