In a move that would certainly surprise my 13-year old self, I have voluntarily visited several cathedrals in Quito, Ecuador over the last few days. I’ve decided to attend religious services of various forms for the rest of my life and cherry pick my favorite doctrines from each faith to create my own propriety hybrid system of values. To that end, I even attended a Hare Krishna “festival of love” three nights ago in Cali, but that’s another story.

Yesterday, I took a walking tour of Quito and went inside the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, which made quite an impression on me. I returned later that day to attend a Catholic mass and attempted to comprehend bible passages in Spanish. The cathedral filled with rich waves of sound and it was a wonderful experience.

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Today, I made my way to the Basílica del Voto Nacional in the center of Quito. It is an impressive building which is visible from much of the city.

After entering the basilica, I began my ascent. A bunch of staircases (there was an elevator available but I wanted to earn my view) followed by a series of one-at-a-time ladders.

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At last, after waiting for a seemingly unending cohort of tourists to descend the final ladder, I made it to the top. It was worth the wait.