We did some banking with Bank of America. It should be easy. We can access our account on line but it won't allow us to verify our local bank to transfer funds. So today we "Face Timed" our daughter Lori and she called Bank of America on a different cell phone and explained the situation that we can't simply call them and take care of matters ourselves. She then held that phone close to her Face Time phone and we were able to resolve all issues by talking "direct" with a Bank of America agent. .
Scheduling for the Couples Camp in Guayaquil has become complicated. It was suppose to be February 13-15. Well the country has a carnival that is several days long and well attended and includes that time frame of the camp. It makes any bus transportation in and out of cities like Guayaquil near impossible. So all agreed it won't work that weekend. It is a work in progress to figure out when it will happen. The bigger cities don't do so much for the carnival but the province of Ambato goes all out. We have heard the terminology "people go crazy" associated with the carnival time. So people travel from the bigger cities to that region to be part the "craziness". The timing may be associated with the start of Lent. The president adds a day to two and the populace get several days off in a row. Of course they must pay them back at some point by working Saturdays. Apparently you don't get to choose if you want to participant or not.
Later in the afternoon we decided to head to the monument "The Virgin of Panecillo." It worked out but we didn't get back too easy. The taxi driver asked if we wanted him to wait for us and we answered yes. Avis bought a few things and we toured a bit probably one half hour at most. The taxi driver was gone. There were two other taxis there but they were waiting for their customers. Veronica called a taxi.
In the meantime we hitched a ride on a tour bus of college students.They kindly gave up three seats for us. Once the bus started the music did too. Many of the girls turned in their seats or stood in the aisle and began to 'dance' in a sensuous manner. The youth of our generation and especially in Ecuador who must witness such behavior need our prayers. When the bus got to the bottom of the mount we got off and took a taxi ride back to the apartment. We then "ate out" at a little shop near our house. Three hamburgers without any lettuce or other vegetables and a glass of Fanta. It was OK but I'll still take a Big Mac burger.
"El Panecillo - Bread Loaf Hill - emerges with the aluminum statue of the Virgin of Quito in all of its 134 1/2 feet high from the south side of Quito Colonial. The hill itself rises at 9,900 feet or 3,016 meters above sea level." (WP)
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| A view of Quito from inside the statue. |
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| A view to a different direction. |
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| A mural inside the statue. |
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| The Virgin Mary with Child: One of many stained glass windows inside the statue. |
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| Another window with Mary and Jesus. |
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| Yet another. |
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| The Virgin |
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| A different view of the Virgin |
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