On Monday morning we got up and went on a walking tour of the old part of the city. Without realising we had timed our walk perfectly to see the changing of the guard in the main plaza. It was a pretty big deal with the president and his family there to wave to the crowds. All of the guards were dressed head to toe in uniform and there was a full marching band and guards on horseback.
It was amazing to see and it was nice because the crowd wasn't just made up of tourists, there were lots of Ecuadorian people who had popped out from work etc to watch the ceremony and show their support for the current political party.
The whole thing lasted between 30 - 40 minutes and was very grand. Seems a little over the top though considering that it happens exactly the same every week (President, marching band and all).
We then spent the rest of the day looking at the other sites of Quito like the cathedral, the parks and the observatory.
It was soooo nice to be back together again (even though our break from each other was short!). Although we all missed Pam.
xxx
