My Apartment in Old Quito

I am in my apartment a few blocks from Plaza Grande. It is spacious, basic, a bit noisy, but I have adapted. My first night here I was invited by my neighbor Lorraine to accompany Marcela (owner) and she to a art exhibit opening for Farhana Khan Matthies in a beautiful old building a few blocks away. Nice food, people, wine etc. A very pleasant evening. There are a few other people staying in my building from France, Germany and Britain. I was invited by the Germans to go to Mindo for the day today but passed. If I go there I have to birdwatch. I am still waiting for Luis to get a trip set for me. I may have to hire an extra guide but I am hesitant becuase good ones are hard to find. There is a small village called Lloa up by the Pichincha summit. I may head up there for a night and explore the páramo. Cold up there. Pichincha has been rumbling according to scientists. I am waiting for all the dogs to start barking. We are also coming into a bad El Nino year. There should be bad floods here this November to March.
The sky has been so clear and blue in the mornings that I have been twice to Itchimbia. The view is spectacular. I can seee so many volcanoes and mountain tops. The birds are not numerous but I have been posting to eBird my lists. After all my efforts to keep concise lists, I have failed. It is a pain in the ass to use spread sheets so I entered all my birds into eBird data. This after removing duplicates from Excel sheets leaves me at 983 birds. There were almost 30 duplicates and some birds which have not been split. I am sticking with my eBird list. Even Avibase is off by 3 birds at 980. Yesterday I enetered my Itchimbia list to eBird and found that one of the very first birds I saw in Ecuador last year was not on my list! Cinereous conebill. Don´t know how I missed it. How many more are not accounted for I am not sure. Can´t be but a couple.
I have been making fruit smoothies with fresh fruit, yogurt, honey and water in a blender. So delicious. There are many bread shops and bakery shops near by. I am shocked sometimes how cheap food is. A bag of strawberries for $1. Gas is still $1.48 a gallon. There are many markets near here and I am amazed at the amount of produce, meat, seafood available. Three pineapples $1.
The water here is very hard. Almost grimey. I need to buy fabric softener. It´s laundry day and for the first time that I ever remember I have to hang clothes on a line to dry. The humidity is around 55% and clothes dry fast in the breeze. My lips are chapped and I asked for something for labias instead of labios. I got a curious smile.
It is also Quito Pub day and I will go see my new friend Andriss this afternoon. La Ronda is an alley of restaurants and bars here in the historic district. A 10 minute walk. I like Plaza Foch better. I had a 3 hour conversation with one of the owners of a La Ronda establishment and she was quite taken with me. I met nearly her whole family. They always ask if I am married with kids. No, my wife died I tell them. Otherwise they look at me with a curious frown.
I should stay home tonight. I think Ben Hur is on TV.
Hasta próximo!