50 roses for a buck fifty

My Spanish Language and Culture Classmates at La Catolica

Hiking Mount Pinchincha

The Orchids speak for themselves

My friend the boa

GIANT tortoise!

Highlights from the last few weeks-

Right now I am having the time of my life with my good Luther friend Mal. We just enjoyed warm beverages (apple cider to feed my fall in the midwest fix, and nutty hot cocoa) and great conversation. Tuesdays with Malory it seems as we have been trying to catch up at least once a week. I am so glad to be in Quito with her!

A few friends and I climbed Mount Pinchincha last Friday. It was a hazy morning and though we were over 4,600 meters about sea level we had a difficult time seeing Quito through the clouds. We hiked for around 3 hours enjoying the vegetation of the paramo.

This past weekend I had a field trip with my Environmental Diversity class which brought me to the Botanical Garden and Vivarium in Quito and the Zoo in Guallabamba. The Botanical Garden is host to over 100 species of orchids- Ecuador has one of the most diverse orchid collections in the world! The vivarium is home to many snakes including a boa constrictor we were able to hold. I especially enjoyed seeing the Condors at the Zoo. These are the largest flying birds and can have wingspans up to 3 meters!

While en route to the zoo I spotted a vendor who was selling roses- 50 roses for $1.50! Wow! The next day was our dog´s birthday and I decided that with roses this cheap I could afford to buy a couple dozen. I think Chama ultimately liked her birthday cake and bone better (a gift from Lorenita) but I enjoy having the fresh flowers around.