Sunday - July 4th

Sunday was a leisurely day - we had nothing planned for us on our itinerary but decided to take the bus to the other Mitad del Mundo museum (the more touristy one). We decided to meet at 9:45 and meet the bus. The ride was about 1/2 hour long and cost us each $0.35. We got the complex, purchased our tickets and went inside the complex. There were lots of different "attractions" - exhibits that you could walk through, plus lots of shops and restaurants. As soon as we entered, there was a BBQ pit set up with guinea pigs roasting on a spit! This photos's for you Anne! Here cuy cuy cuy!

At 11:30 we all gathered in the planeterium for a show about the stars, constellations and how the middle of the world was mapped. After that, we walked around the through some of the exhibits and shops. Maria and I decided to eat lunch in a lovely restaurant. The dining room was on the 2nd floor about some shops. It had windows which looked out onto the square where there was dancing and music. We both had llanpingaughos (they are like potato pancakes filled with cheese), mine came with pork chops, her's with chicken.

After lunch, we decided to head back to the Center. However, we planned to stop at the Mall first. Since it was Fourth of July, we were all feeling like we were missing the festivities back home, so we had gotten together with the Jersey Boys and planned a BBQ for that night. The teens hangout and walked around while the adults stopped at the Mega Maxi, the supermarket (it's kind of like a Target with a full-service grocery store) to pick up hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, chips, soda, etc. for dinner. Laurie spotted the Tony Roma's across the Mall and picked up some ribs for us.

As we were leaving the Mall, we noticed that it had started to rain. It wasn't raining hard, just drizzling a bit. We divided up the bags amongst the whole group and headed home. The Center is just about 5 blocks up from the Mall so it was no big deal to get back.

When we got back, Maria and I had a last minute meeting with the teenagers about how to clean their rooms, packing, what to bring to the airport, what to leave behind, etc. Then at 5:00 pm, Fr. John celebrated Mass in the living room for our three groups (Jersey Boys, Wisconsin group and us). 

Following Mass, we began cooking. Dinner was ready by about 6:30 pm, we all sat down in the dining room for our last meal together. 

After dinner and clean up, some of our group played "Catch Phrase", then Maria and I sent the teens to finish packing and getting ready to leave.

Madre Miguel and Padre Juan came in about 8:30 to say goodbye and collect our keys to our rooms. We expressed our gratitude to them once again for their hospitality and these wonderful experiences that we were able to share.

Vicente arrived at 9pm to take us to the airport - we boarded the place at 11:30 pm to begin the journey home!