Today started out with another early breakfast at Hotel Otavalo. We boarded the bus and started our drive to Quito through the winding mountain roads. We stopped the equator monument before continuing to a museum that shows the works of Oswaldo Guayasamin. He paints with a lot of dark colors and skeleton-looking figures. The majority of his paintings represent the suffering and pain of different groups of people from all over the world. I had recognized a few of the paintings such as Lágrimas de Sangre, but I found myself really enjoying his work. There were a lot of powerful themes among the diversity in his paintings.
After the museum, we continued into Quito where we ate lunch at a shopping mall. The mall closely resembled one you would find in the United States. Afterwards, we began a walking tour of the Calle de Siete Cruces in Quito. We saw many beautiful churches and cathedrals, such as the Basilica (which is the border between the two sides of Quito), and the Compañia de Jesus. The latter was absolutely gorgeous, and the inside seemed to be made of gold. It was actualy volcanic rock, brick, and wood carvings that were painted with gold leaf. The intricate details and patterns provided a maze for the visitors to look at, and the beautiful paintings covered the walls. We stopped at a few plazas as well, and Plaza Grande (or Plaza de las palomas muertas) was extremely busy with people. Even though there were no actual markets set up, women and children were selling different items and foods along the streets. We ended the tour at the top of the hill at the end of the street where the enormous statue of Mary stood. You were able to see the city from 360 degrees, and it was absolutely huge.
The day ended with dinner at a rather American restaurant across the street from our hotel, which is extremely nice. Tomorrow is another early day as we part ways with Quito.
