Quito, Ecuador

Tired is not even the word for it. With zero sleep the night before, I arrived at the airport in Atlanta around 5:30am for my 7:45am flight, which was subsequently canceled at 7:35am due to a “mechanical issue” aka the pilot overslept. I was rescheduled to a 1:05pm flight.  Including transportation, flight changes, layovers, immigration and customs lines, plus actual time in the air, it took me 21 hours portal to portal. Kudos to Melissa for her lectures on the necessity of a blow-up neck pillow. It was my salvation by allowing for semi-comfortable naps.

Having no watch, I did not realize how very late it was when I arrived at the home of the family I am staying with here in Quito, Ecuador. I found them via CraigsList. They greeted me kindly and offered me a special tea to help me acclimate to the altitude change. (It is not Coca leaf tea but has similar properties.) The elevation in Quito is 9,350 feet above sea level! The new to me altitude was bothering me just a little bit, so I gratefully accepted the tea and drank 3 cups. It helped me feel much better. The man of the house, Telmo, sat and talked with me for a good while. It was fun. His wife, Diana, complemented my Spanish! I have since realized that the compliment was indeed not an informed one. See, while at the airport, I met a very cool Ecuadorian architect. Since I was arriving much later than I had previously emailed to Telmo and Diana, she offered to call them for me. Little did I realize, she began with, “Hello, this is Bethany . . ." all in flawless Spanish. That is why Diana complemented my perfect Spanish. Oops! We all had a good, hearty laugh about it.

The following day, my first real day here, it rained until 4:30pm. Telmo and Diana then showed me where to walk to and how to use the Metro Bus system. We walked around the old colonial town for hours, even ducking in to join mass at one of Quito’s many famous churches. This particular one was built in the 1700s. Later, we passed a sign that boasted “vino” and I asked if they’d like to share some wine together. We lucked out because this small, cozy place served us hot wine with a sugared glass rim! None of us had ever tried hot red wine before. It was better with each warm sip, becoming simply delicious. Soon, very good live Ecuadorian folk music began and the place was all a-smiles. My parents will not be surprised to know that after awhile a fancy news camera entered, and they most certainly captured me on film. I was told that each week the news spotlights a different café or restaurant in Quito. My first day here and already on T.V. Ha ha!!

It is unseasonably cold here now. Telmo told me a cold front (best I could make of the Spanish) has caused Columbia and Ecuador to have their lowest temperatures this time of year in more than 30 years. It is SO COLD at night!!! Remember, neither heat nor A.C. here. Please send an electric blanket. ;) 

Rita in her tree in the backyard. She talks and whistles.

They have a beautiful garden.

This is the street I walk down from the bus station to home.

A carpenter I will never use, but a useful landmark

Calle La Ronda