Andes to Amazon

July 1, 2006

Ay de mi! What a day! Warning to those of you possibly considering getting a one way ticket somewhere and getting your return later: they won't let you on the plane. You'd think in all the research we did we would have discovered that little fact. A very stressful hour of scrambling ensued, trying to allocate any forward ticket while avoiding thoughts of what we would do with ourselves for the next two months while waiting for the next open flight. After noticing a very fortunate postponement of our flight to Caracas, we were able to get a cheap, changeable return ticket and we were soon in the air. Our meeting of exceptionally kind people began: on this flight, Jo from Germany travelling to Quito to visit some friends, offering to introduce us; on the next flight, Luis from Ecuador, who filled us in on some whale watching sites and many other helpful bits. A lucky detour down to Guayaquil enabled us to preview our hiking route south from Quito, passing close to Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and their close neighbors at sunset. Unbelievable. They rise out of the flat plano, standing alone and looking entirely formidable and beautiful, huge fingers of snow extending from the top, reaching down between the ridges.

A quick stop in Guayaquil and we did an about-face back up to Quito. We got a good view of the city at night, flying north through the valley that Quito has seemed to settle in. The airport is a single landing strip surrounded by the houses of the city; we were landing in their back yards. Joined at the airport by Alex, another friend of Jo's, we were soon met by Pablo, a friend of a friend, and we continued to be blown away by kindness. Small-world coincidence number one: Pablo, from Quito, is attending SUNY Albany in upstate New York, where both of my parents went to school. Yeah. Stopping at a food stand, we were joined by several other friends--Mauricio-the link connecting our German and Ecuadoran companions, Luis and Juan. Fighting off waves of exhaustion, we tested our Spanish with world cup talk and discussion of the trip. Next we were shown the main bar/hostel district, where the entire crew escorted us at a lovely mosey on a search for a well-priced and safe hostel. This entire group of people we had known only a couple of hours was going entirely out of their way completely out of kindness. I believe I´m wrong to say "out of their way," however, as this seems to be THE way here. Several offers to show us around the city or take us on day trips, some exchanged numbers, and we parted for the evening. The rest of the night was short, beyond noticing an upside-down Scorpio, adding to the realization of where we actually were on the planet. This morning, after the first long, restful sleep in ages, we awoke to our hostel window presenting us with colorful rooftops against a backdrop of rugged mountains. The temperatures are perfect, the sky clear and sparkling this morning. World Cup commentary in Spanish is wafting from every open window and door. Today might bring a lunch with Pablo's uncle, who heads Ecuadorian seismology (which excites me very much), or possibly a trip to the market for a few last items. We will stay in Quito at least until Monday, when we can get to the Embassy, and will soon find ourselves a ride to Papallacta, where the walking begins... How amazingly fortunate are we?

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