Day 6: It's a real MALL

I actually really don't like to go shopping. I am the type of person that only goes when I need something and even then I sometimes have to think about what I'm buying and often leave the store without anything, only to decide a few days later if I am going to buy it. Sometimes that mentality can bite you in the ass. Especially when things are on sale, or in little markets. But, as you can ask my mother and sister, I am a pain in the ass to shop with. I am so cheap that if the price isn't exactly right I'll refuse to buy it, now this is all things EXCEPT lotion and awesome smelling body products. I am a total Bath and Body Works whore. I worked there on and off part time for a few years. Now that I've traveled a bit I know why it's so popular - there just isn't anything else like it. Yeah, Sephora is giving it a run for it's money, but in other countries there is NOTHING like BBW.

I had my fingers crossed when I went to the mall today. That there would be at least a Body Shop. I knew there wouldn't be BBW because they don't have stores internationally. Victoria's Secret does, but their lotion (even though they are owned by the same company) is not the same.

So after school I hoofed it to one of the three huge malls in Quito. I had no idea what to expect and when I walked into the doors the first thing I saw was an Apple Store! Oh, lord have mercy, this is going to be good! It is a real mall! By real I mean that it has chain stores and is clean. I know you are thinking, hey, if you want that why don't you move back to the US. Well, I don't really want huge, clean malls, but what I do want is a city that cares about being a city. I don't know how to communicate this but Quito is 100% South America, however it has this sense of wanting more for it's people. Clean streets, easy and cheap public transportation, rules about pollution, clean and safe parks, and places for people to buy legal merchandise. Don't get me wrong, I'm wearing a bootleg shirt right now, but there is something to be said for a place that tries to abide by laws. There is corruption, sure, but it feels safer, all around.

So I'm in the mall, wandering around, feeling out of place, because that's mostly how I feel in malls, but it was a familar out of place feeling.

There were three main floors. On the top floor was the food court. A Starbucks knockoff, Sabarro pizza, Burger King, local food places, Taco Bell, etc... (when I saw the Taco Bell I think I said out loud - "wow, a Taco Bell") The food court was immaculately clean. I sat down and snapped this photo quickly, so people didn't think I was nuts. Can you imagine seeing someone taking photos in the Cherry Creek Mall?

Look at this view! The people you see are actually sitting in a covered outside deck. The sun was out today and it was gorgeous. Being so high (in altitude) the sun is super intense and when it is out you are sweating and the moment it is covered you freeze.

I left with nothing. No surprise. There was no Body Shop or anything like it really. I'll have to venture out to the two other malls to see what I can find.