Ecuador

Henry, our guide, outside the Society of Jesus church
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Having thought very carefully about returning home early, Peter decided he had to carry on with the trip. We would have forfeited our decent seats on the plane and would have had to wait several days anyway. So, stocked up with painkillers, vitamins and plenty of courage we set off for Ecuador. We got some treatment for Peter at the Swiss Hotel where a lovely doctor tried very hard to help.

Our guide in Quito was acharming young man called Henry, and he took us first to a convent of San Diego which is well off the usual tourist trail and full of wonderful art, done by 'The School of Quito' - in other words it was done by the indigenous peoples for the Spanish Conquistadores in the style that they knew from back home. It must rival the Italian rennaisance artists, but none of the artists were allowed to be named as they were of Indian origin!

Statue of the Madonna with wings
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We visited the Society of Jesus church which is amazing - the inside is pretty much completely covered in gold leaf and is exceeding grand. There is plenty of history about the Jesuits and how they were expelled and then brought back to run the Army and the schools.

We also visited the local museum which is beautifully presented and the home of a wealthy woman who helped the poor and who seems to feted in the city. Interesting to see how the houses were developed over time.