Whew! Made it to Quito!

Before boarding our plane in Houston, a Transportation Security Authority officer checked our passports.  Then the United Airlines representative scanned our boarding passes.  We were allowed a short distance down the gangway in groups of eight where we were separated from our carry-on baggage by a second TSA officer.  A third officer ran his sniffer dog past our luggage while a fourth observed.  A fifth officer searched the carry-ons of a few passengers, including myself though the sniffer dog hadn’t reacted to my bag.  A random search, of course, but quite possibly the result of my drug-baron gangster persona.

The flight started out quite bumpy, enough to delay the food service, then was fairly smooth for most of the trip.  As we approached Quito, however, we hit patches of severe turbulence, wallowed from side to side, bumped up and down and occasionally dropped into air pockets.  Outside my window I saw in the distance some quite convincing sheet lightening.  After one particularly bumpy patch, a flight attendant asked passengers to check their neighbours for injuries and to report any by pressing the call button twice, at which time he said he would do his best to attend, but apparently no one was injured.  Fortunately the bouts of turbulence were short enough to remain curiosities and not morph into terrors.  🙂

Then suddenly a serene almost-full moon peeked through the clouds and Quito appeared below.  Upon landing, applause erupted from somewhere further back in the plane.  The woman sitting next to me enthusiastically joined in.

The gentleman who drove me to my hotel spoke very little English.  I wanted to ask why he cruised right on through some red lights but stopped at others.  Why different speed limit signs are posted a mere 20 feet from each other especially since he appeared to observe none of them.  Why a brand new four-lane divided highway that led from the one-year-old shiny airport – I managed to get that information from him – turned abruptly into a two-lane undivided road.  Were they planning on widening the road at some point?  There was certainly no sign of it.  We eventually reached the hotel circumventing nearby roadwork by driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

I have arrived in Quito a day early to get used to the elevation of 9,350 feet.  Making use of my free day, I headed out to explore my surroundings.   The day was sunny and balmy, but as I write dark clouds have moved in and I can hear thunder in the distance.

My hotel is in new Quito, an area of modern buildings, wide streets and wonderfully wide sidewalks which sport whimsical street art and enlarged photographs celebrating Quito’s past.  I wish I could speak Spanish and read the information panels.  There’s a bike share program; lots of people ride about on the bright red and blue cycles.

A large park is close by.  It contains several soccer pitches, basketball courts, playgrounds with fanciful climbing equipment and areas for children and adults alike to enjoy. Vendors with little carts selling ice cream and drinks wander the paths, but there are few people in the park this mid-week day to purchase their wares.  A full-size airplane is in a fenced, locked enclosure, but several teenagers appear to have scaled the 10-foot fence to hang out under the plane.

It feels relaxed here in spite of traffic whizzing by on the wide streets.  People stroll along and the sidewalk cafés are full.  The sidewalk gardens are a blaze of colour; even the massive palms have been turned into geranium planters.

Rain is now pelting down outside my window in what I gather is a typical Quito day.  My tour starts after breakfast tomorrow.  I am looking very forward to it!

Me acompañan en mi aventura mañana.