Well everyone, I have made it here to Quito safe and sound. I arrived yesterday afternoon, and I was incredibly worn-out. My flight left JFK at 5:30 in the morning and was full of screaming babies. Yesterday I didn't do much, just found some food and sacked out in my hotel room. The hotel (La Posada del Maples) is nice and comfy with free internet and breakfast (which was pretty good, it sure trumped the typical motel 6 fare). My room overlooks the tiny courtyard which has a mimosa-like tree in it that is constantly filled with hummingbirds (colibris) and doves (palomas). If only I could figure out which species of the 150 colibris y palomas these are! I have positively identified one bird, the rufous-crowned sparrow which is fairly common on the vegetation-lined side streets.
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