Ecuador Trip, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

This summer we had decided to visit our granddaughter who is currently studying in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.  We’d be going during her autumn break and planned accordingly.  We found out that we both needed Hepatitis A shots and Malaria pills, plus Travelan pills for prevention of diarrhea.    In addition, Don had to get a tetanus shot.  Heidi needed typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis shots!

We researched places to go, one of them being a side trip to one of the Galapagos Islands and another to the equator!   We bought a huge bottle of sunscreen since Quito sits at 9350 feet above sea level at the equator.  We bought rain jackets since it would be the start of the rainy season when we got there.  This would be our first trip to South America.  We were definitely looking forward to an exciting vacation.  We were PREPARED.  Or at least we thought so.

We got much more than we bargained for in the way of excitement.  As the old saying goes, “Man proposes, but God Disposes” (Proverbs 19:21 The Living Bible).  Yep, we had it all figured out.  God had other plans for us.

Our plans: Fly Denver to Miami and on to Quito on October 3^rd.

God’s plans:  Fly to Miami and find out our flight was cancelled.  There were riots in Quito.  Trucks and Taxis blocked the only road to the airport.  They were taking the tires off the taxis and burning them, and more protests were scheduled after the President decided to strip away a $1.3 billion dollar fuel subsidy.  Yowza!  That took us by surprise!  Even the ticketing agents at American Airlines had no idea of what was going on in Quito.

Heidi and Glen had gotten to Miami the night before, so they were able to get a picture of us disembarking the plane!  Remember the “olden” days (before security checks) when you could do that?!  Seems like eons ago.

Follow us on our journey to a third world country in the 8 different posts below.  God was definitely in the lead.

Miami Layover

  Our plans: Spend a few hours in the airport with enough time to walk around and get something to eat before boarding our flight.  

     God’s plan:  No flight to Quito late that night and re-booking our flights for Monday. 

     Okay, I could go with that.  The warm weather and a chance to swim in the ocean was certainly better than going back to Denver and dealing with cold and snow predicted for the next week .   We did get in exercise by biking, swimming and walking along the Miami beach boardwalk during the weekend.  Meanwhile, Hailey was asking “Can’t you come tonight?  Or tomorrow night?”  We were halfway there, but she would have to wait.  We were all praying that things would settle down by Monday.

Thursday evening pictures on South Beach.

     Friday:  Beach time.  The last time we were in Miami, Heidi was a junior in high school.  That was a few years ago......

      The guys sat under the shade while Heidi and I swam and floated in the Atlantic.  This was the best picture that Don got of us!  Can you tell I'm on the left and Heidi is behind me?  LOL!

My toes hadn't been in the warm sand for decades.  It was wonderful, except trying to get all the sand off between my toes as I put on my shoes and socks.  I had not brought along any sandals since I wouldn't need them in Quito. As it turned out, that would be the least of my worries.

As usual, I am trailed behind, trying to get some pictures.  I was happy that we got Glen and Don down to the beach even if they never stuck their toes in the water.

         

Miami: Diversions and Excursions

When in Rome, do as Romans do.  So we rode bikes down the boardwalk.  For some reason, the photo of us in front of the Cadillac Hotel turned out horrible, but it was the only one of us standing in front with the bikes that were free to use.

 Riding along by the beach was quite different from the Colorado trails!  We transitioned from being in the mountains at over 5000 feet, to sea level with salty air and lots of humidity.  It sure was a lot easier on the level sidewalks than going up some of the hills in Colorado.

 Below is a view from our window.  Also quite a change from the views we are used to at Boyd Lake State Park.

All four of us had decided that one of the best ways to see the city of Miami was the Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tours.  In theory, it sounds wonderful, but the buses the first day were not air conditioned and we were stuck on the bottom level.  Ugh!

We got off the bus at the art district.  This area was filled with spectacular graffiti paintings in the various art galleries and on the sides of buildings.

 Wish there was enough space to share all of the pics that I took.  That would be another two posts at least!

 Heidi and Glen posed in front of one of the outside buildings.

 I loved this painting/poster/art work!  It was quite large and thought provoking.

Heidi had already figured out how to walk to the Salty Donut shop before we went to the next stop and got on the bus again.  Good choice, Heidi!  I couldn't finish the chocolate filled donut topped with hazelnuts.  Dunkin Donuts are certainly no match for these!

Loved this food truck aptly named "Keep Calm and Eat Twice"!  Need I say more?

Heidi and I took another afternoon swim in the ocean, and the guys weren't interested at all.  We enjoyed our mother/daughter time.  Evening brought us a lovely sunset on South Beach.

 On Sunday we again rode the Hop On, Hop Off Bus.  We had snagged an extra day for free at the hotel concierge desk the day before.  This time we didn't get off at any stop and it took us over two hours.  For part of it, we were able to snatch seats on the top of the bus.  Much, much better for picture taking!

 This is part of Little Havana, a popular place for Cuban people and tourists.

 It's amazing to see all these tall buildings along the beach.  There are hotels and more hotels, plus oodles of condominiums, all waiting for the people from the Midwest and upper East coast to descend on them during the winter and spring time.

Our last evening was spent enjoying seafood at Monty's and people watching.

Quito!

We arrived at the Quito airport at 11 PM Monday night.  Thank goodness we had arranged for a private driver to pick us up in a large van.  Otherwise, we would have needed two taxis for the four of us and our luggage.  Our driver spoke no English and we knew only a few words in Spanish.  God does have a sense of humor! 

We were about 15 minutes away from the airport when we had to slow down.  The national police had stopped cars and were putting out a fire along the road.  Welcome to Quito!!! The airport road is a  long, winding road through the mountains.  Ominous came to mind.  We were supposed to pick up Hailey before going to the Airbnb.  We finally got into the city.  The driver stopped, got out and went into a building. There we were, sitting alone in the van, with young men walking along the street.  It was past midnight.  Then the driver motioned for us to come in.  The armed guard asked us for our passports….are they thinking we are a security risk?  We handed the passports over and found out that we were actually at the Airbnb condo and we were escorted up to the 12^th floor.  Whew! We settled in as the driver took Glen (our son-in-law) to get Hailey.

The couple who managed the Airbnb were wonderful.  We found out where the jug was to filter all the water, how to use the electric stove and admonished not to put toilet paper into the toilets (3 of them). There were fresh flowers on the coffee table which was a pleasant surprise.  Eggs, fruit, milk, bread and butter had been provided for our morning meal.

All together at last!  It was the wee hours of the morning and we all were exhausted and thankful to have made it this far.  Hailey knew that her banker (Glen) had arrived to replenish her cash which was down to a mere $20. This called for a both thumbs up sign from her!

This is what the kitchen looked like.  Beautiful views to the north and to the west. It even was stocked with a rice cooker, which worked out nicely for one of our evening meals.

 The main living area was perfect for the five of us.  Just enough space to move around, plus 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms  If we had to be stuck inside somewhere, this is 100% better than two hotel rooms.  Gorgeous views!

We knew at that point that we were basically stuck in the condo.  Many other areas that we wanted to explore were unsafe.  No eating out.  That necessitated a trip to the SuperMaxi grocery store about 2 blocks away.  Many police were out, and when we got into the store, we found many shelves empty.  Most of the fresh meat was gone.  There was a huge protest scheduled for the next day, Wednesday and the locals were stocking up.  We got fruit, snacks, rice, noodles, eggs, and Heidi found some frozen packaged meats.  Glen stood by the grocery cart while the 4 of us scurried around to find things.  While we were inside, the manager made an announcement for everyone to keep calm and move to the front of the store (per Hailey’s interpretation).  Down came the steel doors at the front of the store!  We paid and hurried out, all carrying several bags of groceries.  We made it to the corner by the condo.  Then one of the big trucks carrying protesters banging sticks on the side and yelling, stopped right by us!  It was a heart stopping moment!  All five of us dashed across the street against the red light! That was enough excitement for the day and we were quite content to play Skip Bo and watch out the windows at the streets below.

A bottle of wine managed to make it back to the condo with other snacks. 

Below are pics of the outside of the Airbnb and the security guard. Our unit was on the top floor, the left side.

This guard was super nice, and we sure were glad he was at the front door!

Thursday Morning and Being Adverturous

Four wall fever was setting in, and we were all antsy to get out and do something besides read or play cards.
As we looked out our windows, we saw more buses and taxis on the road, even school buses were running.  Things seemed to have quieted down after yesterday’s influx of indigenous people and the protests that were held.  We decided to venture out.  Hailey led the way and we made it to Parque de la Carolina, a beautiful park about two miles away.   Of course, there was a police vehicle, but we still enjoyed artwork within the park and being able to inhale some fresh air.

Heidi and Hailey posed on one of the many bridges in this enormous city park.

 I had never seen a vulture fountain before.  Somehow, I can't imagine vultures as something that I'd want to paint or make a sculpture of.  They are such ugly birds.  My apologies to all the ornithologists out there who love all types of birds.  We can agree to disagree on the vulture's beauty.  Below is a photo of beautiful hummingbirds in another area of Carolina Park.

 The two strollers ahead of me on the path look vaguely familiar!

 Below is an example of indigenous artwork residing within Parque de la Carolina.

  We stopped while Heidi took a picture of a hands sculpture at the edge of the park.

 Hailey and Grandpa found a post to sit on while waiting for Heidi right in front of a busy intersection.

 Success!  We made it all the way to the Quicentro Mall, complete with security guards.  It was a very upscale mall, comparable to one of the malls in Scottsdale.  Nice to stroll through, but we sure weren't going there for a new blouse or pair of pants. The women's restroom had sparkling bright cultured marble on the floors and walls.  It was immaculate.  But....there was NO toilet paper at all!  And yes, I did have Kleenex in my purse!

Don decided to let the gals browse around while he had a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee.  Wise decision on his part.

We did stop at one of the many exquisite chocolate shops with cases of goodies all waiting to be bought and tasted.

 We contained ourselves and shared 3 pieces of chocolate between us.   A piece of heaven in each bite.

By this time, I had gotten hungry, and was delighted to find a huge chocolate croissant for just a $1.10.  How in the world could I pass that up?  For the record, I did offer to share it, but no one took me up on my offer. 

 Across from me were these two who were joking around.  Par for the course.

Next stop: a search for a restaurant for the afternoon meal in Ecuador known as almuerzo.  The daily specials are posted on chalk boards outside and cost $3.00 to $3.50 for a 3 course meal.  This is what we found and decided upon:

Hailey's belated birthday meal consisted of noodle soup, salad, potato pancake, chicken, juice and a  piece of watermelon.  Total cost for all 5 of us was $17.50!  What a deal!

The walk back to the condo took about half an hour.  This is what it looked like from street side, looking south.

 In the end, Hailey guessed we walked between 4 and 4 1/2 miles.  I think we probably burned off most of the calories we consumed at lunch (not including the croissant or chocolate sample).