A randomly ordered tour of the convention grounds at La Merced (Quito)

The kitchen

The room in the women's sleeping quarters that I shared with Melba, Jill and Stacey

Taking mattresses from the men's side for the workers who sleep off the kitchen and dining areas

Here you can kind of get the bigger picture - men's sleeping on the left, women's sleeping on the right.  The main entrance is back behind the truck.

 From the sleeping quarters looking down on the kitchen/dining building and the meeting building

Kitchen / dining and meeting buildings are down the stairs and to the right.

Looking up at the sleeping quarters

Dining is immediately through that large door in the front of the building with the kitchen behind.  There are three rooms on the right side of the building that are used for workers' sleeping.  Laundry is done behind the building.  (A couple of our friends bring a washing machine.)

Dining building on the right, meeting building on the left

Taken in front of the dining area, looking up toward the sleeping quarters

Jill and Linda discuss some important preparations detail.

Back in the kitchen 

When clouds (or lack thereof) allow, you can get a good view of Cotopaxi from the grounds at La Merced.  Yes, it was pretty much constantly smoking, but we definitely prefer that to lava!

Rita H and her family were visiting from the States.