South America Day 71 - Quito to London

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It’s finally here, the last day of our trip. We don’t leave for the airport until 3 pm, so this morning we are visiting the Palacio de Gobierno, which I have finally managed to obtain tickets for. The tour is free but needs to be reserved by email (in Spanish) so I’m quite proud of my achievement.

Time to pack one last time. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve packed and unpacked. It’s strange to think that next time I unpack it’ll be in my own bedroom, closely supervised by my cats.

First, a weirdly disjointed breakfast; scrambled egg, a cheese toastie, an empanada, onion chutney, butter and jam. What are we supposed to do with the butter and jam? Dip the empanada in it? Spread it on the cheese toastie? Or maybe mix it with the scrambled egg?

We head for the main plaza and the Palacio security post. Our names are on the list – a triumph. We get a guided tour of the museum which focuses on the political history of Ecuador and finishes with a collection of presidential gifts. Then past some rather cool murals by Guayasamin depicting the first European navigation of the Amazon. Finishing with visits to the enormous Banquet Room with its own chapel and the Yellow Room which houses portraits of past presidents.

We return to the hotel, stopping to buy last minute gifts (mainly Ecuadorean chocolate) and stock up on supplies for the (hopefully) 22 hour Journey home.

Then it’s time to haul our arses up that damn hill for the last time. We try to buy lunch but one restaurant is closed and the other is open but appears to have no food. So it’s back down the hill to the bakery and then up the hill for definitely the last time.

Then a taxi to the airport and an overnight flight to Madrid (a chance to watch Green Book and the Favourite). We arrive tired, but it’s lovely to breathe proper thick air full of oxygen. Just one more flight and we’re back in England. Time to see my gorgeous girlies and start planning another adventure?

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