- DSC04584
Iglesia San Francisco, Historic Center of Quito - TwoStatues
Two Statues, La Ronda - DSC04603
Javier and his wife Jessica, who live in Quito, kindly invited us to dinner tonight. They texted us when they arrived in Old Town, and we met them in front of La Compañia. We joked that we couldn't believe that Javier wanted to spend more time with us over the weekend after being cooped up with us in the house all week. Jessica was just as personable and friendly as Javier, and it felt as though we had all been friends for years. We walked together to the picturesque colonial La Ronda (Ring Road) neighborhood. - DSC04604
Colorful La Ronda architecture - DSC04613
In the pedestrian section of La Ronda, there was a sapo game. This is a game popular in pubs which we had played in Peru. In fact, Craig had bought me a sapo for Christmas years ago. Jess and Javier were quite surprised to hear that we owned one, and we explained to Sonam how the game is played. - DSC04618
Jess told us about an amazing ice cream parlor called Dulce Placer, which has various unusual flavors. The place is a neighborhood institution, so we couldn't pass it up. The women working there were happy to provide samples of their variety of flavors, which included "caca de perro" (dog poop), avocado, arroz de cebada, various fruits, and liquors. After many samples, we made our choices and ordered small cones. Craig had mojito and I had sangria. It was delicious and refreshing. - DSC04637
Sonam, Steph, and Craig in the colorful La Ronda neighborhood, with El Panecillo and the Virgin of Quito in the background - DSC04663
Jess and Javier at Leña Quiteñna - DSC04668
Dinner at Leña Quiteñna - DSC04672
View from our table at Leña Quiteñna: the Virgin of Quito at sunset - DSC04677
View from our table at Leña Quiteñna: the Virgin of Quito at twilight - DSC04683
Craig, Steph, and Sonam at dinner at Leña Quiteñna eith the Virgin of Quito in the background - DSC04684
View from our table at Leña Quiteñna: the Virgin of Quito - DSC04688
La Ronda at night - DSC04694
After dinner, Jess and Javier drove us to the basilica where Hector was parked. As we said goodnight to them, Hector was happily surprised to see that we had met friends in the city. We drove back to Morochos, arriving at 10:30 p.m.