Troy and I stood in front of our apartment this morning waiting for our driver and watched the children’s parade. There is an elementary school just up the hill and the street was filled with mothers, fathers, taxis and motorbikes delivering their treasures to the classroom. The kindergarteners wore gray pants, gray shirts, and an orange and white tunic buttoned up the side. They solemnly held a parental hand and carried a lunch bag in the other. The boys’ hair was carefully parted and slicked down and the little girls had pony tails. The older ones wore red pants and jackets or plaid skirts, blouses, and knee socks. Mommy and Daddy wore professional dress, exercise outfits and in some cases pajamas and robes. After all they lived in apartments near by. Some mothers carried babies Indian style on their backs. I marvel at how they do that. Children spilled out of taxis, private cars and one little one was on a mother bike with her little legs sticking straight out and wearing a helmet that would fit J. J. Watt. They all made it before the bell rang. About 1:30 the whole process was reversed and they came home to play soccer or practice their musical instruments.
Category: Ecuador
A Natural Treasure
We left the city today to visit the Yanacocha Reserve. This beautiful wooded area is high in the Andes and is privately owned but can be enjoyed by all. It preserves a high altitude Polylepis forest which in endemic to the Andes and is home to wildlife and bird life. After leaving there we traveled over the Andes on an unpaved road to have lunch at a private hummingbird garden. Hundreds of these little beauties entertained us while we had a typical Ecuadorian meal of rice, beans, chicken and papaya. We learned that their feathers are made of prisms which catch the light and give them their glorious colors. One on the largest hummers called the sword hummingbird dined next to one of the smallest, the bumblebee hummingbird. Breathtaking scenery and God’s beautiful creatures made this trip on of the best for us.
Fiesta Finale
Viva la Quito ended today with a final dance on the Plaza Square. Hot sun did not stop these partiers. They held umbrellas to ward off the sun and danced on. Museum admission was free and there were lines to get in. One of my favorite is pictures below. It was a former hospital where Bethlehemites practiced medicine and helped the poor. It remained a hospital until 1958 and now houses a record of the growth of Quito from ancient marketplace to Spanish City to modern days. Watching the families is wonderful. These children are well behaved and obviously love their parents. Teenage girls hold hands with their mother and poppy keeps a loving and watchful eye of son and daughter. They are on their mother’s back or in her arms from infancy so staying close physically is nothing new. It is a huge city, but there always seems to be time for a coffee and a chat. Nice