Prologue

Thursday 7/29/2010 - Arrival in Quito

We woke up at 5:45 a.m., showered, and finished getting some last-minute things together. We left for the airport at 8 and arrived there by 9. It was so nice not to have to get up in the middle of the night! What a civilized flight time! We had printed our boarding passes at home, so we checked in our bag at the kiosk and then went through security. There was no real line. We boarded the plane on time and took off at 11:20. We had an aisle and a window seat with nobody in between us despite the fact that it was a full flight. It was a 3 hour flight to Miami, where we had a two hour layover. There were some birders at our gate who were headed to Ecuador to go to Sacha Lodge (where Craig's brother Steve had recently stayed). While waiting, we bought $8 turkey baguettes and Mrs. Vickers potato chips. The flight boarded on time and we were in our seats by 4:20. We took off a few minutes late. One of the male flight attendants had super steroid arms. His biceps were bulging out of his too-tight short shirt sleeve. That's not something you see every day. The in-flight movie was "Old Dogs" but we didn't watch it. We got a meal of beef with mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, a roll and butter, and an "oatmeal chewie" which we stowed away for later enjoyment. We landed in Quito at 8 p.m. and went straight through customs. Our checked bag was one of the first off the conveyer - bonus! We don't usually check bags because they can be a hassle, but we had to bring clothing for both mountain and jungle climates as well as a sleeping bag, so we couldn't fit it all in carry-on. When we emerged from the airport, we didn't see a sign with our name on it immediately, but not even two minutes later, our man showed up. He was very apologetic for making us wait and we said there was no need. His name was Daniel, and he drove us to Casa Aliso, the lovely boutique hotel / bed and breakfast where we would stay all three times we would pass through Quito over the course of this trip. Once we arrived at Casa Aliso, Daniel left us in the capable hands of Patrick, who checked us in. He welcomed us and led us from the lobby (complete with computer and public internet), through a library, past a dining room with antique furniture and up a flight of stairs to our room. He asked if we wanted anything to eat, and then re-appeared with a tray of coca tea (we were now at high altitude, and coca is an herb which helps to combat altitude sickness) and cookies, along with a newspaper, map, magazine, and guide book. He really made us feel welcome. He recommended a day trip around Quito for our free day tomorrow, and told us that we could hire a driver for $10 per hour. He recommends going to the Equator and for a ride on the cable car up the mountains. We thanked him for everything and he bid us goodnight. The room was really nice with a wrought iron four poster bed, tray ceiling, green paint with brown moulding, TV, and in-room safe. There were butterflies painted on the bathroom ceiling above the tub, and there were fresh bathrobes hanging on the back of the door. We got settled into the room and enjoyed our tea and cookies. Then we went straight to sleep after a long day of travel.

Coca tea and cookies at Casa Aliso Our room at Casa Aliso