Four wall fever was setting in, and we were all antsy to get out and do something besides read or play cards.
As we looked out our windows, we saw more buses and taxis on the road, even school buses were running. Things seemed to have quieted down after yesterday’s influx of indigenous people and the protests that were held. We decided to venture out. Hailey led the way and we made it to Parque de la Carolina, a beautiful park about two miles away. Of course, there was a police vehicle, but we still enjoyed artwork within the park and being able to inhale some fresh air.
Heidi and Hailey posed on one of the many bridges in this enormous city park.
I had never seen a vulture fountain before. Somehow, I can't imagine vultures as something that I'd want to paint or make a sculpture of. They are such ugly birds. My apologies to all the ornithologists out there who love all types of birds. We can agree to disagree on the vulture's beauty. Below is a photo of beautiful hummingbirds in another area of Carolina Park.
The two strollers ahead of me on the path look vaguely familiar!
Below is an example of indigenous artwork residing within Parque de la Carolina.
We stopped while Heidi took a picture of a hands sculpture at the edge of the park.
Hailey and Grandpa found a post to sit on while waiting for Heidi right in front of a busy intersection.
Success! We made it all the way to the Quicentro Mall, complete with security guards. It was a very upscale mall, comparable to one of the malls in Scottsdale. Nice to stroll through, but we sure weren't going there for a new blouse or pair of pants. The women's restroom had sparkling bright cultured marble on the floors and walls. It was immaculate. But....there was NO toilet paper at all! And yes, I did have Kleenex in my purse!
Don decided to let the gals browse around while he had a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. Wise decision on his part.
We did stop at one of the many exquisite chocolate shops with cases of goodies all waiting to be bought and tasted.
We contained ourselves and shared 3 pieces of chocolate between us. A piece of heaven in each bite.
By this time, I had gotten hungry, and was delighted to find a huge chocolate croissant for just a $1.10. How in the world could I pass that up? For the record, I did offer to share it, but no one took me up on my offer.
Across from me were these two who were joking around. Par for the course.
Next stop: a search for a restaurant for the afternoon meal in Ecuador known as almuerzo. The daily specials are posted on chalk boards outside and cost $3.00 to $3.50 for a 3 course meal. This is what we found and decided upon:
Hailey's belated birthday meal consisted of noodle soup, salad, potato pancake, chicken, juice and a piece of watermelon. Total cost for all 5 of us was $17.50! What a deal!
The walk back to the condo took about half an hour. This is what it looked like from street side, looking south.
In the end, Hailey guessed we walked between 4 and 4 1/2 miles. I think we probably burned off most of the calories we consumed at lunch (not including the croissant or chocolate sample).
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