Quito

I finally got into and out of Quito on my own today. I rode the bus to the Marin, a big bus depot, and then found another bus that headed a little further into Old Town. Then I just walked to the Basilica and went to Quichua lessons. After class, I walked back by the Basilica (it´s so cool that I get to see this at least once a week now) and went to the second Marin. However, I took the buses going the wrong way, but I figured this out after two stops and turned myself around. I finally got to the first Marin, the one I needed, and found my bus back into Los Chillos for only $0.30. For me this was a big accomplishment.

This past weekend I went to el Parque Itchimbia and el Panecillo but I forgot my camera so hopefully I´ll get to return to both when I have my camera. I don´t know if I have written about this already, but my family never tells me where we´re going, just that we are going for a vuelta. It´s either ¨Vamos¨or ¨Ven, Chris¨and then we´re off to who knows where. This weekend we went to the park for a nice panoramic view of the city. Then we went to the Panecillo since I expressed an interest in going. I climbed up the Virgen statue and got some more great views of Quito. The we at at Cafe Mirador with more views of the city from the roof. I love the city. And since I´m finding it a lot easier to use the buses and I kind of know my way around, I am really looking forward to living there next month. And, I feel safer going places by myself, but only during the day. We´ll see how everything works out.