Ecuador

We just got back from an amazing trip to Ecuador with James's parents, Jacob, Anna, and Joseph. I can't believe it's over already, but we crammed in a lot of things.

Tuesday, 7/23: We went to Salt Lake for the day and visited the Church History Museum, had lunch at The Pie Underground, and browsed Deseret Book before meeting with James's family at the hotel. We parked our cars there since we'd be staying there on the way back. Our flight left for Orlando that night, and we finally got to our hotel at 2:30 A.M.

Wednesday, 7/24: After not enough sleep, we had breakfast and swam in the hotel pool. (I forgot how hot and gross Florida is at any time of day! The pool was so nice!) We flew to Quito and got to our hotel, a cute BnB called La Posada Tambuca around 8:30, then had some KFC for dinner. It turns out that KFC is super popular in Ecuador. Who knew?

Thursday, 7/25: After a yummy breakfast, we headed over to San Vicente de Paul, an orphanage nearby, and played with the kids and met the main nun there, Sor Catalina. She shared her life story and fed us lunch. We then visited a Star Wars museum underneath a bridge, then went back, got our stuff, and headed back to the airport to fly to Cuenca.

Friday, 7/26: After a short tour of the OSSO house and orphanage, we participated in a Fun Run with Hogar de Angeles. I helped push a wheelchair down to the park, where we heard a few speeches and watched some traditional dances. After lunch, we did shifts at Hogar de Angeles and the orphanage next door, Tadeo Torres. I helped with the cunas (babies) along with Katie and Big Joseph. It was an interesting experience, especially when we drove with the kids to hippotherapy without enough seatbelts. After dinner, we went into town to see the cathedral at night and got some ice cream at Tutto Fredo.

Saturday, 7/27: We started the day with a tour of both cathedrals and some local markets. The kids were so excited to spend money they'd earned over the summer. It was also fun to feed the pigeons and try chicken foot soup.

Sunday, 7/28: Most of us went to church. Kenny wasn't feeling amazing, so James stayed home with him. Sacrament meeting had a lot of gringos, so it was half in English. I went to Primary and translated for my kids. We met at KFC for a reunion with girls from Hogar Miguel Leon. Many of them came late, but it was fun to meet them. (HML is the first orphanage that OSSO worked with, and the girls are all grown up now and do reunions every so often.)

Monday, 7/29: After visiting the Rotary Market, we traveled to Hogar Miguel Leon and met some of the nuns (Sor Blanca, Sor Teresa, Sor Maria Agusta) for a little chat. The kids went off to play. We had some pork sandwiches for lunch with Rosario and headed up the mountain to Turi. The views were amazing, and we got to do a rope bridge, which was slightly scary. James and I went out to dinner at Fabbiano's (pizza) with Anna, and it was delicious.

Tuesday, 7/30: We started our day at Casa Nino Manuelito in the neighboring town of Azogues. We divided into 2 groups and helped the kids buy shoes for school at the market with a treat of ice cream afterward. After lunch at La Fornace, we visited the Museo Pumapungo, which had both Incan ruins and a cool history for each area of Ecuador. We were also able to go inside James's old house from when he lived in Cuenca for a year. James and I went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant called Tiesto's with his parents and the Roseros, the directors for Ecuador. It was absolutely divine. We got to try a whole bunch of different things. I took pictures of the menu in hopes that I can try some of these things at home.

Wednesday, 7/31: After an hour and 20 minute bus ride, we arrived at Ingapirca, the best Incan ruins in Ecuador. The ride there was absolutely breathtaking. I love the Andes. They are much taller than the Rockies, much greener, and pointier. After an amazing tour of the ruins, we had lunch and then headed back for an afternoon of relaxing, much needed at this point.

Thursday, 8/1: We did shifts at Hogar de Angeles and Tadeo Torres again. This time, I helped out at Hogar de Angeles, where the kids with special needs live. It was a great experience. We helped the kids eat and played some games. In the afternoon, we headed to the airport to fly back to Quito. It was really sad to leave the OSSO house behind. It was comfortable and had a good area for the kids to play. We also really enjoyed hanging out with the volunteer families that were there.

Friday, 8/2: We headed to Santa Lucia in the morning and played with the kids. They sang a couple of songs for us, and we sang back to them as well. After lunch, we toured a cool cemetery, the Basilica, and the artisans' market. We found a cool chocolate shop that gave us samples from different parts of Ecuador and then had dinner at Crepes and Waffles.

Saturday, 8/3: After a quick stop at a glassblowing shop, we went to Henry Davis, an orphanage that Anna lived at for most of the summer while she helped teen groups. The kids there were amazing and so cute. We played games and chatted with the teens. They fed us lunch, and then we headed to Mitad del Mundo, located right at (or at least very close to) the Equator. The kids had fun feeding the llamas and playing in the park. We also explored the shops and museums and got empanadas on the way back.

Sunday, 8/4: We attempted to go the church, but the building was closed down. We instead got permission for the sacrament and held our own testimony meeting at La Posada Tambuca. At this point, I started feeling kind of crummy with tummy troubles. I'm still not back to 100%, but hopefully by the weekend. We had another reunion at KFC with HML girls. It was a blessing that they all showed up pretty early. James and I along with Anna, Joseph, Kenny, and Samantha left to get to the airport. We flew to Bogota, Colombia.

Monday, 8/5: After a night in the hotel in Bogota, we met up with everyone else at the airport. The flight from Bogota to Miami was particularly beautiful, so I'm glad I had a window seat to see Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. We had plenty of time in the airport before heading to Salt Lake, where we stayed for the night. We even saw the DeCamps, a lovely couple from Maeser 3rd who just returned from a mission!

Tuesday, 8/6: We drove home!

Since being at home, we've unpacked, gotten groceries delivered, cleaned, mowed the lawn, and tried to get rest in between. I've still got some kind of bug or infection, but it's starting to get better little by little. I know I need tons of rest and mild food. I'm not in a lot of pain, but it's annoying to be sick right now. School starts in 2 weeks, and we are not ready. I'm really glad we went to Ecuador. It changed our lives!