05-06-13 & 05-07-13 A Walking Tour of the City (Updated with photos)

Monday:  I got up this morning and did some more organizing around the house.  I ventured out to check out the city in the afternoon, also hoping to find a microwave stand and a small cart for the bathroom (there is no storage place for things like a hair dryer, curling iron, etc.)  Here is a map of where I walked:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Carlos+J.+Arosemena+Tola&daddr=Mercado+La+Carolina,+Inaquito,+Quito+Canton,+Ecuador+to:-0.1720884,-78.4912521+to:Avenida+America+to:Avenue+Mariana+de+Jesus+to:-0.187416,-78.494176+to:Mall+El+Jardin,+Quito+Canton,+Pichincha,+Ecuador+to:Avenue+Francisco+de+Orellana+to:-0.1982133,-78.4862371+to:Avenida+6+de+Diciembre+to:Avenida+6+de+Diciembre+to:-0.1739289,-78.4768822+to:-0.1738689,-78.4770464+to:Quicentro+Shopping,+Quito+Canton,+Pichincha,+Ecuador+to:Carlos+J.+Arosemena+Tola&hl=en&sll=-0.173292,-78.478228&sspn=0.005815,0.009645&geocode=FeJJ_f8dNJxS-w%3BFRNg_f8dQ2VS-ynhSR6ykZrVkTHiGUT-Koq-4A%3BFchf_f8djFFS-ymnDUabkZrVkTHLPO8nfHaTdg%3BFf9e_f8dF1FS-w%3BFfAj_f8dD0ZS-w%3BFegj_f8dIEZS-ylzbZMvYZrVkTEmdfsrZqcehw%3BFRgc_f8dcmBS-yE9xNtg6Zssjimdr17RZJrVkTE9xNtg6Zssjg%3BFeH8_P8dDVlS-w%3BFbv5_P8dI2VS-yn7sFdycprVkTF_Mpu6saeT8A%3BFdf3_P8dKG1S-w%3BFUNY_f8dlolS-w%3BFZhY_f8drolS-ykbP0XLgprVkTHmIc7uccyQkg%3BFdRY_f8dColS-ynhTPvMgprVkTGwT6C9mr0z7A%3BFQRQ_f8dlnxS-yF6KYG9rKqEOil_dIWdg5rVkTF6KYG9rKqEOg%3BFbNJ_f8dCpxS-w&oq=Qui&dirflg=w&mra=mru&via=2,5,8,11,12&t=m&z=17

Here are some photos I snapped along the way:

 I pass this place nearly every day, but refuse to go in!

 This is a series of murals that took up a whole block!

 I love the way the painted David in this one!

 The ostrich is my favorite though!

Just a cool shot of Mt. Pichincha

It was at my last stop (and ironically the one closest to my house) that I managed to find a suitable solution.  But it was nice to get out and explore the city a bit.  Not to mention the much needed exercise.  When I got home, I put together the microwave stand (really a bookshelf) and try to fit the cart in the bathroom - it was a little bigger than I anticipated, but it works.  I dread the thought of trying to return something here!  Then I went to bed at around 10:30 - yea!!

Tuesday:  This morning I carted my empty gas tank up to my landlord's house and gave their live-in housekeeper the $2.50 for the cylinder exchange.  (She had told me the previous afternoon that she would call the gas company to schedule an exchange for me if they did not come at their usual time of 8:00 - 8:30 in the morning.)  Then, I left for service.  We had a nice group of 10 out today and we able to find about a half a dozen English speakers throughout the morning.  I then traveled back home for lunch and called another sister to meet me for the afternoon.  We agreed to meet at 2:00pm.  At 1:15 as I was getting ready to leave the house, the doorbell rings.  Its the gas company.  Great!  I run up to the street.   He had also rung the bell of my landlord's house and is explaining to their housekeeper that my tank is no good.  Fortunately for me, the landlord's grandson is there and explains that the gas tank I have is from a different company, and they cannot (will not) fill it.  If I want gas today, I have to buy another tank from them for $68.00.  You've got to be kidding me.  Having already contemplated the idea of purchasing a second tank, I accepted.  After all, what if one runs out on the weekend?  Will I have to wait days before being able to fill it?  So, I paid the man and ran off to meet my friend for service.  She was able to get a hold of one of her studies so we headed there first.  A very nice Jewish woman who was a former professional translator, but now is curator of a small holocaust museum in honor of her mother.  After discussing a few paragraphs on the belief in an 'oral torah' in the brochure "Will There Ever Be a World Without War?" she told us that she had just been discussing that subject with her rabbi last Friday.  She exclaimed, "I'm going to show him what we just read in the Bible!"

After the study, we went across town to do some territory and then rode the bus an hour or so north for my study.  The mother was not home, but we were able study with the daughter anyway.  I find that the daughter opens up more and is much more expressive when she has her own study.  Perhaps they would both benefit from their own personal study vs. together.  It still surprises me that she grasps certain concepts at a young age and is able to explain things in her own words.

When I arrived home, I contacted a sister in the hall to review our part in the TMS tomorrow night (my first talk here in Quito) - why do I suddenly feel a twinge of nervousness?  I decided to go to sleep soon thereafter - I have an early start tomorrow - I'm meeting a sister at the prison... should be interesting!