Quito

At the end of our first leg of the flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, we met up with Sue, Kara, Cristina and Peggy. The six of us had a few hours to hang out and make as much trouble as possible with just a few hours of jet lag behind us.

An "USie" of the first part of the gang to get together in Atlanta.
(can't call is a "SELFie" when it's more than mySELF in the photo, now can I?)

After a long day and a midnight arrival in Quito, we made our way to our hotel near the airport. We got some good sleep, while Mavis & Joanne's flights had been delayed; they got in about 4:00 a.m. and ended up with just a few hours of sleep. But, there were others we were still going to meet up with. The whole gang was not yet together.

Here we are, just a reflection in the hotel window by the airport in Quito.

The GANG in a van on the way to Hotel Casa Foch in Quito.

We decided to hire our driver, Diego, for the rest of the day and he took fantastic care of us! Cristina speaks fluent Spanish so she and Diego made sure we all had a sweet day.

After a quick stop at the Hotel Casa Foch in Quito, we picked up a few other Gang members and Diego took us to Old Town. He was a fantastic, and very patient guide for us. And patience is a MUST with this Gang of friends from one US coast to another. And a good time was certainly had by all!

The WHOLE GANG in the Van touring through Old Town Quito

After a quick run through the local market, Diego drove us to the Basilica del Voto Nacional (Basilica of the National Vow), which is a Roman Catholic church near the historic center of Quito. It is the largest neo-Gothic church in the Americas, designed by the French architect, Emilio Tarlier in the early 1890s. Construction began on July 10, 1892 and took more than 30 years to build. In 1985, Pope John Paul II blessed the church. Map.