I had an amazing first day in Quito. This morning a new roommate arrived from Germany, and she is also traveling solo. She just left Peru after staying there for 1 month; very interesting hearing about her trip! I wanted to explore today as I'm not sure how long I will be volunteering each day this week. I invited my new roommate to site see as she had not been out just yet. The streets today were extremely quiet due to Sunday being a day of rest, much different from last night as it was loud due to La mariscal, quito being a party area. I was thankful for my ear plugs. I did get lost for a minute while I went out to purchase a huge jug of water for $1.50 this morning, but found my way fairly quickly. This book I bought of Ecuador has been amazing. It suggested going to The TelefériQo (from teleférico and Quito), or TelefériQo Cruz Loma, is a gondola lift in Quito, Ecuador, running from the edge of the city centre up the east side of Pichincha Volcano to lookout Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft). Although it wasn't recommended to go on your first day in Quito due to the altitude, I didn't want to risk missing it. We did have to wait close to 2 hours to actually get on the lift, but it was so worth it. I added a few pictures but they appear a bit distorted because I took pictures on my iPhone of my reg cam pictures in order to post on here!

We met a friend in line who was from Seattle, and she spent time with us throughout the rest of the day. I took pictures with a few Llamas for .50 cents at the top; why not? We climbed little once we reached the top but the higher you go, the colder and more breathless you are. The altitude and views certainly took my breath awaaaaay. I ate my first empanada at the top and took mucho pictures! My Spanish is coming back little by little so was thankful to have my two new friends; I'm really impressed by their Spanish skills. We ended up taking the trolley to an area in Quito called "Old Town". I loved it here too. We took the walking tour that Lonely Planet suggested and saw Plaza Grande which was an open plaza with vendors; Palacio del Gobierno is the seat of the Ecuadorian Presidency; Quito's Cathedral; La compania de Jesus the most ornate church and began in 1605 and was not complete for another 160 years; Plaza San Francisco with sights of Volcan Pinchincha with a beautiful Virgin Mary statue called Virgen de Quito ; Monasterio de San Francisco the cities largest colonial structure and needed 70 years to finish; Museo de la Ciudad, a Museum to learn about Quito's history; La Ronda (my favorite!!!) lined with colonial balconied houses galleries and shops with live musicians; and lastly, Plaza and Church of Santo Domingo, a 17th century domed church. We didn't do the full walking tour since it was getting dark and we were hungry!

After that, we wandered to a few shops and cafés to get coffee and found a place suggested by the book that has panoramic views of the city. They were closed!!! I was so heart broken until....we found this amazing Ecuadorian restaurant called Hasta la vuella señor in this cute plaza on the third floor that overlooked a patio with a water fountain. A true hidden gem. I ate Locro de papas ( potato soup with cheese and avocado) and corn pancakes with guacamole and finished with a cappuccino. We took a taxi home and I met Sol, the dog of the Ecole Volunteer House. I love dogs, but this Sol freaks me out. See attached picture. I can't wait to start my volunteer project at the Boca Ortiz Children's Hospital tomorrow and to learn more about what my duties will be after attending orientation!