Backtrack: May 4 ❤ Artisan Market

Since Leah had to go in to work for a meeting today, we decided to head out to an artisan market for a bit in the morning.  It reminded me of some of the markets in Huancayo, except that it was much smaller.  We walked through for about an hour and I got a dress for Charlie and a shirt for me with the same crocheted flowers on the neckline.  I also got some really beautiful sandals that are embroidered on the thick strap that covers the middle part of the foot.  And my scarf habit continues.  They had such beautifully-colored scarves, I couldn't pass them up.

After Leah got back from her meeting, Joshua was really irritable.  She was getting really frustrated with him, until she finally realized that he was sick and when she took his temperature, it was 102.  Poor little thing.  He had a rough night and I woke up when Leah went to tend to him.  I remembered what my mom had always done for me when I was little and had a fever.  She would always bring me ice chips to suck on in a little glass bowl.  I suggested this to Leah and it helped to calm him down and reduce the fever.  Plus, we all finally got back to sleep.

Backtrack: May 3 ❤ Guayasamin's Art Museum

Today, Leah and I went to Guayasamin's Art Museum called the Capilla del Hombre.  There was a lot of artwork outside of the museum as well as inside.  I really loved this museum since it was beautiful and also possible to see and enjoy each piece.  

Some of the artwork outside the museum.

Leah and Lucas outside of the museum.

I tried to mimic the sculpture behind me.

Inside the museum, we were able to watch a short video about Guayasamin.  He was an Ecuadorian artist influenced by artists such as Picasso, Goya, and El Greco.  Most of his art dealt with war and were full of pain, but in his later years he tried to incorporate hope into his artwork.

Guayasamin did a series of faces expressing different emotions.  These are just a small portion.

This is one of his most famous pieces called El Mestizo.

This is a self-portrait of Guayasamin.  He added the layer of green later on in his life to signify hope.

This is another one of Guayasamin's more famous paintings.   It is called Lagrimas de Sangre or Blood Tears.  He painted it in memory of Salvador Allende, Pablo Neruda, and Victor Jara.

This painting is called La Ternura.  He went through three periods in his artwork: La Edad de Ira (Period of Anger), La Edad de Ternura (Period of Tenderness), and La Edad de Esperanza (Period of Hope).

Guayasamin's ashes were scattered under this tree that is just outside his house.  His lover's ashes were scattered under the same tree when he passed away after Guayasamin.

This is Guayasamin's house that is situated above the museum. 

The view from nearby Guayasamin's house was beautiful.

Since the museum was near El Parque Metropolitano (Metropolitan Park) we were going to go for a walk.  It was midday though and the sun was so hot, we decided to turn back a few minutes in.

Backtrack: May 2 ❤ Nono, Jazz Class, and Italian Food

Today Leah and I went with Leo up to Nono.  Leo went on a bike ride while Leah and I drove further up the mountain to get to the entrance to the trail and bird preserve.  It was ridiculously more expensive for extranjeros (foreigners), but it was well worth the money for the beautiful walk and getting to see all the beautiful birds.  We hiked along the trail until we got to a cluster of tables and a railing keeping us from crossing over to where there were several hummingbird feeders.  There were not only hummingbirds, but also these beautiful, bright blue birds.  A sign told us that this was the last refuge of the Black-breasted, Puff-legged Hummingbird.  They were so cute.  It looked like they were wearing little puffy white legwarmers.  :)

Leo took a picture of us at the start of the trail before he took off on his bike again.

One of the bright blue birds in the preserve. 

Black-breasted Puff-legged hummingbird.  If you look closely you can see his legwarmers!!! 

Can you see them better now???  They look like little cotton balls on his legs.  :) 

Me standing next to the sign saying that this is the last refuge of the Black-Breasted Puffleg.  :)

The trail in Nono as we walked back to the car. 

We picked up Leo on the way back down the hill and then went back to the house.  Gina had invited us to go to a jazz class with their friend Monique and then to dinner with all of them plus their friend Robin.  Leah and I rushed through the grocery store to get some things before the dance class, thinking that we were going to be late, but we were anything but late because the teacher had gotten into a car accident (or so he said) and was really, really late.  We only waited because we really wanted to take the class and  were keeping busy chatting with each other.  We also checked out the pole-dancing class down the hall from the jazz class.  The girls in there were very serious about their pole-dancing.  Personally I couldn't see doing that without laughing.  :)  It did look like fun though.  Gina asked about going to the class and the woman there told her that they were booked solid for a month.  Craziness!!!  Leah was telling her friends how she and I had taken our first jazz class together when we were about 7 or 8.  She remembered more of the details than I did.  She remembered that we had performed to the song Footloose and even remembered some of the moves.  I remembered what our costumes looked like because my mom has the picture of our dance group in our costumes on our wall at home.  They were black tunics with fuschia accents around the neck and sleeves.  Plus there were sequins between the black and fuschia and we wore black sequined headbands.  :)  The teacher finally showed up and we started the class.  Our warm up was fun and the patterns we did across the room were also fun.  The part where I just had to laugh at myself was when we started to learn choreography.  Most of the class already knew the choreography and so he was going through it pretty quickly.  Picking up choreography really quickly has never been one of my strong suits and it didn't help that the room was very small and there were a lot of bodies flailing around, flailing gracefully, but flailing nonetheless.  I just stayed in the back and tried to keep up as best as I could while keeping a sense of humor.  ;)

We left a little bit early because their friend was waiting for us and they were starting on another set of choreography that everyone else already knew.  :)  Leah and I ran by the house to get Lucas and then we went to an Italian restaurant and met Robin there.  We sat outside to eat and I mainly just listened to all of the gossip.  Leah, Monique, and Robin all have little ones, so a good percentage of the conversation was dominated with baby talk.  All in all it was a fun dinner and a relaxing ending to a good day.  :)

Backtrack: May 1 ❤ Lloa and Centro Historico

Today we went to a little town outside of Quito called Lloa.  Leo had been there before on a bike ride to eat lunch, but it was the first time there for the rest of us.  It reminded me of Huancayo, especially the little restaurant that we went to and the scattered stands selling alpaca sweaters and beanies.

Leah and I ordered the chicken and the boys had lamb and fish.  They didn't serve much to drink, so Leo walked next door and got a pitcher of chicha de jora for us.  During our lunch, a fly ended up in Matteo's glass.  He didn't want to drink it anymore, so I traded glasses with him and just fished the fly out.  Maybe not the most sanitary thing, but I figured I'd probably experienced worse.  The boys were pretty impressed at me drinking "fly juice."  haha  Joshua had gotten hold of Leah's sunglasses and was hamming it up with them on.  

Joshua wearing Leah's glasses upside down.

Leah, Leo, and little Lucas in Lloa.

The restaurant we went to was called La Cueva  del Oso (The Bear's Cave).

Me with my barbecue chicken, sausage, choclo (corn), and salad.  Mmmm!!!

Joshua, little Lucas, and me.

A church in the town of Lloa.

I bought a scarf for an Ecuadorian soccer team and Leo bought Matteo a hat for the team he roots for.  Like always, Joshua was asking for ice cream, so Matteo and Joshua got some ice cream before we left.

Matteo and Joshua enjoying their ice cream.

After we drove back into Quito, we went into the Centro Historico to see if we could catch the Hecho a Mano (Made By Hand) market.  I took some pictures of the buildings as we walked into the part of the downtown area where the market had been set up. 

A church in the historical downtown of Ecuador.

Centro Historico in Ecuador.

The angel on the top of the mountain in Quito's historical downtown area. 

Leah's family walking down the street in downtown Quito.

The plaza where we were hoping to go to the Hecho a Mano market.

It turned out that the Hecho a Mano market had ended the day before.  We were disappointed, but we went into this other store that had a bunch of interesting jewelry, statues and other artwork, and also chocolate.  They had a little museum with some of the statues and pottery.  They were all for sale and if the prices had been a bit lower, I would have thought about buying one of them.  They were really beautiful.  I ended up just getting some chocolate and a necklace made of seeds from the jungle.  They were the same seeds that they use for jewelry in Peru.  We then went to get some juice and dessert from the restaurant attached to the museum and store.  I got banana cake with chocolate sauce and a side of berry sauce.  Leah got a quimbolito, which is a typical Ecuadorian tamal-like sweet.  It was really tasty.

Banana cake with chocolate and berry sauce.

Leah got an Ecuadorian sweet called a quimbolito.

After our treat, we made our way back home to get some much needed rest after another great day.  :)

Backtrack: April 30 ❤ Papallacta

I woke up earlier than everyone else as usual and was writing emails and being even quieter than most mornings because Matteo was sleeping on the couch.  Leo came out first and started making breakfast for us all.  I could hear Leah with Lucas and Joshua came out and was trying to get Matteo to wake up.  Matteo was trying to get Joshua to leave him alone so he could sleep some more.  Leah came out and told Matteo that he should get up to eat and that he could sleep more on the drive to Papallacta, the hot springs.

After breakfast, we all piled into the car.  I was squeezed in between Joshua and Lucas' carseats and poor Matteo was in the trunk with all of the stuff we brought for the hot springs.

Once we got to the hot springs (apparently I missed quite a beautiful view of some lakes and mountains along the way because I couldn't keep my eyes open), we gathered up the things that Leah had packed for lunch and walked up toward a trail that would lead us to some picnic tables.  A man stopped us outside of the gate and told us that we needed to pay to go in.  Leah had told him that she had never been asked to pay before.  He said that she had just been lucky that someone wasn't out there to collect the money but that it had always been that way.  He let us go but said that we would be charged the next time.  We made our way along the path.  It was very pretty, lined with small gardens that had labels next to the herbs and vegetables within them.  There were huge trees and bushes and further along some electric fences.  I can't remember what they were protecting but that I didn't want to get electrocuted.  haha  Leah told me that her boss had come out there with a few other people to go hiking up on the mountains above.  She said he's was too proud to ask for a guide and they ended up getting lost.  We found the small clearing with the picnic table, with trees surrounding it.  It was a beautiful spot.  We ate chicken sandwiches, chips, and drank Gatorade.  Joshua always asks what the thunderbolts were on the Gatorade bottle.

We walked back to the parking lot to get our bathing suits and entered into the area where the hots springs are.  We went to a small pool at first that had a wading pool near it that Leah thought would be perfect for Joshua.  After changing, I sat with Leah in the larger pool while Leo stayed with the boys in the smaller pool.  They looked just like swimming pools, but the water was very warm.  It got so warm for us in the larger pool that we went to go join the kids in the other pool.  After a bit, we rounded up the crew and went over to the largest pool on the other side of the park.  There were a lot more people over there and I played with Joshua for a little bit and then ended up throwing a ball around with Matteo for the rest of the time at the hots springs.  He would get out of the pool and have me throw the ball to him so he could jump off the side and head the ball back to me.  We had a lot of fun together.  We washed off and then drove down the street to get some hot chocolate and empanadas before we drove home.  We went out in the back of the little restaurant to check out a pool they had out there and came upon a little puppy.  I took some pictures of Joshua trying to play with it.  Unfortunately Joshua didn't like how the puppy played with him by nipping at his hands.  

The puppy nipping at Joshua.

After we finished eating, we got back in the car to make the drive home.  It was too dark to see the views on the side of the road as we left and then I fell asleep again until we got closer to home.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant near their apartment.  Every time we pass it on the way home, Joshua always says guacamole because he likes to eat the guacamole they serve as an appetizer.  The burrito I got was really good, but I couldn't manage to eat it all.

After eating we went home and all slept really well after a fun day.  :)

Backtrack: April 29 ❤ Parque Metropolitano and Vista Hermosa

We tried to start out as early as possible, trying to miss the impending rain.  We went to el Parque Metropolitano (the Metropolitan Park).  Leah and I went for a walk while Christina watched Lucas and Joshua.  There was a little play area with a miniature house that Joshua was fascinated with.  The walk was really beautiful with lots of trees and fresh air.  We got to a viewing area and I took a few pictures.  The sky was hazy, so we couldn't see to far out, but you can tell what a big city Quito is from there. 

The Vista Point at Parque Metropolitano.

We decided to turn back even though we hadn't been walking too long because it looked the rain was moving in.  We made it back and piled in the car to drive down to the area where they sell juices and ice cream.  We got jugo de mandarina, which is mandarin orange or tangerine juice.  It was really good.  I also got an ice cream bar and Joshua got a popsicle.  Leah was worried about owing the man a few more cents and had me run back to pay him from the change she keeps in the car.  When we got home, she looked at the change the man had given her and she realized he had shorted her ten dollars.  We didn't bother going back since we had reached the car just before the heavy rain started.  It had started hailing too just after we left the park.  Joshua calls hail "pelotitas," which means little balls, instead of the correct word in Spanish, "granizo."

Back in the house we ate lunch.  Every day we have fresh squeezed juice with our meal and today Leah told me that it was from a fruit called "tomato de arbol" or tree tomato.  It's sweeter than a tomato and I actually liked it.  I'm not such a big fan of tomato juice.

After lunch we relaxed until Leo came home.  We planned to pick up Matteo, Leah's stepson, from school and then head down to el centro historico (historic downtown) to eat dinner at the restaurant Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View), where Leah and Leo had gotten married.  Shannah told us that she was going to be bringing the kids in her program (US high school students spending time abroad) there that night.  It was their last night in Quito and the day after she would be accompanying them back to the US, where she was going to stay for a month, helping them reacclimate to life in the US.  Gina said she would join Shannah there also.  Before we went to the restaurant, we walked around the downtown area a bit and Leo told me some about the history of the buildings and statues.  Everything was damp from the afternoon rain and the air was clean like it is right after a rain.

When we got to the restaurant, we walked up the steps to look out at the view.  The area up on top of the restaurants isn't covered, so we decided to sit down below since it looked like it was going to rain again. We ate really well.  I had ribs that were really tasty.  There was so much food, I wasn't sure I'd be able to finish it all.  Leah and I also had canelazos, which are a typical Ecuadorian drink.  They are served hot and consist of a sugarcane liquor, brown, sugar, lemon juice, and lots of cinnamon.  It was really good.

When we were finished with dinner, we went back upstairs to say hi to Shannah, Gina, and the students in Shannah's program.  I took some pictures of the view.  You can see the angel on top of the hill in the distance amidst all the lights.

View from the Vista Hermosa restaurant.

After dinner, we piled back in the car and went home.  We needed to get some rest since we were going to do some bigger trips with the whole family for the weekend.

Backtrack: April 28 ❤ El Teleferico y El Parque (Cable Cars & the Park)

Today we tried to get out of the house early before it started to rain.  It hadn't started, but there were clouds that threatened rain.  It took awhile to get everyone dressed and ready to go, and by everyone, I mean Joshua.  :)  Leah, Christina, Joshua, Lucas and I piled into the car and drove to the teleferico (cable cars).  There was a little amusement park at the bottom of the mountain, below where the teleferico started.  Joshua wanted to go on the trains and Leah promised him he could after we went on the teleferico.  We walked up to the ticket counter and there were only a few people around.  Leah said it had been really popular when it first opened, but now there weren't many people coming through.  There were poles with nylon connectors between them like that have at the airport or the movie theater to control the people waiting in line, but all of them were pushed up against the side of the wall like they weren't expecting long lines again.  Christina stayed with Lucas at the bottom since he's too little to make the trip in the cable cars and Leah, Joshua, and I walked up to the place where you boarded the cable cars.  Along the way, it looked like a ghost town.  Leah said that when they were busy, there were cute little shops and restaurants along the way, but one by one they went out of business.  Leah was a little bit worried that Joshua would be scared to go in the cable car since Leo is afraid of heights, but he loved it.  He was waving and saying "Hola" to all the cable cars that were returning back to the starting point and pointing out the cows and waterfalls we saw along the way.  The view of Quito was amazing as we got higher and higher.

Joshua and Leah in the cable car.

Joshua and I in the cable car.

A waterfall we saw on the way to the top.

When we got to the top, we looked at the view.  There were clouds in the way and Leah told me that on a clear day you could see some of the volcanos in Quito's mountain range.  Joshua was pretending to look out of the binoculars they had there and was telling us to look through them too.  Kids have such vivid imaginations because without paying, all you see is blackness as you look into the binoculars.

Joshua and his binoculars.

Leah and I ate empanadas up at the top.  I had an chicken empanada and she had a cheese empanada.  They call the cheese empanadas, empanadas del viento (wind empanadas), because they are fried and end up really light, basically filled with air.  They sprinkle sugar on the top.  Joshua had a popsicle.

The view at the top.  The teleferico cables are to the right.

After we took the cable car back to the bottom, we went to buy tickets for the rides so that Joshua could go on the trains.  While we were waiting, Joshua started playing Hungry Hungry Hippo with some other little kids.  I think they actually called it Happy Hippo there.

Joshua playing Happy Hippo.

When we got to the trains, Joshua decided he didn't want to go on the trains.  Leah thought he might be afraid.  He had gone on this pirate boat ride before and gotten really scared.  Instead we took him over to the cars.  There weren't many kids on the rides, so Joshua got to pick which car he wanted to go in and had the ride all to himself.

Joshua in his red jeep.  :)

As we were walking back, Christina and I looked behind us and realized that Leah and Joshua weren't there.  We waited at the end of the walkway.  After some minutes it started to sprinkle.  We saw them coming toward us, so we started to head down to the car since the rain was starting to come down harder.  Leah told us that Joshua had to go to the bathroom and then was deciding whether he wanted to go on the trains or not.  He ended up not being able to since it was starting to rain.  We made it into the car just before the rains really started coming down.

Back in the house, we ate lunch and when the rains let up, we went to the park nearby again.  Leo came out with us to ride his bike on the trail near the park.  It was dry enough in some areas that we could actually walk comfortably around the slides and swings.  I decided to dust off my gymnastics skills and try to do some things on one of the metal bars there.  I did a pull over and successfully did a back hip circle, but after I dismounted, my wrist felt funny.  I laughed and told Leah that maybe I was too old to be trying to do those things still.  She said she was impressed nonetheless.  :)  When we got back to the house, she gave me an ice pack shaped like Elmo to put on my wrist.  After Joshua saw it, he wanted to have it.  Leah was telling him that I was really hurt and needed it.  He finally let me be and we watched Tangled.  It had started to rain on our way back and from the park and I missed when Leo returned, drenched from his bike ride in the rain.  He went directly to the shower.

It was a long day, so we just ate dinner, relaxed, and went to sleep.