One more day before we get back to Charleston!

Our last day before we arrived home was a long 16 hour layover in Fort Lauderdale!  We landed in FL at 4:45 AM, but since customs doesn't open until 5:00, we had to stay on the plane until then.  Getting through customs didn't take too long, and we were picked up by the hotel shuttle soon after we got our bags. When we arrived, all tired and ready for bed, we were told that we couldn't check in until 3 PM!  Due to some miscommunication about when we were arriving and the fact that there was a water main break nearby and many people were staying in hotels, there were no rooms available for us to use until 3!  Most of the youth were asleep on the couches in the lobby by this point.  But because of the calm and non-argumentative manner of our leaders, we were able to leave that hotel and go to another nearby that had 4 rooms available!  With breakfast included!  My plan was to shower, eat breakfast, and then sleep!  Nathan went straight to his room and didn't move until 4!  I slept until 2 and then headed to the treadmill.  I was determined to keep my feet from swelling from too much travel inactivity....and I needed exercise minutes to meet the goal my watch gave me for July!  Yes, my watch tends to tell me what to do!

After running and another shower, I was ready for lunch around 3:30.  Most people were headed to IHOP around 4 or 4:30, but I went out to find a local restaurant; and I did!  I found Grampa's after standing in line at Jaxson's and asking the locals for recommendations.  (These were both places I could see from my hotel room.)  I was told the food was good at Grampa's, but Jaxson's was known for their ice cream.

Back at Grampa's, I noticed that this place had been on Diner, Drive-ins, and Dives.  So I was extra excited to try it!

My meal came with a salad, and with the bread came a sticky bun.  I have to say that just the salad and the pastry were totally satisfying.  It was almost like hearing the Hallelujah chorus in my head as I started to eat!  Well, it was only a salad and a sticky bun, but they were heavenly.  And I was extra hungry!  And the entrée was very tasty too!

Good ole seafood!

I called Nathan and he joined me for lunch after I had finished eating.  He enjoyed his lunch too, and I got a sticky bun to go!

After we ate, we went to Jaxson's for ice cream.  Alexia joined us.  Jaxson's is known for their kitchen sink ice cream sundae.  They serve it in a kitchen sink bowl and a minimum of 4 people have to order it at $14.50/person.  I wouldn't have wanted that, but it would have been cool to see other people eat it!!  We got milkshakes and ice cream, and then headed back to the hotel.

Our flight was delayed until 10:25.  We had been warned that this flight was often delayed and sometimes canceled.  We were all hoping that this would be the only delay!  Tony gathered us one more time for our family time in the hotel lobby.  As we were talking about the trip, two women in the lobby were listening.  When Tony asked us if we had anything to say, one of the women said that she did.  She told us that she was blessed by us.  The women then joined our group for the rest of family time.  It seemed as if God had delayed our flight in order for these women to hear and talk and pray with us.  

Raul read us a letter from Florensia, the man with lives beside the Shimpis church with his family.  He told us how much we meant to the church and that he wants us to come back.  We were close to tears. 

I also was close to tears when Nathan (who had been holding my extra sticky bun), told me that it had been sitting on the table in the lobby and before he could stop him, the hotel person cleaned up and threw it away!!  

When family time was over, we got our luggage together, headed to the airport to get through security and wait for our flight at 10:25.  A couple of hours later, we landed in Charleston!!  Home sweet home!  And I kept Dave's hat safe! 

It was an awesome trip and we saw how God is working in the lives of the people in Macas and Shimpis.  Yes, I am glad to be home; but I am also ready to go back!  I was given lots of jewelry, so I pray I will be able to return!

   

 

Being a tourist in Quito!

Our tourist day began in Quito around 5:30 in the morning when our bus arrived at the apartment of Raul's parent's.

We could see the volcano from the balcony of the apartment!

Quito from the apartment balcony!

We were all tired after a sleepless bus ride, but also very hungry!  After unloading all of the luggage and getting a little refreshed, we went to find breakfast.  The apartment is in a part of town near lots of stores and a mall, but it was still hard to find a place open for breakfast.  There was even a McDonalds nearby that many of the youth wanted to go to, but it didn't open until 9:00.  No sausage biscuits for us today!  

We found a small café, however, and had an excellent last Ecuador breakfast!  

I got an empanada that was a Empanadas Chilenas.  I also got a cheese quesadilla that was more like a cheese danish.  Nathan got a bolon that was a plantain type of pastry.  Raul had been talking about them and many of our group wanted to try them.  We cleared them out of bolons!  And Nathan really liked them!     

Walking over the cat walk to cross the street.

A sculpture at the park in Quito.

Our group decided on taking a tour bus...one where you can hop on and off at different stops.

The soccer stadium sponsored by Marathon

We planned on getting off at two stops; the first being the market.  This was a number one spot that everyone wanted to go to.  Last year when I went to the market, I stayed with Mitzi the entire time as I was very nervous about not speaking Spanish.  This year I braved going out on my own.  I had learned how to say cuanto to ask how much things cost.  No matter how much I mispronounced the language and didn't say it all correctly, the sellers at the market understood what I was asking.  Next time I need to work on learning numbers so that I can understand what they tell me!!  Fortunately many of them knew English numbers!

I was able to find a nativity set as that was what I really wanted to buy!  I saw some pretty shirts and tried on one on a whim.  Since it fit, I bought it....after a little bartering!  I also got more chocolate!  I bought a hat for Dave (with help from Raul), but it meant I had to wear it on the plane!!  I also wore it some on the rest of the tour just for fun!

After riding through Quito taking in the sights.....

(There is a volcano between the mountains)

Iglesia de Basilica

(This is the cathedral that we toured last year.)

(The window boxes were very pretty!)

(There were many steep hills in Quito)

(The statue that we were heading to)

(a map of Quito)

(a lady fixing the shoe of a police officer while he waited)

San Francisco Church and Convent

 ...we took the steep climb to the top of the mountain to see the statue.  The Mirador el Panecillo, the Virgin of El Panecillo.

 Nathan and I paid $1 each to climb up into the statue and walk on the balcony around the statue.  This was at the ball/world section of the statue.  It was interesting and gave us a great view of Quito!

A view from the balcony of the statue

The inside of the statue

Nathan taking a turn at wearing the hat!

A picture of the building of the statue

The statue is based on Mary in Revelation.

The ride down the hill from the statue was a little scary.  I sat near the front, beside an open window!  And on the side of the bus by the edge of the mountain!  And Sarah and Greg sat in the very front.  I could hear them as they were also scared!  It was like a roller coaster!  Without the safety harnesses!

.

Most of the homes had clotheslines on their roofs.

People with goods to sell on what looks like a bridge.

A street sign on a building

Roads were very tight in Quito and I would never want to have to drive there!  There were many times it seemed as if the bus would not be able to make it without hitting a car or a building!

There is a plaza dedicated to Abraham Lincoln

 By the end of the bus ride, most of us were ready for it to be over, and many were actually sleeping!!  Nathan was continuing to notice the sights....I guess I have trained him well!  All those non-stop long days at Disney have helped him with sight seeing!!  After the tour ended, we all headed to the mall to get lunch.  It is a huge mall with lots of food court restaurants!  It was like an American mall (although much bigger and busier then Citadel Mall!), but you still had to get your TP outside of the stall.  Good thing to remember to do!  For lunch, I got pasta, but Nathan was craving more Yuka!!


After lunch, everyone but Nathan and myself went back to the apartment to chill or sleep.  He and I headed to the big park to walk around.  It was a really cool park with lots of different sports areas set up from soccer to basketball to BMX style biking to CrossFit training!  We need this in Charleston!!

The running path around the park

One of the playgrounds

Sculptures

The crossfit area

BMX style biking trail

Nathan sitting in the bleachers

indoor soccer outdoors!

roller skating

Nathan got coffee...looks like a Quito version of Starbucks!

After all of the walking and touring, we were finally getting tired.  So we went back to the apartment with the rest of the group.  By this time the youth were starting to get silly!  They had a contest with the luggage scale to see who could guess how much things weighed!  And the 4 boys went out and bought some snacks and were kidding everyone about how they bought them from shady people.  Yes, we were all beyond tired!!  

The view form the penthouse apartment as we were getting ready to leave.

It was finally time to load up the bus and head to the airport!  Our plane left around 11 or 12 at night, so we were going to have another long night without much sleep!  As much as I was looking forward to getting home, right now I was just looking forward to the hotel bed in Fort Lauderdale!!