1.11.2013

Quito, Ecuador.

Wow. I am finally posting about my trip to Ecuador. My little sister Meghan just came back from serving a 18 month mission in Ecuador where she learned to love the people and the country. So for Christmas, my parents decided to take us on a little trip over there for Christmas.

I knew Quito was a big modern city, but I had no idea how BIG it really was. 
I was expecting this
and not so much this. 

There definitely was a lot of green and luscious foliage around (the first picture was taken in Quito after all) but there were a lot more buildings than I ever thought. At one point we were at the top of this mountain and I could not see the borders of the city on either side. The city was beautiful. It was so full of color and life. I loved every minute of being in that crazy city. 


Our first day there was Sunday, so we went to Meghan's favorite church ward and visited with a few people there. Even though I couldn't understand a lot of things that was said, it was cool to listen and be apart of it. 


We also did a lot of walking around after church and visited more of Meghan's friends. 
And for some reason they all loved showing us their gardens. 

We met with a lot of families that Meghan became friends with. It was great to see how the locals live and the kinds of struggles that they face in their lives. On Christmas we had the pleasure of giving some of the families Christmas. They were so happy to have something to open up on Christmas day, but even more happy to see Meghan. One thing we learned is that Meg was really loved in Ecuador. 


The days following we did more touristy things. 

We saw the middle of the world. Where the equator slices the world right in half! 




There were a lot of cool old buildings. 




And we took a airlift up to the highest mountain and saw the city from above. The city stretched as far as I could see. 

Then it got rainy and the clouds rolled in, but it was still beautiful. 



I really was enjoying my short time in Quito, 


But after a couple of days in Quito, we took a bus and went to Banos. The prettiest little town I had the pleasure of coming across. 


And that's a post for another day.