Este fin de semana / This weekend

Friday, Feb. 13

Linda and I had breakfast (scrambled eggs, half of a roll with ham, cheese and jam, strawberry juice and hot herbal tea for me) in a restaurant owned by one of our friends in the south part of Quito. 

Rode the bus for about an hour to meet up with Jill at the McLeans' home in central Quito

This particular bus driver was not one of the better ones.  He seemed to enjoy accelerating and braking as quickly as possible.  One elderly man flew halfway down the aisle of the bus during one such "brake."  The bus driver calmed down a little after that!  

Jill and I rode the bus to the north part of Quito (about an hour and a half).

We had lunch at the Patio de Comidas in the mall.  (salad bar from Crepes & Waffles)

Walked to the psych hospital near the mall for a visit with the sister of one of our friends who lives in Colombia

Another quick stop at the mall

Rode the bus back to the McLeans' (another hour and a half or so)

Do you get the idea that we spend a good deal of time on buses?  If so, you would be correct!

Linda had supper prepared for us when we got back to our "suite" at the McLeans'.  Shawarma made with lamb and chicken - YUM!

Did I get to bed early?  I can't remember.  :-)

Saturday, Feb. 14

¡Feliz Día de la Amistad! / Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a quiet morning "in."  I ran to SuperMaxi (grocery store) to get a few things and then brought Subway home for lunch.  

Chatted with my parents and brother and sister-in-law on Skype

YAY!!!

4:00 Gospel Meeting at Warren & Karen McLean's

John 5

Hebrews 9 & 10

Isaiah 11:1-2

Linda and I had supper and the night with the Marco Merchán family.  A "few" others joined us for supper.  There were 14 of us "around the table."  It was noisy but wonderful.  Three different languages were being used in conversation, and we managed to get along just fine.  Cecilia ? (from Ecuador) was there with her husband and two children.  Her husband is from Brazil, and that is where they live.  (Portuguese)  David Lansdale (lives in Quito) had his mother and nephew with him.  (English)  It was a wonderful time of fellowship, food and laughter.  Oh yes, the main course was cow tongue in a cream of mushroom sauce.  It was quite good.  :-)  

Sunday, Feb. 15

Sunday morning meeting - 10:00 am @ Marco & Mercy Merchán's

Marco and Jenny Díaz (and grandson, Benjamin) gave us a ride to the McLeans' where we met up with Jill.

Jill, Linda and I met Elena and Maritza for lunch at Crepes and Waffles.  I didn't take a picture of my meal (Huevos Manchecos), but I couldn't eat my dessert without taking a shot of it first.

Vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate and caramel sauces, banana pieces, whipped cream and nuts

I think that oughta do me on desserts for a while!

Chatted with my sister on Skype

YAY!!!

Don Julio picked us up at 4:00, and we headed for the airport.  Jill is heading to Brazil for seven weeks of convention rounds, so we were happy that we were able to see her off.  We got there a little early since there was no traffic.  Amazing!  We enjoyed sipping our drinks from the Juan Valdez coffee shop and watching all the airport hustle and bustle.

A line up of taxis

 Come on down!

The flag on the left is the Ecuador flag.  I'll have to keep trying to catch it when it's completely unfurled.  I'm not sure about the flag on the right.  Pichincha?  Quito?  I could look it up, but I'm too lazy.  (It's time for bed.)  Feel free to look it up and send me a comment.  :-)

After arriving back at the McLeans', I enjoyed an hour or so of "music therapy" (aka: playing the piano) before heading back to the suite to get settled in and ready for bed.  

And now the time has come to sign off and get some ZZZ's.  I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.  I'll "see" you later.

Kamela