Since people have been asking, I'll start this picture series with a couple of pictures of our $160/mth apartment in Quito. This is our dining table (and what traveller's abode is complete without maps to decorate the walls!?)
Our common lounge area (we have a shared apmt with two other bedrooms). We usually get to watch The Simpsons here in Spanish but our television and cable box (!!) are on the blitz these days.
Our kitchen, which includes a gas oven and stove.
Part of the furniture and "entertainment unit" is of course our Mexican roommate, Ricardo ! Other roommate coming soon!
Our bedroom. (yeah, I know mom, it's a little messy)
Our friendly American neighbours (left to right: Shane, Arial, Wes, Ivy)... though we have recently made another new friend in the building... the "French guy downstairs" (Michael's picture to come soon).
And lastly, our resident alley cat, "Stinky", who loves sneaking in everyone's apmt, when he's not sleeping, fighting with other cats, or enjoying the milk that everyone gives him!
Further tours of Quito's old town enables our discovery of lovely colonial buildings.
The main square in old town.
The church in the main square of old town.
Other things we have found while perusing the streets of old town: Incense surnamed "Money". Now, that is a new one for me!!
This candy dispenser robot gave us a shiver when we read the inscription on its chest : "Hey Kids, my name is zoro. I want to be your friend. I have a special surprise here just for you!" This messaging would never fly in North America!
Here is the inside of the extinct Pululahua volcano crater. After a drive around the crater, we decided to climb the small mountain (inside the crater!) on the left.
The Pululahua crater is the biggest in South America (4km wide) and the only one in South Am. to have a people settled inside.
We saw lots of farms with cows, donkeys, dogs, and horses.
Bernardo guided us up the "belly button of the world" mountain (named as such because it is located inside a crater -- so it looks like a belly button -- and it is on the equator too).
The climb (and the descent!!) was very steep even though the mountain was not so high (280 meters).
Still, the 360 degrees view was fantastic. (This is my non-photoshop saavy attempt to bind together a series of panoramic shots).
Another shot of the awe-inspiring view.
It was great to see the little farms in the community below (and hear the donkey's hee'haws from their farms!)
On the way to the crater, we drove past this newly designed (and somewhat macabre) structure.
We stayed at Hostel Folklore (Bernardo's Hostel) for about two weeks. You can see that the entrance was guarded by Snoopy, the very intimidating folklore mascot.
