Ecuador Blog

Super Early Friday Morning! I got about an hour of sleep and then it was time for us to make sure we were all packed up and ready to hit the road. We are leaving the Jungle, which makes me sad, and heading up the mountains toward Quito. It´s 3 a.m. and Jennifer is up so we all get up and start packing up the last little bit and making sure that the house is clean. I had arranged the day before for a taxi to come and pick us up at 5 a.m. as our bus leaves at 5:30 a.m. We start walking ¨just in case.¨ That proves to be all we would do. It is the jungle so it is warm and sticky as we start walking into town in the pitch black morning. I move faster into town and after about 20 minutes I finally encounter a taxi and send him back for Nathan and Jennifer who were lagging behind. We both arrive at the terminal around the same time, soaking wet with sweat but the bus is still there so it´s worth it. Lynda and Emma are also going to Quito to change Emma´s flight so they are with us. We are on our way to Papallacta, a spa hot spring resort area in the mountains. We will get off the bus after about a 4 1/2 hour ride, they stay on the whole 6 hours to Quito. We don´t do any talking as we all slide into our seats and into sleep. I wake up as the mountain air starts to infiltrate the bus and a chill sets in. It is quite a scenic drive as we make our way up the foothills of the Andes. Finally we make Papallacta and depart from our friends. We check into a hotel, eat breakfast, and make our way further up the mountain to the hot pools. The hot pools are beautiful. The scenery is amazing as we sit in beautiful pools of 105 degree water. We know that because one of the tourists had a watch with a temp. gauge on it. It is refreshing to sit in one pool or move to another depending on the temperature as they are all different. It is relaxing to listen to the water and feel the cool mountain air and just relax. After a couple hours relaxing and enjoying a nice lunch we make our way back down the mountain. The trip up was given by a taxi more or less. The trip down is offered by a couple from North Carolina who actually live in Quito. They offer to take us to Quito if we wish. At the bottom, we have decided to take them up on their offer so we check out of our hotel. Load up in their extended van and enjoy the scenery down the mountains and into Quito. They offer to let us stay with them so we accept and unload our bags in their large Quito home. Sometimes they sponsor groups from the states such as Dentists and such so they have large rooms full of beds. Nathan and Jennifer take one room full of beds and I take another. The view of Quito is beautiful especially at night. We spend the evening roaming around the brand new Quito mall. I never thought I would be so happy to see a food court with a Pizza Hut in it! The mall is full of nice stores just as you would find stateside. We considered watching a movie but are honestly too tired and we don´t want to be rude by rolling in late. You know I can´t go to the mall without buying something so I procure for myself a very nice tie and some sweet cufflinks! Not very Ecuadorian, but honestly who can wear a native poncho to a business meeting? Tomorrow we will buy the native keepsakes, today we buy the hottest of South American fashion! We catch a taxi outside and he finally gets us home. Nathan works on the internet. I head to bed. The lights of the city outside the window are beautiful. Sleeping on something besides a bus seat is nice too.