Saturday, August 12, 2006
Finishing in Ambato, Huambalo and back to Quito
Contributed by Beth Hoffman
Back in Quito at Papaya.net. Chauncy, the folks here have been asking about you! They must miss you.
Our last day in Ambato was a bit hectic as we visited several copy centers trying to have our book copied with color photos, not an easy task in Ecuador. At last we were successful and made five copies of the book, one for Asoplejicat, Quero, the SPED school in Ambato, Huambalo, Gladys and the original for Bridgett.
We were supposed to meet Bridgett, Chaya and Maggie at 6 in Quito for dinner. Well, we didn´t even leave Ambato until 5. Big surprise, right? The scheduled van didn`t show and we thought we were going to have to take public buses to Quito. It sounded like a hassle due to our luggage. Luckily, a van came through and we had a very bumpy, and at times harrowing, ride home. Our driver seemed intent on passing every vehicle possible. However, Cotopaxi was snow-capped and quite beautiful. We also tried our best to entertain ourselves by making music in the car. If anything, we had reason to laugh at ourselves and each other.
We arrived in Quito only to realize that our hotel rooms had not been reserved. Yikes! Lady luck was still on our side. We ended up at the Sierra Nevada and finally went out to dinner at the Magic Bean with the Citti Project leaders. Our debriefing dinner went well, and the food was quite tasty to boot. We presented our book to the leaders and they seemed quite pleased, especially considering that they weren´t expecting something quite like that.
We parted ways after dinner and many hugs. At Plaza del Quinde, the next block down, an open air opera was in progress so we (Andrea, Sonia, Gladys, Adam and I) went to check it out. It was a nice cap to our evening.
So, that´s all folks. This has been an incredible experience for all of us it seems. I am very fortunate to have met you (all of you) and wish you all well with.
Love to everyone, beth
Back in Quito at Papaya.net. Chauncy, the folks here have been asking about you! They must miss you.
Our last day in Ambato was a bit hectic as we visited several copy centers trying to have our book copied with color photos, not an easy task in Ecuador. At last we were successful and made five copies of the book, one for Asoplejicat, Quero, the SPED school in Ambato, Huambalo, Gladys and the original for Bridgett.
We were supposed to meet Bridgett, Chaya and Maggie at 6 in Quito for dinner. Well, we didn´t even leave Ambato until 5. Big surprise, right? The scheduled van didn`t show and we thought we were going to have to take public buses to Quito. It sounded like a hassle due to our luggage. Luckily, a van came through and we had a very bumpy, and at times harrowing, ride home. Our driver seemed intent on passing every vehicle possible. However, Cotopaxi was snow-capped and quite beautiful. We also tried our best to entertain ourselves by making music in the car. If anything, we had reason to laugh at ourselves and each other.
We arrived in Quito only to realize that our hotel rooms had not been reserved. Yikes! Lady luck was still on our side. We ended up at the Sierra Nevada and finally went out to dinner at the Magic Bean with the Citti Project leaders. Our debriefing dinner went well, and the food was quite tasty to boot. We presented our book to the leaders and they seemed quite pleased, especially considering that they weren´t expecting something quite like that.
We parted ways after dinner and many hugs. At Plaza del Quinde, the next block down, an open air opera was in progress so we (Andrea, Sonia, Gladys, Adam and I) went to check it out. It was a nice cap to our evening.
So, that´s all folks. This has been an incredible experience for all of us it seems. I am very fortunate to have met you (all of you) and wish you all well with.
Love to everyone, beth
