Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador. We spent one day here before flying to Quito, the capital of Ecuador (9,200 ft above sea level). Quito is a beautiful city surrounded by magnifcient mountains.On our flight from Guayaquil to Quito, we had wonderful views of the volcano, Cotopaxi. In Quito, we had a beautiful view from our hotel window, and the view had Cotopaxi in the distance.In Quito, we went to a number of places but the following were my favorite: La Compania de Jesus (a Jesuit Church with its interior covered in gold-leaf), La Plaza de la Independencia (where we saw an incredible sunset),and la Mitad del Mundo (where we were able to stand on the actual line of the equator! Brandt walked across the equator all on his own.I am so happy to have had the opportunity to visit Quito. Not only is it a city with a beautiful landscape, but things seemed much more relaxed and quiet than in the large city of Guayaquil.

I must say that our first day in Guayaquil was not the most exciting. We went on a city tour (which we spent most of our time in a Historic Park) and that evening went to a University Reception (which was not very interactive nor eventful). During the city orientation tour, before stopping at the Historic Park, we did go to the Iguana Park which was really neat to see even though the iguanas peed and pooped at any given time from the trees overhead. The kids and I did get a little peed on...yucky!Our last day in Guayaquil was super!! Cory, Emma, and I (Brandt stayed with my mom and sister) went to a Social Service Mall which is really an educational program geared for the people in the community with limited economic resources. We timed it just right and got to see a Cultural performance that was for a group of 10-13 year olds, and we were also able to spend time with the little 3-4 year olds in their pre-school classes. Emma had a good experience meeting new friends.When we got back to the ship, we all (except for my dad) decided to fit into one Taxi to bring us into the shopping area of Guayaquil. Our cab driver, Carlos, was great! He gave us an awesome city orientation tour, dropped us off to shop a little at an Artesania, and on our way back to the ship he stopped by his home to get some old Sucre coins to give to us as souveniers. He was wonderful, and it was sad to say goodbye to this sweet Taxi driver we will most likely never see again.We had a wonderful visit in Ecuador, so far one of our favorites! Even Emma said that this has been her favorite...although her reason was because she was finally able to get the dress she has always wanted!