¡Un Fin de Semana Buenísimo!

As an apology for the past two days of rain, Quito received two GLORIOUS days of sunshine and a light breeze! On Saturday, I arrived in Quito at 10:30 and proceeded to walk south just to see where I ended up. It was 18ºC. There is an absolutely incredible park, El Parque La Carolina, that is HUGE and is divided into 4 zones--aquatic, educational, aerobic, and active. Around and through the whole park is a biking/rollerblading path, there is a long ditch of sorts for skateboarders and trick bikers, a circular canal where you can rent paddleboats, lots of grassy knolls, an enormous sand/dirt track, inside of which many many futbol games are played, and my favorite--a stage where they had outdoors aerobics lessons! Three people led them and there were all sorts of people on the grass--different ages, abilities, and clothing preparedness--stepping along with the instructions! It was great! I then continued walking until I came to the Mercado Artesenal where at least 50 different booths were set up, just for jewelery and clothing and souvenirs. The whole block was lined with artists selling painitings, and, of course, there were sufficient ice cream vendors. I had previously bought an ice cream cone and a popsicle, so this time I bought a huge cup of fruit salad instead. (just today I learned the word empalagarse--to sicken oneself by eating too many sweets! Why don't we have such an appropriately descriptive word in English?!) By this time it was 27ºC and I was sufficiently sunburned and out of money, so I hopped on the ecovía back to the bus terminal to go back to Cununyacú (where I live). I met Monica at the mall where she works and we went to a special presentaion of Aikido. I can't say they were terribly good, nor did it inspire me to begin classes, but Mony and I are now talking of doing yoga together some night! In the evening, the whole family and Jim and I gathered together to eat raclette. You cook the meat on top, and each person gets his/her own cheese skillet thingy and it's a really great way to have the whole family eat together! We then chatted on the porch for a few hours and all in all, we had a fantastic time!

This morning, I had intended to go back to Quito, but seeing as it was another GLORIOUSly sunshiney day, I headed off for the mountain trail. This time I wore adequate sun and bug protection and brought sufficient hydration. It turns out I was right the second time and just had to pass through the barbed wire. So I hiked and I hiked, and saw lots of bugs, some pheasant or quail of sorts, and some cattle. It took me an hour and 20 minutes to reach the 'top' that is not even close to the summit of the mountain. I was seriously tired and was really feeling the lack of oxygen. I'd take about 10 steps and then stop to pant awhile before moving on! The views were great, the breeze and the sun felt great, and going down was a piece of cake. I stopped to take plenty of pictures, was stopped briefly by a threatening dog, and it still only took me one hour to arrive home from the top. And boy, did that cold shower feel great! I then took a nap in the hammock, went to mass with Mony and Sofy, and ate a lovely pizza dinner with Mony and the boys. I must say that this has been one great weekend!