Greetings from Quito, Ecuador!!!! I arrived here on Sunday, Feb 18th, with 26 students and 3 other staff members from the Friends World Program. We have only been here a day, and most of us are still trying to adjust to the intense altitude change. So far, we are enjoying our experience because we had a scenic day with simple observation.
This morning we took a tour of the beautiful botanical gardens in Parque La Carolina and we learned about the various eco-systems that Ecuador hosts. Thus, the garden just had an orchid show, with over 1100 orchids, so we discovered the in-depth beauty of those magnificent flowers.
Afterwards we went to the Teleferico, with is like a gondola aereotram, that took us to the top of the tallest mountain in the Quito area and we had a spectacular 180 degree view. Climbing up to 4000 meters was cold and dizzying, but it was worth it because we could see how gigantic Quito is and enjoy the majesty of those Andean mountains.
Then we went on a bus tour of the Southern neighborhoods of Quito, which are the poorer marginal districts.
We are staying in a centric part of Quito, so there is plenty to do. We are lodging in Saint´s Hotel, which is right by the huge Quicentro Mall and right next to the National soccer stadium.
We will be here until March 6th, and we will learn about a variety of topics and subjects, such as indigenous issues, politics, history, economics, medicinal plants, alternative medicine, the colonization, modernity versus antiquity, development versus conservation, and environmental problems. As always, academics and safety are important objectives on Friends World Trips. Please follow along.
Centered, Susan.
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