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Yeeha!!
After a MUCH needed decent night of sleep I felt more like myself today!
Breakfast was fruit and scrambled eggs (see a theme here?!) and a pot of mint tea served from a cute Ecuadorian pottery jug.
Gloria then kindly helped us by writing down in Spanish what we needed to ask the pharmacist as we have a bit of altitude sickness and Ian wanted to try some different anti-malaria tablets as his ones are making him ill. (Mine are the same kind but after a few hours and something to eat I'm fine thankfully).
So, off we trot into New Town and easily find the pharmacy.
Quito clearly has a safety and crime problem as there are private security firms and police all over the place.
The local bank had 3 armed private guards outside and the pharmacy had one private guard with a shotgun at least double the size of the ones the men at the bank had! (I'd have loved to have taken a photo but thought better of it as I rather like my head where it is and I don't think they would understand my declarations of "I'm not casing the joint, I'd just like a photo...")
So, after being sent from counter to counter and showing our slip of paper with our hand written Spanish request we decide to ditch the Anti Malaria tablets as they sound worse that what we have and come away with some things to help with the altitude (Hurrah!!).
On the way back we got a photo of a lovely local selling what can only be described as a few leaves (no flowers) and give her $1 for the photo and she gives us some leaves in return (I thank one of the ladies back at the hotel with them and whilst she says a polite 'Gracias', like me, she is clearly thinking these are just random leaves and why on earth is she having to take them from a smiling crazy white woman......)
We then head into Old Town and walk around the Basilica. This huge building is quite new, having been started in 1892 and taken 100 years to build.
Inside it is very similar to many churches with lovely stained glass windows and a variety of religious icons and areas for reflection and prayer.
Using the huge statue on the hills which overlook Quito to navigate, we walked back into the centre of Old Town and went to the San Francisco church which had been recommended as a place to visit.
The recommendation was spot on as this church and monastery was exceptional.
Built on the ancient market square, the monks had built this church as a centre to convert the Ecuadorians to Christianity through education and art.
Throughout three centuries the church had educated and developed the talents of many artisans and people, some of which left great works of Christian art which had been restored and brought to the church for visitors to appreciate. (See, I do read and retain!)
I absolutely loved the church and monastery. In the garden two green parrots were cleaning each other in the Ecuadorian sun and it was a wonderful moment that reminded me of the privilege of being in a new country.
After the church we strolled around Old Town for a while and bought a fresh orange juice from a local juice bar.
We then popped into the travel agent and got advice about other potential adventures....
It then started to chuck with rain so we headed off to get a taxi back to the hotel though this time it proved more tricky and we got soaked ducking under shop roofs trying to hail one (they don't seem to like white faces as they stopped for locals but drove past us!).
Whilst we waited under one roof a local old man turned to us and smiled saying "mamma Mia" and we giggled together. He then ran off shouting good luck to us.
Back at the hotel we rested and caught up on journals and then headed out for dinner at a local restaurant recommended to us.
Now this restaurant I thought was called 'crab and waffles' and we were told that the 'crabs and ice cream were the best in Ecuador.
Whilst not a huge seafood fan I thought I'd give crab a go but upon arriving at the place realised I'd misunderstood the accent and the restaurant was called 'Crepes and waffles!' (A more logical combination to be fair!!).
I ordered an Indian curry crepe and tried a fruit sorbet from a fruit I can't pronounce or remember - both were lovely
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