On the last day of the trip I spent some time in the airport updating these writings with a description of the last day. My SD card failed and so I lost the story. But, lucky you, I will now try to recreate it as best I can. I have been home a few days but the memories are so terrific that I think I can share it first hand with you...
Winding Down is maybe not the best title because it was anything but a quiet day. I woke about 4:30 on Monday morning, December 3, showered, dressed, and went to the Hilton lobby where hot water was waiting for me to make a strong cup of tea. In the quiet of the business center where WiFi was free (in your room you were charged for it!) I posted about yesterday, checked email and even read a couple of online newspapers.
When the cafe opened at 6:00 a.m., I got more tea and a plate of fresh watermelon and cantaloupe, returned to the business center and tried to kill time until some of my travel companions began to come down for breakfast. The omelets were freshly made to order and the cookies had taken on Christmasy shapes. At the Hilton there were pre-made sandwiches and most of us took one or two for later in the day. I don't eat mayonnaise so instead I would take the bread meant for toast and some ham and cheese from the European part of the breakfast buffets and make one for lunch, even if lunch was included, 'cause you just never know when traveling in a foreign country what will turn up on your plate. And of course, cookies and an apple.
The plan for the Monday, after the Cloud Forest was cancelled because so many were exhausted after the long bus ride for the Markets Day, was for some of us ladies to visit the botanical garden. I know this is always suggested partly because of my interest in plants but really, truly, unless it is spectacular, they are just another garden. To see the orchids here could not possibly be as spectacular as in Singapore. And as it turned out later, they were not.
I changed my plan and joined the young'uns, and Mitch and Marshall (they are from Chicago which has its own spectacular Conservatory and Gardens, and Arboretum) and opted for the Quito cable car. Never thought I would enjoy that as they make me nervous but what a perfect outing to help fill the long day before the midnight flight.
The Teleferico is the newest attraction in Quito. It "gives to every visitor a spectacular view of the city and its surroundings including more than 14 peaks of the Andes that is called the Volcanoes Avenue. The Teleferico reaches 4,050 meters on the summit of Cruz Loma." Specifically this is 13,287ft 413⁄16in. above sea level. Isabel, our guide, had advised that we spend no more than an hour at this elevation and to just walk around and take pictures. But not us. We were by this point of our trip, intrepid.
I led us over to a little chapel perched on the hill top. Quite picturesque but Lucy, the one who had celebrated her anniversary earlier in the trip and had a bid birthday coming up, thought we should climb the hill behind the church. The youngsters went to the left, around the chapel but not us. Up we climbed. At one point it was so steep that I sat in the grass and just breathed. I let them go ahead. When I saw that they did not stay at the top of the hill I plunged upward as well. reaching the top, I could see them at the next height, resting. I caught up with the group, of which I was not even the oldest, and we forged onward. Just to the top of the next hill, and then the next, and the next. We reached the spot where there was a horse corral but the sneaky, easy path taking kids, had now taken all the horses. So as they rode we hiked, and climbed and kept going to view incredible landscapes and distant mountains, and volcanoes. The lesson learned...no way did Julie Andrews climb to the top of the Alpine mountains (lower in elevation that we achieved) and actually burst into song. At these soaring heights, breathing is a full time job!
When Ursula was still not doing great Mike declined further adventure for the day. We three went a few blocks down the street to a local tourist market to use our newly gained bargaining skills once more. I usually am not good at this but in Ecuador it was fun. I never paid more than half what was being asked. Mitch had paid $10 for a tee shirt, Marshall paid $8 and at the next stop I managed to get it down to $5! So we each bought several. It was quite a pleasant afternoon. We laughed a lot.
On the way back to the hotel we met Mike and Ursula. She had come out for some fresh air and showed us her manicure and pedicure which Isabel had taken her to get after breakfast. Total cost for hand painted designs and two hours of attention was $10. That is 50 cents a nail ladies! Quite pretty, too. She went to the hotel and Mike set out for the market. Everyone had returned from the garden and they were all trying to get repacked and organized for the flight home. I had done that the night before so the guys and I went across to the park where there was a concert going on.
The first week of December in Quito is one long celebration and cacophonous party. The city celebrates its founding with parades, food, art, and noise! The bullfights are permitted once a year on the actual foundation date of December 6, so we missed those. But this Monday afternoon was no exception to the party atmosphere. There was a really large male singer decked out in a black shirt with long white fringe and a black cowboy hat, and tight jeans. He was playing bass guitar and singing a country western song in Spanish. But during the solo riffs he came to the front of the stage and mimicked the best of the rock and roll gyrations...or at least he tried.
Back at the hotel we went our separate ways to gather our things to check out at 5:30 p.m. I had offered for everyone to use my luggage scale but the battery was dead and I had not been able to replace the flat style locally. So, I arranged for the hotel bell man to bring the scale to each room. It was a bathroom scale but it did the trick as he weighed everyone's bags. I won't make the dead battery mistake again.
Sitting in the lobby was boring and we had an hour and a half to kill. Lucy, our morning hike leader, and I went back to the park. We did not get far. I was fascinated by a street artist who was creating a landscape using spray paint, bits of newspaper and cardboard for brushes, and setting the paint seal with fire! Yes, he set the paintings on fire.
I loved it and began taping him. At the end I immediately spoke up and bought it. I could not believe that he said $8 and got it out as fast as possible, I did not want someone to offer more. I have the painting framed now and have the video to show the work. Amazing. Lucy bought two already completed works. She took Jane back over to see this young man in action and he was finishing for the day. Everything was five dollars, but I LOVE having the video of him creating my view of the volcano of Ecuador.
At last 7:00 tricked over on our watches and we gathered in front of the hotel Christmas tree to have a group photo taken. It was really the first time everyone was together except on a travel day.
(Back Row: Mark, Madeline, Craig, Mitch, Marshall ... Middle Row: Mike, Ursula, Me, Jane, Lucy, Maggie, Sharon, Ming ... Front Row: Isabel, Theresa, Carolyn, Michaela, Kathy, Gary)
Carolyn's friend, Carol, had gone home before the Galapagos because of illness. Actually, I was the only one on the whole trip who did not have either a bout of diarrhea or altitude sickness.
From the hotel we went to a traditional Ecuadorian restaurant. It was great fun. We could hear the mariachi band greeting us as we walked from the bus. At the door of Rincon La Ronda Restaurant waiters welcomed us with warm spiced wine. Seated in the balcony of the opulent Spanish building we started with Empanadas while the second band played at our table side. I ordered the potato, cheese, avocado soup which is a specialty of the country. It has been delicious everywhere I have had it and here was no exception. The almond Chilean Sea Bass was crispy and excellent. Dessert was a sampling of all the tasty treats the menu had to offer. The bands switched again and band three and four played and I couldn't resist playing along.
LAN has an extremely slow check in process and security was hand performed and done three separate times. After the final search through the carry on bags we were in a waiting room with no bathroom and no water fountain. So there was nothing else to do for two hours except watch others go through the process. I heard Madeline defend the idea that her liquids were not in a quart size ziplock bag because "in the US we never do that." Not sure how she has managed all these trips without doing that. But the best was the lady who literally yelled at the young inspector to "Take it. Take it all. It isn't in a bag because I don't want to do that." I couldn't hear exactly what the young lady said as she showed her a plastic bag but could not miss the angry passenger from the Vantage Tour group as she responded. "I'm from New York. I lived through it. How dare you tell me what to do!" She huffed off and the items did indeed go into the large round container at the security person's side. I think she was lucky she wasn't arrested. I guess the late shift in Ecuador is more patient than our own TSA.
Returning home from Quito was a much shorter trip than the flight to Lima. The plane was pretty empty and I leaned up against my window seat with no one anywhere near me. My painting safe in the staff closet, and ate my chicken dinner. In Miami we arrived early which gave me an extra long layover. My 9:00 a.m. flight was also empty, only 30 passengers to Atlanta. Too bad they still wanted to charge the $50 early flight fee because I left my companions behind for a later flight.
Christine met the plane and by 2:00 in the afternoon I was folding the first load of wash. Since Peru and Ecuador are in the same time zone it was an easy return to normalcy.
I bought this shirt at the National Park of the Galapagos. Even paid full price. It says it all!
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