So we are wrapping up our 5 day trip to Quito, Ecuador.  Only about a 2 hour flight away from Costa Rica, Quito stands at about 9,000 feet right in the valley of the Pichincha mountain.  We were staying at a Mission called Mision Carmelita, right in the middle of Quito.  Airplanes are always flying over and the mountain scenery here is gorgeous, despite the lack of oxygen in the air.  Walking up stairs and hills is difficult.  

All through the 5 days I have been thinking about topics I have never though about before- after finishing Savages, a look into the lives of the Huorani tribe in Ecuador, I learned how much the indigenous in Ecuador are exploited by oil companies such as Petroecuador.  As we discussed our everyday consumption, I saw that all of our daily items such as a toothbrush, tea bag, shampoo, or anything, comes from petroleum.  The line of production/extraction required to even make a single tea bag is phenomenal.  Such daunting and overwhelming cycles of the life of material goods makes me think about how many toothbrushes I have, and the impact each one makes as it travels across the world to American supermarkets.  It is scary to think about. 

  

The picture below is the view coming out of the airport in Quito, and the one below that is the Basilica, a famous church in Ecuador that we visited, and will explain more about in my next entry.