Another climb to the top of the world

Ok, not really. But for the second time this week I found myself climbing to the top of a very tall structure when it seems like our current elevation should be high enough!

This morning we took an uber into the old town to a favorite restaurant of Maddie’s for breakfast. The food was fantastic and we got to try quimbolitos. It is a fluffy little cake-like dish that is cooked in banana leaf. The mora (blackberry) flavor is Maddie’s favorite so that’s what we got! It was tasty.

After breakfast, we headed up the side of the mountain to see the Virgin del Panecillo. This giant winged Virgin Mary is larger than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil!


We decided to, you guessed it, climb up inside. It was quite cool. On one level they had a series of stained glass depictions of Mary in a variety of different cultures. I had to get a photo of the Virgin of Guadalupe.




The view from the highest level we could get to was amazing! We could see the whole valley that Quito sits in and several mountains off in the distance.


Positive reinforcement! Love it.

After climbing inside, we walked through the vendor area and grabbed a quick snack. We got an Ecuadorian empanada (deep fried like an elephant ear!), and two drinks Maddie has been wanting us to try. The colada morada is a fruit drink that Auguste immediately claimed. And the morocho is a corn drink that tastes a bit like rice pudding. They were both excellent! 

We decided a lazy afternoon back at the Airbnb was called for. I had some work to do and we were all a little exhausted. We haven't had any elevation sickness, but we've been tired. Tomorrow we head up to Otovalo to see the equator and huge market there! Here are a few more photos of our day!











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