Since I talked about it in the last post, I figured it would be best to start off with a picture that includes the backdrop of the city. I’m not sure the picture illustrates it as well as I’d like, but the city really does swim through the Andes mountains. It’s truly a sight to behold with all the buildings sprawling out like a rushing river through the valley. It also helps to see it from the top of a monestary roof here in Quito  It may have been a bit dangerous climbing up there, but the view was worth it

We did all of this as part of a tour of the historical part of Quito. It has such a rich history that our tour guide, Patricia, shared with us. She was the one that got us behind the scenes and on top of various roofs in Quito. The views were always amazing and the amazing amount of cultura (culture) never ceases to overwhelm me. I did manage to grasp a bit of it though as we visited a boutique that sold Panama hats. You may be wondering why Ecuador is selling Panama hats… It’s actually because those hats originated in Ecuador but were shipped out through Panama, thus giving them their misinformed name.

We finished off the night with some great food and a round of drinks at a local bar named Chelsea (Yeah, I know, not very Spanish-sounding, but I didn’t name the bar.) We met a fellow American student originally from Puerto Rico there and he shared with us a few other places to see while we’re in Quito and where the hotspots are for night life. It was fun to just hang out with my KIIS classmates and get to know some people on a more personal level. I can tell it’s going to be very hard to say goodbye to them, and it’s only our first full day here!

Nick Bratcher