Visit from Oma and Opa....Opito, Apa, Opo

We had a wonderful visit from Oma and Opa (otherwise known as my/Nicole’s parents. Well they have real names too, but we've forgotten them. Oh, that's right. Their other names are Mom and Dad.) Opa’s name was quite the source of varied pronunciation – Opito (German meets Ecuadorian), Apa, and Opo.

Regardless of name, it was a great visit. There was a lot of just fun hanging out time…

We went to the faux equator line this time. Timothy loved it. He gave it a thumbs up. (OK – he hasn’t mastered the thumb yet. A pointer finger will do…)

We went walking along a beautiful train where Santiago trained for his marathon.


We went to fascinating Park Jerusalem (in Ecuador not Israel), which is the only dry forest in South America. Who knew? Lots of interesting foliage for us to see, and fun horseback riding for our little travelers.

We took the long cable car up to the top of the impressive mountain Pichincha to oversee all of Quito and beyond. We were so lucky to have a day in which we could see Cotopaxi, Antisana, and Cayambe, three mountains (and active volcanoes) that are part of the 22 mountain chain that runs down the middle of Ecuador.

This picture is my favorite. Our little Quiteno looking out over “his” mighty country.