New Hotel in Quito

I took some nice pictures in the historic district yesterday morning.  It was at the Plaza Grande.  They were having some kind of event, although we couldn't figure out exactly what was going on.  Here are a few shots:

 A huge group of children sitting in front of the government building

Our First Ecuadorian Parade

Like I said, we were not sure what was going on, but I think we just witnessed our first Ecuadorian parade.  Or a some semblance of a parade.  I think it was in front of a government building.

Yesterday, we decided to move to the Best Western Plaza Hotel in Quito.  The Hotel Catedral Internacional in the historic district was OK, but they had mold in the bathroom and it was just not right for us.  The staff was very friendly and helpful, but it was just not the right place for us.  We like the Best Western Plaza Hotel very much.  It is more for foreign visitors and businessmen.  It is across the street from a very modern mall--Quicenter.  I took a few pictures of the food court.

The YUM corner of the food court in the Mall in Quito---KFC, Pizza Hut, & Taco Bell!!!

Cinnabon & Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream (I had to get a 2 scoop hot fudge sundae with chocolate mint ice cream)

Then this morning, Pat and I went for a walk in el Parque --  La Carolina, I think it is the largest park in Quito.  Here are a few pictures that we took in the park:

I wanted to get at least one picture with me in it.

This is a giant airplane that has a sliding board coming out of the nose of the plane.  It was located around a huge playground area.  We're were not sure how they got the place there, but it was kind of cool.

   A huge playground area in the park. 

We also met with our immigration attorney, Gabriela Espinosa, who is going to get things started for us to get a permanent visa.  We told her that we would touch base again next week after we return from Cuenca.  We leave for Cuenca tomorrow for 10 days.  We are really excited about finally getting there.  We also hailed our first taxi cab to get back to the hotel.  And we made it safe and sound. 

Pat is feeling much better today--thankfully.  It has made it much better for me.  And we have been practicing some Spanish with some of the local Ecuadorians.  Gotta go for now.  More to post tomorrow after we get to Cuenca.