Breaking Past Boundaries – Journals from Abroad

!Hola Desde Quito!

I am back and more enthusiastic than ever! During these past few weeks away from the blog, I’ve been able to find a good balance between university life and exploration, which has been a huge stress relief! Sometimes, it can be very challenging trying to prioritize travel, especially when there are other obligations, but so far, I don’t have a single regret. Not only have I been able to explore more of Ecuador’s natural beauty, but I have also had the opportunity to push myself outside of my comfort zone while showing my adventurous side.

One of my first adventures since my last blog was taking a spontaneous trip with a group of exchange friends to visit the Historical Center of Quito. This was a very fun experience, as we were able to go at our own pace and choose how to go about our exploration. Our first stop of the day was to “Centro de arte contemporaneo”, which is a museum that showcases various forms of contemporary art. Overall, I really enjoyed this museum and what it had to offer, especially the exhibits portraying climate preservation and Indigenous artwork. In the museum, there was also an option to travel to the top level, where there was an amazing view of the residential area of the Historical Center. I, along with my friend Nati, also probably had a bit too much fun in the kid center, where we made a colorful piece of art; try to guess which side belongs to which artist!

This is an artwork found in a contemporary art museum. It is of a giant face that is made of other smaller faces. The material used for this artwork is metal — One of many artworks found in the “Centro de arte contemporaneo”

This is another artwork found in the contemporary art museum. It is of a wire person attached to leaves, birds, the sun, and the moon. This artwork is an Indigenous piece. — An Indigenous artwork

This picture shows a sky view from the contemporary art building. It is composed of many buildings, bright blue skies, and puffy clouds — Sky View from the art museum

This is a photo drawn by Nati and I. It depicts the sea, but with birds, a ship, Ariel, and an airplane. — Nati’s and I’s masterpiece

After our time at the “Centro de arte contemporaneo”, we traveled to the nearby church “Basílica del voto nacional”. This church was outstanding! Not only is the architecture gorgeous, but it also has a unique feature of letting the public climb to the top of its towers. This was a bit scary for me, as the main method of climbing is using a single staircase that exists on the outside of the building. However, after some self-convincing (along with friendly support from my friends), I was able to climb to the top and have never felt more proud! From this position, I had a great viewpoint of both the residential area and the nearby mountains. It is also interesting to hear how loudly some residents play their music, as I was being serenaded to “Funky Town” almost 400 feet above ground level.

Pictured is the front of “Basílica del voto nacional”. This church is grey, has many towers and is surrounded by blue sky. — The front of the Basílica

Pictured is the inside of “Basílica del voto nacional”. In the church is very tall stained glass and lots of gold decor. — The inside of the Basílica

Pictured is another stained glass window as light is shining through. This light is brightening up the colored portions of the stained glass

Light going through a stained glass window

Pictured is a sky view from one of the “Basílica del voto nacional” towers. Here, there are many buildings, a green mountain, blue sky, and white clouds. — Viewpoint of Historical center from Basílica’s tower

Pictured is me smiling in one of the towers. Behind me are the two tower clocks of “Basílica del voto nacional”. Both towers appear grey and have giant clocks that read different times. The behind sky is blue with some clouds — Me after climbing the Basílica tower

On another separate day in February, another group of friends and I took a trip to “Museo de cera ‘Alberto Mena Caamaño’” for our Ecuadorian culture class. Here, we learned about the history of Ecuador’s independence, leading up to its formation as a singular republic. This museum illustrated the history through information boards and wax figures, which I thought was very intriguing! However, there was one part of the museum that mimicked a graphic war scene in a dungeon, which was a little too gory for my taste. My favorite fun fact from this exhibit centers around the resemblance that Ecuador’s flag shares with Columbia and Venezuela. At one point, these countries made up the republic of Gran Colombia; when this republic disbanded, that led to the formation of each country, resulting in similar flag patterns to that of Gran Colombia.

Pictured are wax figures depicting the early history of Ecuador's fight towards independence. Here, there are four wax figured men in an office thinking about their next strategical move — Wax figures depicting Ecuador’s early fight for independence

Pictures are glass figurines of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Jesus is laying on the ground while Mary and Joseph are in awe of him. — Glass figurines of Mary and Joseph

Pictured is a wooden carving of Ecuador's shape. The photo has a few historical figures painted onto the sign — Cool carving of Ecuador

Pictured is me smiling with three of my friends. We are all outside of the Wax museum's courtyard — My friends and I after visiting the wax museum

Probably my favorite excursion in Ecuador thus far has been hiking mount Pichincha! This mountain trail takes about 4 hours to hike up (as it is very uphill), and about 1.5 hours to hike down. In order to get to this trail, I had to take a teleférico, which resembles a cable car traveling above ground. I will not lie; this part was a bit scary, as heights are something that I try to avoid. This trip, however, is about pushing my boundaries, which has now given me a very memorable experience. On the car ride up, I realized that I had forgotten to pack snacks (silly me), so I ended up buying a sandwich at a nearby cafe. The hike itself was very interesting, as it transitioned from a mountain path to a form of safe rock climbing to a giant sand hill (which was my least favorite part). Even though doing this hike in white Nike running shoes was a very bad idea, it was definitely worth it, as the viewpoint was outstanding! I also enjoyed the quality bonding time I had with the group I went with, as I definitely made new friendships on this trip!

Pictured is view of Quito from the Pichincha trail. All of the buildings are very faint, as it is a very far away pciture. — View of Quito from early parts of Pichincha trail

Pictured is part of the Pichincha trail. It is a dirt path with wild grass growing along it. Further parts of the trail are visible on the terrain with bright blue sky and clouds — Trail of Pichincha

Pictured is me smiling as I am near the top of the Pichincha trail. Beyond me are a lot of rocks and far away mountains with a cloudy sky — Me close to the top of Pichincha trail

Pictured is my friends and I after hiking the Pichincha trail. In the photo, we are all smiling with the trail, mountains, and sky in the background — Us ready to take on Pichincha

!Chao!

Cassie Klagge