Two great walking days in Quito down -- next up, the hike to altitude!u

Looks like we´re in great shape for big challenge coming up.

Yesterday we walked around the gringo-tourist area before lunch, then did a serious circuit of the old colonial city. (How old? Just 480 years old is all!) Walked up and down the hills of the tiny streets, strolled the spawling plazas, even climbed cathedral towers.

Today we went to the equatorial line. The actual, magnetically confounding, gravity enhancing, water unswirling, line. Got to participate hands on in all the experiments that demonstrate the line, the difference in the two hemispheres, and the unique state of being inbetween them. A relatively new center and an alternative to the big monument. This was so fun and educative, I doubt I´ll ever go to the other again. We all enjoyed it.

We all also enjoyed our cable car ride up the mountain overlooking the city. Not single person fainted from the altitude, and we actually covered quite a bit of ground on a little hike along the ridge. Beautiful views, with a fairly clear day, and not a tree to block our view that high (13,500 feet).

As we drive to our various places, I talk to the students about this and that, tid bits of lecture highlighted by seeing it or hearing it. One example was the private, heavily armed guards that are common here, and elsewhere in countries with high degrees of social inequality, but weak states without the resources to pay for strong public law enforcement.

Anyway, tomorrow we go on our two day hike up into the national park. Day three will be free and relaxed, with an afternoon horseback riding trip. And day four will be our hike up the refuge and climbing on the glacier, complete with all the gear that makes us look like we´re climbing Everest. But we won´t be attempting any glamorous achievement, just trying to experience what it´s like to move around on a high altitude glacier; a world of ice and snow, where somewhere below you are palm trees, and where every move has to be slow and intentional to preserve your energy.

We miss you all, but we sure are having fun!