Spending a Sunday in Quito

Hey! Quito is not so bad on a warm Sunday morning. First in Plaza Grande where there was music and dancing local bands & musicians. Sat night wasn`t quite so pleasant-- a political meeting going on. Poster of about 8 former presidents with some message about they had sold out the people. The speakers were getting very agitated as was the audience who were shouting and heclkling. Don`t know who was pro or anti the current president but he was the subject of discussion. Apparently there is some unrest at the moment and a lot of demonstrations,so Eileen told me. Some teachers are on strike.
Back to to-day What also helps a lot is that every second Sunday the main streets are closed to traffic and opened for cyclists--makes life so much nicer--no pollution, atmospheric or noise.
On the recommendation of Rosi, the house mami, went to Museo del Agua. Now that dosen`t sound too exciting, but it was very good. I t is high over the city so first there are great views. Looking down it all seems so peaceful and quiet, you can`t see the vendors, beggars, the child labour,either selling sweets or shining shoes, the unease that a gringo feels a lot of the time disappears.
The Museo del Agua, which I didn`t see in guidebooks, is an exhibition and interactive discussion about the effects of global warming on the glaciers , and how eg Cotopaxi`s glaciers have shrunk. At the end there is a water show which starts with a rain dance and then includes the audience which later runs under water jets, fountains etc, all good fun, despite getting wet.

Later I sank to the depths-- In the new town I went into Mc Donalds for a coffee!!!--which I must say was the best coffee I have had in Quito-- and sat for an hour studying reflexive verbs while the 4x4`s drew up for the children`s parties, not infrequently with overweight children--another side of Quito.

After that was too late for the Museo del Banco Central so I walked along by exhibition of art on railings of El Ejido, a big city park. Some of the art was of the "cottage by the stream" school, others were apres Guayasamin and another very colourful local naive school. Other themes came through strongly, the symbols and icons of Inca & indigenous art, some beautiful abstractions of local scenes, markets, vendors, much quite unlike anything I have ever seen, all media represented--well worth the hour I spent there.

Then back the to reality of Quito in the Trole-- one, of a group of young men of afro-Ecuadorian origin, seemed to brush his hand too frequently against my pockets, however there was nothing of value for him to find, only toilet paper. Speaking of which, I still find it hard to accept that one should not put toilet paper into the toilet, but into the basket provided.