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Some technological difficulties have challenged us and now we think we are able to become true bloggers! Sorry for the delay, folks. We are alive and well and have even skyped our 'baby' today from a cafe in Quito. How cool is that?! Last time we traveled for an extended period, some 28 years ago, all we had was snail mail and an occasional phone call from a post office that had 3 second delays after each person spoke! So here we sit drinking coffee in a cafe listening to a live blues band in the restaurant/entertainment center in Quito at 10:30am.
Here's a quick run down of our first few days of our trip:
After a full nonstop day and night on Tuesday doing last minute preparations including our final rabies vaccination, money pick-up, a stop to our favourite store MEC and completing what felt like a bazillion small tasks (including both of us buzz cutting our hair), we closed the door to our home at 3:40am. Whew! Calvert took us to the airport and we spent the next 18 hours making our way to Quito, Ecuador. All typical of the style in which we tend to find ourselves travelling.
We
effortlessly hailed a taxi at the Quito airport and arrived at our hotel. With only a few hours sleep on the plane in the previous 40 hours, we dropped into our beds and slept peacefully. Our breakfast was our first adventure...a ham and cheese sandwich on puffy white bread and a cup of hot milk that, with a shaker, we put some coffee (instant?!) into. We asked the waitress where the coffee was and she looked at us with a puzzled expression. Our mission tomorrow will be to find a real cup of coffee (which we thankfully have found).
We spent the first day walking, acclimatizing to the 2850 meter elevation while viewing the sites and the people. Quito is a very clean and pretty city with friendly people. We saw dancers rehearsing something (boy, it'd be nice to be able to understand Spanish!) about the military and then finding peace in their dreams of life in Ecuador. Or who knows what it was about... We heard musicians playing the traditional Andean music, wandered to the Presidential palace and enjoyed the views in and about the city.
The weather is perfect! Quito is known for its 'eternal spring' because of the elevation
and its proximity to the equator, the weather remains in the 20-24 degree range during the day and 10ish during the night. We soaked up the sunshine while walking in a temperature that was amazingly comfortable.
Yesterday we caught up on more sleep, walked about, took a tour bus around this huge 50km long x 8 km wide city. Amazing sites! Today we meet up with our Intrepid tour group and head out to the Galapagos Islands tomorrow.
Life is good!
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Dancer in Park
LORNA
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I am so very happy for you guys able to fullfill what I have dreamed about all my life - way to go! Kiss one of those giant turtles for me when you got to the Galapogos Islands (please and thank you).