Back To Quito

I woke up early this morning, showered and packed for the trip back into Quito. I was hoping for a nice quiet morning before heading back into the busy city and that's exactly what I got. I grabbed a coffee in the lodge, took a few more hummingbird photos, then just sat on the patio overlooking the mountains being quiet and reflecting on how thankful I was that God had allowed me to be part of World Vision, to visit this amazing country, be blessed by incredible people, and now enjoy being outdoors in one of the most beautiful parts of His creation.

When I look back on my journey over the past 5 or 6 years, even in my wildest dreams I never could have imagined being here surrounded by good friends soaking in the beauty around us, but also remembering all of the people we have met in the ADP communities who have touched us in so many ways. It was such a good morning.

On the way back to Quito we stopped at the Mitidad del Mundo ("Middle of the World") monument on the equator. It was more or less a "been-there-done-that" activity that didn't take more than an hour including a bite to eat, but really, if you are this close you might as well stop to take a few snapshots. After that it was back to the hotel to relax for a bit before heading out to La Ronda for the night. We ate at a Mexican restaurant, explored a few shops, and then found a small club with an amazing live band playing. I don't know if we'll ever hear of them again but I absolutely loved their blend of traditional music with rock rhythms. They reminded me of an Ecuadorian version of Great Big Sea. It didn't take long before a conga line was snaking through the place with all of us gringos joining in! It was a great ending to our final full day in Ecuador.

For complete photos from the journey click here.