On Thursday, Olga and I were taking a field trip to the City Museum. I'd been the time before, but only for an hour and since there was a special program on at the time, I actually didn't see the museum. And Olga hadn't been in a while, so this seemed like a good outing, since vocabulary and conversation were the primary focus of my classes. We met at the school at normal time, 9a.
Fernanda couldn't wait to grab me this morning! A momma bird -- something like a dove -- had built her nest in the little space between the window and the concrete adornment. Seems an odd place, as there are nearly always people here, at the least one professor and student. The pictures with her aren't very good -- there was a lot of reflection from the glass and the morning sun wasn't helping -- but this one of the chicks is reasonably clear.
So we walked down to the Trole and took that to the center. Well, almost. There's a significant movement underway in parts of Quito now to bury power lines, water, cables -- similar to much of downtown Washington -- and improve city services. It's hugely expensive, and it means that many streets are being torn up. As a result, the various buses are impacted too. But neither of us is averse to walking a bit, so all was fine.
We were running by this church, Sagraria, and decided to stop, as it was one I hadn't been to yet. (Quito has DOZENS of significant and world-class churches from several different centuries. It's pretty amazing.)
Sagraria is from the 18th century. It's well-known for its Baroque doors, stone façade, and interior. Like many of the churches, photography is not allowed inside. It's also next door to the city Cathedral, which has never been open in my three trips so far.
The City Museum is housed in the old hospital, and it's a lovely example of showcasing city history with contemporary exhibitions.
For instance, this little kiosk and wall drawing illustrates how this part of the museum used to be the apothecary in the hospital.
There are many sections that showcase the history of Quito, from indigenous roots through Spanish conquest to present populations. But I fell in love with this floor. It's a map of the city in the 1700s, I believe, all done with different local woods. Gorgeous.
These photos show the courtyard and the lovely architecture of the building. You really can't tell any of this from the street, and it's one of the things I love most about Quito -- all these "hidden" gems and "surprises" in all facets of the city.
A second courtyard, and the lovely work on the supporting columns.
After, it was snack time, so we stopped for a juice. That's something else I love about Quito. People drink a lot of juice, but fresh juice. There are an incredible number of fruits in and around the city, and they are fresh and inexpensive and incredible. So there are a number of juice places too, where you can have a large fresh juice, or a batido (juice with yogurt, like a smoothie). I wish we had more of these, but especially the fruits!
This photo is actually from the next day, but it works to illustrate some of the fruits. Top, left to right: oops! I can't remember! It's not naranjilla or maracuyá..... Next is taxo, then avocado (top, green), and tomate de arbol, and mango. Below, left to right, is uvilla, pineapple, and I have no idea. My favorite is not in this image: guanábana. Mmmmmm.
Then we stopped for a snack. We had little empanadas. On the way to the bus, we stopped at the tourism office so that she could collect some guides and brochures of the city for the school, and I could inquire about train tickets for the weekend. As you already know, I didn't take the train over the weekend, and that's because there were no tickets! :( This was one of Juan Carlos's ideas, and I love trains.... We'd tried the weekend before, and this was strike two on the train. Guess it's another reason I have to go back.
On the way back to the school Olga showed me a natural store that she loves; it's all natural products, including free-trade handicrafts. We had a lovely morning, and this is where the plan for Saturday emerged.
After lunch, I tried the English bookstore again, as I knew I needed something for my return trip. Once again, it was closed, even though I was within its posted hours. I gave up. Instead, I headed to the Museum of the Amazon, which I'd missed last time too, and it's right near the school. No photos allowed, sadly, but it's very interesting.
It's a small ethnographic museum which covers a range of topics both cultural and natural. There are animals from the rainforest -- the condor is GIGANTIC! each wing must be three feet long -- including boas and anacondas, the giant anteater, a number of eagles, monkeys, caimans, etc. Yes, they're all stuffed. There are headdresses from a number of cultures, most with toucan feathers (usually worn by the men only). There are incredible musical instruments, including log drums, wood violins, whistles, rattles, and drums. Sections include navigation and fishing, hunting and arms, weaving and baskets, and pottery and cooking. There are bags made not only from monkey skin but also from armadillo. Many of the objects are from the Shuar culture, the culture of several of my friends. The cultural part covers the Achuar, Shuar, Huaorani, Quichua, Siona-Secoya, Zapara, and Cofán, all peoples of the rainforest. It was a great place to spend an afternoon.
The museum is in the same building as the Abya Yala Foundation and bookstore, and they had some wonderful titles which I wish I could have purchased for the museum. However, since I wasn't authorized to do that, and most of them were in Spanish and most of my colleagues couldn't read them, I refrained. But I did get some magazines, both for my trip back and to see if I can find them in the U.S.
We had plans for the evening to catch a concert down in the historic center. We were a little late setting off, and hadn't eaten, so stopped for a snack, after which we were definitely late. So the plan changed; let's make dinner instead! So off to the grocery to buy veggies, and a lovely quiet evening of good company and good food ensued.
Friday was a crazy day; last day of classes, followed by catching up with two of my other friends. After class, I headed back to Abya Yala, so that I could meet up with Jenny. We had a light lunch of fruit salad, and just talked for a while. She'd left the organization where I'd met her and is now working for an organization that works with indigenous women -- very exciting. In addition to more offers to stay for next time, I have a recommendation for another hostel, and many links to look up. I'd hoped to see her again over the weekend, but it sadly didn't happen. But, I think there is real potential to connect our two lines of work, so hopefully that will keep us in better touch now. She dropped me then at the organization so that I could see Marianela, and we had a lovely chat for a while. Her brother, Juan Carlos, isn't in Quito as much now, so I missed him, but she's doing well. Again, I wished there were more time, but I'm glad that I at least had the chance to catch up a bit! From there, I walked back to my hotel.
Along October 10 Street, at one of the big bus stops. This doesn't really convey the craziness I feel with the bus system, or the bus pollution (which I won't miss), but I love that you can always see the mountains and volcanos.
Tonight was the second attempt to make a free concert downtown, and the second miss, as Juan Carlos was nearly at my hotel when the office called him back. We caught up for a late dinner, but it was a quiet evening.
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