April 12th – USA to Quito, Ecuador
Here we are again! It’s adventure time again – this time a very special and much anticipated destination: the Galapagos islands, following brief forays into Ecuador and Peru. We’re getting more exotic and daring all the time.
Woke up at 4:00am. Unable to sleep any longer. Let all the cats in, made coffee, showered, dressed, and woke Mike up. Picked up David and Dicksie at 0630, and headed for Ralph’s office in Lewisville. We had a short stop on the way at Grandy’s where I did my level best to get my money’s worth at the “all you can eat” buffet. Did a pretty bang-up job too, but suffered many consequences not the least of which was air pollution!
Our adventure began with a bang. Seems that David just can’t take a day off. He wandered off to mail our first installment of postcards from airports all over the world and wound up pounding on an old woman’s chest and blowing his dragon breath down her airway. And got a $200 travel voucher from AA for his trouble. Seems he witnessed the lady have a cardiopulmonary arrest over her breakfast and offered his skills!
Left DFW on time @ 1150, arrived Miami @ 1530, in time to have Margaritas and beer.
Flight to Quito, Ecuador took 3½ hours and seemed like days. There was no warning of impending approach to the Quito airport – we were just suddenly THERE. Fortunately, it was very dark and we couldn’t see where we were or what was happening. The bright light of day at 0600 the next AM revealed a beautiful, green mountain towering to the north and gently curving around to hold the city in its embrace. Our approach to the airport came over the mountains and dropped suddenly to the runway, elevation 9200 feet.
Our hotel, the Alameda, is great – the quarters roomy and clean. Each unit comprises of a bedroom with twin beds, a kitchenette, dining area, sitting room, and bath. One wall of every room is glass, providing a view of the mountains. This being an election year, we were greeted with car caravans of politicos, all honking their horns in unison as they announced their choice of the electorate.
We were treated to a spectacular display of fireworks originating on the mountainside – probably also related to the election but Mike and I preferred to think they were for our benefit, celebrating the commitment of 30 years of marriage! We watched in the dark from our balcony and held hands and played like we were 20 again.
Later we strolled to a great restaurant near the hotel, Bentleys, owned by an American ex-pat named Ron Coffey who I hope to meet later as he has a jaguar that I am dying to meet. This turned out to be one of the best dining experiences of our travels so far. I had ceviche with camarones, the best I have ever eaten. But not cheap, at $10.00 US. The exchange rate then was 3200 sucres/$1.00US.
