Ecuador (1): Quito

I had to go to Ecuador for work, but luckily was able to take a couple vacation days to stop over in Quito and make it to the Andes for some hiking and biking.  I spent most of my time in the historic center of the city.

Flying into Quito

I swear I didn't do this

USA vs Guate

The last time I got to see the USA soccer team in-person was the 2009 World Cup qualifier in Mexico City.  Luckily for me, the USA got put in a group with Guatemala this year and so the two teams squared off on Tuesday night at Mateo Flores stadium in Guatemala City.  Also lucky for me, after having faced 100,000+ fans in Mexico City and the numerous things and liquids that rained down on us throughout the game, Guatemala’s stadium is a lot smaller and the fence to separate the visiting fans is a lot taller.  Still couldn't get a win, but at least it was a tie and not a loss this time.

Goats, pigs and potatoes in Quiche

I got to escape the office for a couple days this week to go see some Food for Peace projects in the department of Quiche.  We started off in Cunen where we visited a tree nursery that is used for reforestation projects in the area. 

 Local arcade

From there we stopped next at the house of a family that was receiving food aid, but has since graduated from the program.  Through the project, they started to keep goats that provide fresh milk, as well as fertilizer that is produced from the collected goat urine.

Filtering the goat urine

Goat urine ready to be used as a fertilizer

Old food aid bags being reused as part of an enclosure for rabbits

The third stop of the day was with a cooperative that produces certified potato seeds.

Fog rolling in after the afternoon storms

We attended a presentation of the final results of the project that also had an exposition of some of the products that have been supported through the project (produce, beans, baskets, handicrafts, educational materials, etc.)