Parents in Quito

I haven't posted a blog in a while, and my parents got worried. So they decided they needed to come down and check things out themselves.



They got here on Thursday and have been checking out different aspects of my life in Quito.



On Friday morning, there was a work day in the garden at the Peace Corps office. My parents were happy to lend a helping hand (or four). Here my mom is hauling some dead zucchini plants to the worm composting bins.



After harvesting all the zucchini plants, we decided to plant new crops. My dad put compost in each hole so the young plants would get enough nutrients.



We went to the Pre-Colombian Art Museum in the historic center of Quito (highly recommended if you get a chance) and noticed that the Block M might have its roots in ancient Ecuadorian culture. (Maize is also an indigenous plant to the region. Coincidence?)



My parent's visit also coincides with the fiestas of Quito, where people celebrate the anniversary of the city's founding. One popular way to mark this occasion is to rent the Ecuadorian version of a party bus, or a chiva. To make a chiva, put a flatbed on a pre-1960 bus, paint it with bright colors, get rid of the windows, add some wooden benches, connect some massive speakers, and buy some booze.



Every Sunday morning, they shut down one of the main avenues in Quito to motorized traffic for bikers, rollerbladers, and runners. My parents have lots of experience with tandem bicycles, but they have not seen one like this before. My mom often worries that she is not pulling her weight on the back of the tandem, but I guarantee she does more than this woman.