Act 2:
For supper that night, we had stopped at a strip mall with numerous resturants and stores that wouldn't be out of the place in the suburbs here in the states. Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken (both untranslated) were two of our options. This, however, just seemed odd to us -- you don't travel to another continent and eat at places you can walk to from your house. Nonetheless, my father ordered a pizza for us from a local establishment before I could object. It was standard pizza, however, it was accompained by a group of girls playing on the foosball table next to ours. Some things are easier to translate than others.
After spending the night in Ibarra, we went back to the church the next morning do clean up and prepare for our trip back to Quito. After this final stop at the church to load our bus with additional chairs we slowly made our way back. Admittingly, the rest of the day was not a filled, which was nice after a long day before.
On our way out of town, it was clear that Ibarra was much like other cities: beautiful and somewhat prosperous at the first glance, but had populations that couldn't easily afford what we shopped and ate at the previous night. The disparity is something I don't think we're used to as much in the well-off suburban and urban areas.
For a late lunch, we spent time at "El Mitdad Del Mundo," aka The Middle of the World. It's a monument and tourist stop on the Equator about 10 miles north of Quito. The centerpiece of this is a monument that is placed right on the line that separates the Northern hemisphere from the Southern. We took an elevator to the top of the monument, and we able to get a wonderful (albeit windy) view around us. Here are a few more pictures: Due West. Nearby villages. Right on the line.
That evening, we made it back to our original Hostel and had most of the evening free. Our Hostel is located about 4 blocks from one of the major roads in Quito, as well as next to one of the malls. The mall contains a McDonalds, a coffee shop, and a number of upscale resturants -- and it was somewhat strange to think of myself as in another country, one that is often referred to as "third world." A few blocks away, and it was a little easier to remember. They also had a sizeable movie theather, one that was showing mostly US or British-based movies. I just hope they don't get their view of the US from Tom Cruise and Jennifer Aniston movies.
The next morning we headed out to a local Hospital and Hospice to distribute chairs for some of those in the Hospice. While some spent their time fixing chairs on the site, I ended up, again, taking pictures for us to catalogue back in the States. There were subtle reminders of the neighborhood around us. First off, we were right next to the airport, with planes going overhead every few minutes. The other reminder was the barrier of broken glass bottles that surrounded the hospital area to keep people out. Still, out on the patio, it was a rather nice view of Qutio. Inside, people continued to fit people into their chairs while people like my father helped out the patients.
In the afternoon, our groups split up. My father and I went out to the local marketplace while others took a short tour of the city. While we both had a nice afternoon, we were unable to take part of a bit of Ecuadorian culture. It seems that the rest of the group had a chance to sample Cuy - BBQ Guinea Pig. From what I'm told, it is quite the delicacy in Ecuador and other Andean cultures. It is fried whole, skinned, and then presented. I'm also told it tastes like chicken, or possible rabbit. Believe it or not, but I actually kind of regret missing this.
Part 3 is on the way, again, sooner than later.
For supper that night, we had stopped at a strip mall with numerous resturants and stores that wouldn't be out of the place in the suburbs here in the states. Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken (both untranslated) were two of our options. This, however, just seemed odd to us -- you don't travel to another continent and eat at places you can walk to from your house. Nonetheless, my father ordered a pizza for us from a local establishment before I could object. It was standard pizza, however, it was accompained by a group of girls playing on the foosball table next to ours. Some things are easier to translate than others.
After spending the night in Ibarra, we went back to the church the next morning do clean up and prepare for our trip back to Quito. After this final stop at the church to load our bus with additional chairs we slowly made our way back. Admittingly, the rest of the day was not a filled, which was nice after a long day before.
On our way out of town, it was clear that Ibarra was much like other cities: beautiful and somewhat prosperous at the first glance, but had populations that couldn't easily afford what we shopped and ate at the previous night. The disparity is something I don't think we're used to as much in the well-off suburban and urban areas.
For a late lunch, we spent time at "El Mitdad Del Mundo," aka The Middle of the World. It's a monument and tourist stop on the Equator about 10 miles north of Quito. The centerpiece of this is a monument that is placed right on the line that separates the Northern hemisphere from the Southern. We took an elevator to the top of the monument, and we able to get a wonderful (albeit windy) view around us. Here are a few more pictures: Due West. Nearby villages. Right on the line.
That evening, we made it back to our original Hostel and had most of the evening free. Our Hostel is located about 4 blocks from one of the major roads in Quito, as well as next to one of the malls. The mall contains a McDonalds, a coffee shop, and a number of upscale resturants -- and it was somewhat strange to think of myself as in another country, one that is often referred to as "third world." A few blocks away, and it was a little easier to remember. They also had a sizeable movie theather, one that was showing mostly US or British-based movies. I just hope they don't get their view of the US from Tom Cruise and Jennifer Aniston movies.
The next morning we headed out to a local Hospital and Hospice to distribute chairs for some of those in the Hospice. While some spent their time fixing chairs on the site, I ended up, again, taking pictures for us to catalogue back in the States. There were subtle reminders of the neighborhood around us. First off, we were right next to the airport, with planes going overhead every few minutes. The other reminder was the barrier of broken glass bottles that surrounded the hospital area to keep people out. Still, out on the patio, it was a rather nice view of Qutio. Inside, people continued to fit people into their chairs while people like my father helped out the patients.
In the afternoon, our groups split up. My father and I went out to the local marketplace while others took a short tour of the city. While we both had a nice afternoon, we were unable to take part of a bit of Ecuadorian culture. It seems that the rest of the group had a chance to sample Cuy - BBQ Guinea Pig. From what I'm told, it is quite the delicacy in Ecuador and other Andean cultures. It is fried whole, skinned, and then presented. I'm also told it tastes like chicken, or possible rabbit. Believe it or not, but I actually kind of regret missing this.
Part 3 is on the way, again, sooner than later.
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