Quito-Nov. 11, 2018

Kim arrived about 2 am on Fri., Nov. 2.  His flight out of Houston was delayed about two hours so he was very tired when he got here, having left Avonlea at 2:30 am on Nov. 1.  Everything went smoothly otherwise.  He has been a little tired by times but otherwise does not seem to be suffering from altitude sickness at all.

Nov. 2 is Day of the Dead.  Families take flowers to the cemetery and do plot maintenance.  It is not as big a day as it was in the past.  Traditional food is Colada Morada (a drink made from fruit and thickened with purple corn flour, served warm or cold) and Guagua del Pan (bread shaped and decorated like babies and filled with all sorts of delicious fillings-ours was chocolate-Yum!).  In the picture with Kim is my boss and a friend of hers.  Halloween is very low key and no trick or treaters around here.

On Sunday, we took our first bus ride to the Historic Centre and toured the Bascillica, where we climbed to the top of the tower, and the Museum de la Ciudad (city).  There are pictures from the top of the Bascillica and the beautiful wood floor in the Museum which shows Quito in days past.  The bus ride was an adventure in itself as we relied on other passengers to make sure we got on and off the right bus at the right time!  25 cents each on the way down and on the way back, we got the grey hair price of 12 cents each!  There are pictures of Kim and I in the Plaza San Francisco with the Basillica in the background, and a picture of Kim in front of the Church of San Francisco.

Boyd and Jenaya, we had to take a picture of the Bassett Hound bench located near our apartment.

We have made a few trips to the market.  It’s about a 20 minute walk from home, open 7 days a week from about 8am to 5pm.  Immense amounts of fruit, vegetables, fish, pork, chicken, eggs, herbes, etc.  Liquor, nuts, and more are also available.  We had our very dull knives sharpened there for under $4.  I purchase dried herbes for tea there that seem to be helping with my allergies.  One of the pictures shows a whole roast pig that they carve off of for meals.  It makes for a nice outing and we get groceries at the same time.  We tried red bananas last week, a little sweeter than the yellow bananas.

Two pictures are from one of my student’s office building:  a view down Avenida Naciones Unidas and a rooftop spot (rakes-sand-Zen garden?).  There’s a picture of me in the yard outside the courthouse (near the market).

There is a picture of the flower vendor at the corner of our street.  Bouquets are $5, roses $1 a dozen as they near end of life.  There are vendors all over selling shoes, hot food, fruits and vegetables, clothing, cigarettes, water, hats. They work long hours for very little profit, often 7 days a week, often with young children with them.

The Venezuelan economy is troubled and there are many Venezuelan immigrants who come here with absolutely nothing.  They have become part of the street vendor economy most often selling candy to eke out an existence.

Education in Ecuador is generally poor.  There is no law requiring education.  Parents send their children to private schools if at all possible, and then send them out of the country, most often to the U.S.A. for college.