Bob and Ann in Peru and Equador in 2008

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We were up at 4:30AM in order to eat breakfast, get our bags out, and board the bus to the airport by 6AM. After he gave us boarding passes we said good-byes to Eddie who was taking another flight to Lima to see a doctor/friend about his lung problem. He is a conscientious and sincere guide.

At the Lima airport Manolo showed up with Ann’s jewelry bag and helped us get through baggage check and departure tax lines. We shopped, read email and shared a banana split in Lima airport during our 3 hour layover.

Our hotel room

After collecting our bags in Quito we met Patricio (Pato) who loaded us onto a bus. His strong feelings for Quito struck us immediately as he raphsodized about his native city on the ride to the Reina Isobel Hotel. We have a nice hotel with large well appointed rooms, fortunately, because this is our storage spot when we return after our Amazon Basin and Galapagos treks. There also was free internet access so we could check our emails and find out about family things and the stock market.

We walked to explore the neighborhood with Lees and Sternbergs in a light rain and found it very quiet. Pato had informed us that not only was it an Independence Day holiday weekend, but everyone was tuned to a World Cup qualifying match being played today in Quito. We walked through a park where a market was just being dismantled, but noticed that the handicrafts being packed away looked similar to those in Cusco. Aside from a brush with an aggressive young girl eyeing Ann’s wallet pocket, our walk felt great.

We had been expecting a meager dinner on our own but Kandy was busy while we were out and made dinner reservations for us and even arranged for taxis to La Briciola Italian Restaurant. Delicious pasta, generous salads and lots of red wine revived us for a very modest price. Quito celebrated when Equador beat Venequela 1-0 in the World Cup match. We all noticed the heavy security around our restaurant, but we heard no disturbances. Ann was reminded of Quito’s elevation when she attempted to walk to our 7th floor room after dinner.