This morning we had an unexpected surprise when Sandra knocked on our door and asked if we wanted to go see Cotopaxi. Obviously we said yes and went with her to the rooftop balcony of our flat. Cotopaxi can be seen in the morning when it is clear and this morning it was perfect conditions. This volcano is one of South America’s most famous volcanoes and one of its most active ones. It is 5911 m (19,393 feet) high, with a current status labeled as erupting. As you can see from the photos Cotopaxi is smoking steadily. Quito is at a high enough elevation that if Cotopaxi does erupt in full force we will not have to evacuate however there are several small villages she is concerned for so although it was a rare novelty for us to see, we pray for the safety of the nearby villages.

While we had this viewpoint from the rooftop we took a few photos of Quito to share with you.

After the excitement of seeing our first erupting volcano we took the Trolley downtown for lunch and the Jardin Botànico de Quito (Botanical Garden of Quito) in Carolina Park. We found an awesome restaurant across the street from the park. It was by far the best dining experience we have had in Quito thus far. I already put in my request that this restaurant, Lizarran – Spanish Tapas Restaurant, is the one I want to go to for our last night / dinner in Quito. Tod ordered a Margarita and had the most beautiful blue drink I have ever seen. I had no idea they made blue Margaritas and neither did he!

On the way to the Garden, we stopped to take pictures of the plane that was gutted out, painted and now is used for a slide. This section of the park was closed off but we could still get a photo to send Keith.

Walking into the Botanical Garden was a bizarre transition from a crazy busy downtown city to a tranquil, peaceful and quite park. There were many different species of plants and trees from the rainforest to the dessert. It was definitely worth the time and money ($3.00 Each) to see the garden.

Tomorrow we are taking a bus to Otavalo and will be spending the night. Likely the next post will not be until Sunday. Until then – wishing you all the best! T n M