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Trip Start Oct 20, 2008 Previous
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  Quito, Ecuador
Friday, November 28, 2008

Thursday November 27th
                                       A sunny morning, over a cup of coffee we met an NGO  named Kelly who is working in Ecuador and we joined her for breakfast. We also met her friend who is another NGO. It was great having a conversation in English with them. On the way back to our Hostel we saw our ¨friend¨ John´s KLR parked outside another hostel. I was on a hunt this morning to find a new helmet. I actually found a D.O.T. approved helmet that fits perfectly. I also found a hiking store and bought a compression bag to compress my sleeping bag which takes up a lot of space in my trunk. We need as much as space possible in the very near future as we need to purchase an extra gas tank. This is required because the travel distances between gas stations in Peru is greater than our motorcycle gas range. I also found a shoe repairman to fix my leaking left boot. Late in the afternoon a heavy thunder storm moved in. Heavy hail fell for over half an hour and the ground was covered in marble size hail. Later in the afternoon we visited an artisan´s market. We ate supper at a great little restaurant called the Fanfone. The owner and her friends are very warm and inviting and the food is delicious and very inexpensive.It´s going to be our new haunt for the next day and a half.

Friday November 28th
                                  I had the best night sleep that I have had since we left home. I have finally kicked my cold and feel much better. We decided to explore old Quito city which is a UNESCO heritage site. As we meandered through the cobblestone city streets my senses are overloaded. There are police officers at every intersection blowing their whistles and directing traffic. Blind street vendors are yelling at the top of their lungs selling their goods. Buskers playing their pan flutes, accordions and guitars and the clang of change hitting their money pots also fills the airwaves. The indigenous people are highly recognizable by their clothing as they walk around the city. As we enter a quieter part of the old city school children have just been released from school and they are every where running and playing in their school uniforms. We find a more authentic Quito in the back streets. Small restaurants, trades people and vendors all hard at work. We stumbled across the Basilica Del Vota Naciones. I recalled reading about the ability to climb to the top of the belfry of this church. I purchased tickets and up we went. At first it was a very normal climb. Then we started climbing a very narrow spiral staircase up to the clock tower. We then see a steel ladder climbing another 30 feet right up to the bell tower. When we get up too the top, the floor is 3¨expanded metal, and it creaks and groans as we walk across it. The view was astonishing. We could see the entire city. There are openings in the bell tower that would allow us to stand on the ledge completely unguarded with over a 100´drop. Mike wouldn't go out but I did. I lasted about 3 seconds before the unprotected height and common sense kicked in. Being we were at the top of the church and the bells being right there I couldn't resist the opportunity to ring the bell. Once the vibrations stopped in our ear drums it was necessary for Mike to perform the same act.
We walked back to our hotel room and decided we were hungry. We went too our favorite haunt, the host welcoming us with a kiss on the cheek her friends doing the same. It feels like I have known her forever. During dinner the joint filled up and there was karaoke, off course they convinced me to sing a song.... big mistake the whole restaurant wanted another. 5 songs later everybody singing with me... cheers and claps and drinks flowing a little too easily I decided to leave before things got any further out of hand . I said my good bye´s to the host. This has been my favorite city visit thus far.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family Pictures

our hostel	veiw from our room	statue at top of hill	relic
street shot	school's out	laundry time	busker
Street of old Quito city	Local selling goods	relic #2	church front
back	ding....	church courtyard	Inside the bell tower
Veiw of church from above the bell tower	Great antique toy I found but can´t afford to buy

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