Our first full day in Ecuador was full of exciting events. Let me just start by saying that I am FAR from being a morning person, but I was never happier to set an alarm for 6:45AM so we could get the day started as early as possible. After a quick but delicious breakfast, we made our way over to Plaza de San Francisco, a gorgeous church and museum with tons of meaningful art. I felt so bad walking through as a Sunday Service was going on, but it was amazing to immerse ourselves into the Ecuadorian culture while staying as respectful as we could be. In one of the rooms in the church, there was the tiniest dog I have ever seen, I could’ve fit it in my backpack and taken it with us for the rest of our trip!!
Our next stop was chocolate tasting, and it was possibly some of the best chocolate I have ever had (which I guess the purpose of this trip is to be experiencing the best of the best!). I even enjoyed the 100% cacao chocolate. It was a super fun experience and Ivan, who led the tasting, was super funny and informative, making the experience so much more enriching.
Once we were sent off on our own time, a group of us decided to walk over to the Basilica Nacional. It was so beautiful, so naturally as one does, I began to take pictures. Shortly after, a man came over and was aggressively asking to take my picture. I know we were warned about this, but I had no idea to say no! Eventually, when he was done taking some pictures of me in front of the Basilica, he asked my to pay him before giving my phone back. I knew it was a mistake in the beginning on my end, but hey, at least I got a good picture out of it!
