So everyone at the Spanish Academy has been telling me about how dangerous Quito is. Students apparently get mugged weekly. The head instructor flipped when he caught me wearing my camera case outside of my clothes. How stupid of me. Because of all the hype, L and I have been a little on edge since getting here. I don't want my camera stolen! So far so good, though.
Last night our new host father Manolo told us about Quito; the best musuems, churches, landmarks and other boring places to visit. It doesn't bother me. I love it! I took the Quince de Agosto bus line downtown to find a bank. (Just to sidetrack, all of you in the states are lucky to have the level of madness you do on the road. Quito is like running the gauntlet. Darwin's test for survival. You have to learn to be aggressive here.)
Every time we go into a Supermaxi, L thinks that I am completely in awe of a foreign grocery store. Hey, maybe I am. It's way different. The delis only have ham. It's weird. Who eats ham every day? I'll try to sneak some photos in this week, because it's so cool.
This afternoon was marked by a visit downtown. And probably eight miles of walking. We took the trolley bus downtown, and exited like, seven blocks to early. We explored some market that sells everything from shoes and jerseys to machetes and hardware. Who doesn't need a machete? After exploring the Plaza Grande, I found the Casa de Sucre. Sucre was a general during the war for independence here, a national hero.
Then we walked to the Panecillo, a huge stone statue of the Virgin Mary. It took us an hour to walk to the top, while being rained on and chased by dogs.
Finally, we went to El Museo de la Ciudad. It focuses on Quito's history since it's foundation, subsequent colonization by Spain, and so forth. Tomorrow we're going to La Casa de Cultura. Imagine New York's Museum of Natural History, but in Spanish (I think).
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