Today was our first full day in Quito, Ecuador! We woke up and had breakfast around 8:30 before heading into town to explore more of the culture and lively music. As we made our way to our tour Nuseo Franciscano Fray Pedro Gicial, we stopped in the Iglesia Católica San Francisco and observed the mass. Our tour guide led us through a very insightful tour in the Nuseo Franciscano Fray Pedro Gicial where we learned more about the religion and the Virgin Mary.

After the tour, we returned to the hotel for a quick lunch consisting of fig and cheese, rice, salad, mashed potatoes, and chicken. We had free time to explore the city on our own after lunch, and it was interesting to see the street vendors, families in the park, and the many dogs mindlessly walking through the streets. I enjoyed seeing Ecuadorians come together through their shared culture, music, and language throughout the city, and it felt like everyone celebrated holidays together.

I enjoyed walking up with some of my group to the Basílica del Voto Nacional and climbing to the top to see the amazing view of the city. The stairs were very tiring, and we realized we were not at the top when we also came across the steep ladders we had to climb up to get there. After getting our pictures and shopping at the souvenir stores, where I bought a bracelet, we walked back to the hotel to write about our days and wait for our dinner.

For dinner, we had a big meal filled with meat, rice, salad, and a raspberry cheesecake for dessert, which was all very delicious. After dinner, a group of us rode up to the Virgin of the Panecillo and saw the city at night. We went to the top and had an amazing view of the city, and then walked through the market where a group of us got involved with a game of volleyball with the locals! This was a great first day in Ecuador and a great spot to celebrate Mother’s Day. I am looking forward to going on the chocolate tour and arriving in the Cayambe region tomorrow!