Summer is here!

Taxis at Carolina Park

I discovered where all the taxis congregate at 4 PM daily. With the sun shining and 25 degree temperatures, the taxi drivers are all playing football and Ecuavolley in the park. A huge parking lot was full of taxis when I walked back and forth across Carolina in the afternoon. All the playing fields were full today. I realized that it had not rained for days, and our wintry spell was over. It was a glorious summer day.

Sea of Taxis

Eric and I finally had a chance to get to a salsa class after weeks of missed sessions. I was sure I had forgotten everything, but a moment or two with my favourite teacher Jipsum, and it all came back. Eric did well too, but it took a little longer for him. We are definitely ready for a night out at the salsateque. I wandered through the Mariscal and found 'Cafelibre' a coffee shop/bar which has evening entertainment including tango nights and salsa evenings. We have only a few weeks to try out our skills, so I have to figure out how to make this happen before we leave.

CafeLibre

We splurged on great espresso at Road Coffee, and because they lock the doors to keep the customers safe, Eric was able to pull out his computer from his backpack without concern. I used to have coffee there regularly when we first arrived in Quito, but had forgotten how good the coffee was. I walked Eric to Catolica University, and on the way he showed me the house he wants to buy just down from 12 de Octubre. It appears to be abandoned, but there are two dogs inside the gate. It is a wonderful Spanish style home that was once grand and impressive, and with some work would look great again. Eric clearly would rather stay in Quito than return to Baltimore, but I am not sure I am ready to think of buying a home here!

Abandoned Home

Roca Street

I looked for the archeological museum on campus and saw it on the map of the university, and found my way to the building. I followed the signs ('museo'), but the museum was gone, and no one could tell me where it had moved. I had visited it the first time I came to Ecuador with Eric years ago, and all the guide books describe it, but it is not unusual in Ecuador to find locations and opening times changed. I found another exhibit about the Jesuit missionaries in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. It reminded me of the movie 'The Mission' with Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro. I learned alot about the Jesuits and the Guarani Indians and the struggles of the Jesuits with the church and the governments of Spain and Portugal. It was an odd exhibit to find in a university setting, but perhaps appropriate because the university is a Catholic institution.

Ecovia Art

Wandering around the university and the Mariscal, I was appreciating the sunshine and feeling comfortable and quite at home amongst the students and the tourists and the locals. It was unsettling to return home to the empty apartment; Emily had left at 4 in the morning to catch her flight home. I enjoyed her visit and wanted to share with her so much more of Quito and of Eucador, but showing her the city also reminds me of how much I will miss it.

Goodbye Maracuya Cake