We have arrived in Quito, Ecuador. It’s been a long journey from Australia, and Mark’s luggage has not joined us. Last time we saw his backpack was in Brisbane. I’m trying to be positive and hope that LAN can find his bag and get it sent to us before we depart for the Galapagos Islands at 8am tomorrow morning.
LAN was an interesting airline to fly. They have old planes which rattle, terrible food and a distinct lack of vegetables in their meal trays. At least we enjoyed tiny chocolate Easter eggs at every meal!
From Sydney to Santiago (via Auckland) I watched several good films in Spanish with English subtitles. I was trying to get used to listening to Spanish being spoken. Actually, I have made a big attempt to practice my Spanish every step of the way, with the flight attendants, shop assistants and anyone else I can think of. The challenging thing is that people speak very quickly, so it takes me a minute to decipher what they are saying. Then another minute for me to figure out how to say what I want to say back. Persistence will get me through. I am determined not to let my tutor Carlos, down!!
Quito is 2800 metres above sea level, and it is quite cool here, when it’s not raining. Today we have a free day and initially I had hoped to wander around town, take some pictures and explore. In reality we will be chasing the airline to find Mark’s bag as it has everything he needs for this trip, trekking gear, clothing, toiletries and so on. We may have to spend the afternoon shopping for clothes and things for him instead.
Last night we finally got to the hotel quite late, around 11pm. I had researched the hotel before the trip and found they have 24hr room service. The prices are astounding! I had Lomo de Cerdo - filetes de cerdo al grille con pico de gallo, legumbres salteads y ensalada verde - grilled pork with pico de gallo, sautéed vegetables and a mixed salad including half an avocado. Mark had una pechuga de pollo al grille sin salsa -grilled chicken breast with 2 helpings of ‘papas fritas’ (hot chips) and we shared a local beer. Total, including room service charge was $23. Now tell me that’s not fantastic!
