Greeting from Ecuador! I have arrived safely (though somewhat circuitously) in my destination of Quito. Though my ultimate arrival was as expected, the route I took to get here -- well, not so much. Let me explain. So I was on my final flight of the evening, purportedly heading from Panama City to Quito. The flight was supposed to take about 2 and half hours, and the expected arrival time was approximately 11pm local time. After flying for what seemed like some time, thoroughly engaged in some leisurely reading on my brand new Kindle (a must for all international travelers), I thought to myself: self, this flight seems to be taking a bit longer than expected, wouldn´t you say? When suddenly, almost as if in answer to my innocent ponderings, the an announcment was whispered over the speaker system. Seriously...whispered. for whatever reason, the captain of our plane literally, and quite frustratingly, whispered everything he said over the loudspeaker. I mean, comon man. I appreciate your attempts to make my travels a more intimate experience, but I´d really like to hear what you have to say -- especially when it is something to the effect of the following: DING -- this is your captain. The Quito airport is closed. We will be landing at the Guayaquil* airport instead. ...Um, what? Excuse me? Care to elaborate? No? Can you even do that!? I´m quite sure the destination on my ticket says Qutio!
Long story short, we flew all the way to the Guayaquil airport (I didn´t have a watch so I´m not sure exactly how long it took, but it seemed like at least an extra hour or so). Upon landing, we, the tired, confused masses, prepared to depart, when we were met by another delightful announcement. DING -- this is your captin. Please stay seated. We may be going to Quito afterall. ...Ahem. I...this...awesome.
In the end, we sat in the Guayaquil runway for what seemed like at least an hour and a half. Then we flew to Quito (another hour, perhaps?) We ended up arriving at 2:30 am, 3 and a half hours after our initial arrival time. After going through immigration and customs, I finally met up with Chris and Natalie (who seemed just as relieved as I was), at slightly after 3am. We hopped in a cab (here I am, for the first time! Looked to my right saw...oh hell, I dunno -- it was late.) and took a short ride to a local hostal where we stayed overnight. It it now 8:30 the next morning. I am waiting for the others (Chris, Natalie, and two with whom I haven´t yet been acquainted) to awaken for our breakfast, courtesy of the hostal. We will stay in Quito today, discuss the clinics, do some exploring, and stay here again overnight. I believe we head down to Tena tomorrow. The hostal has free WiFi and a computer (which I am currently using, in case you were wondering how I was posting this -- what is this black magic!?). So in any case, I should be able to respond to emails, blog comments or Facebook posts for at least the next day or so.
And so begins my amazing journey of absolutely epic proportions (Odysseus would be jealous). Though it started off a bit bumpy (it really wasn´t so bad -- more strange than anything), I made it, I am safe, and more than anything, I. am. STOKED. So please, keep in touch. I´ll update more when I can. This is going to be incredible -- I assure you: you won´t want to miss it.
*Ecuador has two major airports, one in Quito and one in Guayaquil
**I thought the length of the title should match the perceived length of my trip (as well as match, proportionally, the epicness of my adventure)
Well, that would have scared the crap out of me. Glad you made it safely. So awesome that you are there.
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