Guayaquil

A few days ago we went to Guayaquil for a ward temple trip. Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador, and it's at the southern end of Ecuador near the ocean. Thursday night we loaded on to a bus that drove all night long. We got to Guayaquil around 7am and spent the day around the temple. We were able to get someone to watch Owen for us while we went to a session. It is such a beautiful temple inside and out! It really stands out as a gem amidst the older, not as beautiful city.



The next morning we wanted to see a little more of the city before heading home to Quito, so where did we go? To a big modern mall. Yes, it seems we are attracted to places that have anything American. It had a nice Christmas tree inside! We would have gone to see more of the city, but we didn't have a map and we didn't want to stray too far away, and this mall was pretty close. Besides, from what we've heard and read, there really isn't much exciting to see in Guayaquil. So we don't feel like we missed out on too much. :)




Later Saturday afternoon we got back on the bus for our long 9.5 hour bus ride back to Quito. (I learned that Owen is a really good traveler, but 9+ hours in a bus makes even the best travelers a bit cranky).

It was nice to experience the need to travel to a temple since I've always lived so close to one. In Chicago I thought driving 45min-2 hours (depending on traffic) was too long. Now I know I have nothing to complain about! The people here love their temple and are willing to make many sacrifices to attend as often as they can. We are so blessed we were able to go! And the workers there absolutely loved Owen.

Here are a few Owen Funny Faces for you...