After taking all necessary pictures, I hailed a cab to take me back to my Hotel. The cab was a 20-year old VW beetle whose owner was more than eager to share the pleasures and travails of owning that vehicle. It turned out to be the highlight of the day ! On my return, I did some Internet surfing, picked up my laundry and returned to the Hotel around 6 PM. I met the remaining members of the group in the hotel lobby around 6:30 PM and spent an hour chatting with them. I also met a new GAP group that was starting the same tour as us, except that it was starting in Lima and ending in La Paz, Bolivia. Also met Michael of GAP, who is Barbara's boss.
We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner where I had plain noodles with hot sauce. The 7 of us were the sole clients in the restaurant. There was even a three-piece band that started playing some music. We felt rather awkward that we were not paying too much attention since they were playing solely for our listening pleasure. We returned to the hotel around 9:30 PM. I bid goodbye to the remaining members of the group before turning in. I requested a wake up call at 3 AM. I have to be at the airport by 4 AM for my 6 AM flight to Quito. I had managed to arrange a cab to pick me up at the hotel around 3:30 AM and take me to the Airport. We agreed on a fare of S/- 30 (US $ 10).
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I got my wake up call at 3 AM and was ready at the lobby by 3:25 AM. Vicente was waiting with his taxi. We chatted during the 30-minute ride to the Airport. On reaching the Airport, I paid him the S/-30 and thanked him and proceeded to the check-in counter. After checking-in, I had a coffee while waiting for the Departure-tax collection counter to open. After paying the departure tax of US $ 25 (a rip-off), I cleared Immigration. My request to have my film rolls hand examined was granted. Since I had an hour before boarding my flight to Quito, I read about Ecuador from the South-American Handbook.
The flight path from Lima to Quito is Scenic as the plane flies over mountains some of which are snow-capped. I tried to catch some sleep during the 2:15 duration of the flight. I saw more snow covered peaks as we approached Quito. This is the second highest Capital City after La Paz. I experienced my first shock when I tried to exchange US $ 100 for local currency. I was given 860,000 Sucres (yes, eight hundred and sixty thousand!) I was in a daze trying to handle all the 50000, 20000 and 10000 bills.
A Taxi driver was waiting for me with my Name and the name of the Hotel I was to stay in Quito. I chatted with Fabian during the 30-minute drive to the hotel. The folks at the Hotel (Hotel Casa Sol, Phone: (02)-230 798. www.ecuadorexplorer.com/casasol/home) were pleased to see me. An Otavalan Indian Couple runs this hotel. I paid them for my 2-day stay in Quito. Since there is a surcharge of 20% for using MasterCard (or) Visa, I opted to pay cash. I paid 376,250 Sucres for my 2-day stay (@ US$ 15 / day) and for the cab ride from the Airport to the hotel. (Which was equivalent to US$ 10). I headed to my room, had a shower before heading downstairs for breakfast. Met Marcos Lema (the owner) and explored the various options available for sightseeing.
I finally settled on visiting the Equator (Mita del Mundo), the Otavalo market and the town of Cotacachi. The cost was US$ 66 (since this was a tour by private taxi) and the driver was to be Fabian ! Since I did not have much time to explore Ecuador on my own, I decided to pay the premium price for the express tour by private taxi. On departing from the hotel, I requested a stop at the Galasam Office (The company with whom I am sailing in the Galapagos Islands). The contact person mentioned in my Trip voucher was sitting in Guayaquil (400 Kilometres away). I gave them a photocopy of my trip voucher and told them to get back to me (regarding the status of the trip) immediately.
We departed for Mita del Mundo ('Centre of the World') a little after 11:30 AM. It was a 40-minute drive. There is a tower like structure (quite similar to the one in Greenwich, London, UK) and a yellow line demarcating the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The setting amidst mountains and a deep blue sky sparsely filled with clouds is unique. The entrance fee for visiting the monument was 10000 Sucres! (US $ 1.10). There is also a post office here from where one can send postcards. I did send a couple of postcards franked at the Equator in Ecuador. There is also a planetarium here (which I did not visit). After spending around 40 minutes here, we departed for Otavalo.
I slept most of the way to Otavalo, which was sad, since the scenery is quite good. The 3 AM wakeup was affecting me! We passed through Cayambe and Lake San Pablo, which was quite pretty. We reached Otavalo around 3 PM. After a quick lunch, I explored the local artisan market for an hour. I bought a colourful Poncho (quoted at 75,000 Sucres) after quite some bargaining for 50,000 Sucres (US$ 5.50). We departed for Cotacachi (which was famous for leather products) around 4 PM and reached there after a 30-minute drive. Walked along the main street and explored a number of shops and their product range. I would up buying nothing.
We left Cotacachi around 4:45 PM and headed back to Quito. I tried to stay awake on the return journey. We stopped at a couple of places along the way to take in the scenery and take photographs. We reached Quito around 6:45 PM. Since I had no plans for the evening, I headed to an Internet Café to check and send mail. The Cost for an hour was 12,000 Sucres (US $ 1.40). I went for dinner to a restaurant named Taj Mahal presuming it to be an Indian restaurant. It turned out to be an Iranian restaurant. Had some Falafel and bread. (After the numerous Italian dishes I had during my Bolivian / Peruvian trip, this was definitely a change). The food was good.
I returned to the hotel and spent some time writing my diary. I will have to decide whether it is worth spending another US$ 66 for a trip to Cotopaxi National Park by a Private Taxi (or) spend the day exploring Quito. There were no messages from Galasam. I will have to see the clowns tomorrow at their office to find out the status of my trip to Galapagos.
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After breakfast, I headed to Galasam Tours' Office. I was informed that everything was in order and that I had to show up at 6 AM tomorrow (May 20, 1999) at the National Airport in Quito. One of the women at their office thought I was handsome (!!) and I agreed to take her out on a date upon my return to Quito after my Galapagos trip. She hardly spoke any English (her colleague did the Interpretation for me!) and my Spanish is not great. It should be an interesting date, if both of us remember to get together, after I get back from my cruise!
I exchanged some more money and bought a street map of Quito. I asked Marcos to request Fabian to take me to the Airport tomorrow morning. I took a cab to the Old City of Quito, which cost me 20,000 Sucres (US$ 2.30). I was warned by many locals to be careful (since I looked the obvious tourist with my Camera Bag). Since the Presidential Palace is located in the Old City, there is a large contingent of police / Army personnel in this area that made me feel safe. I visited Santo Domingo and Plaza Independencia and a few other sites before heading to the Basilica de la Nacion.
The construction of this Basilica was started at the end of the 19th century and is still going! I met a couple of Tourist Policemen (on training) one of whom took great pains to explain his work and highlight some aspects of the Basilica. I bought an entrance ticket and climbed the stairs all the way to the top of the Basilica. Some sections of the stairs here had no railing and if you happen to trip and fall, you live with the consequences. In a way that's a welcome change from the lawsuit conscious attractions in North America which sometimes take the fun out of everything. I am of the Opinion that Individuals should be responsible for their actions. Blaming someone else for your actions seems to be the pervasive ethos in North America, especially the USA. I digress. The views from the Top of the Basilica of the Old City, the New City and everything in between, are excellent. There is also a cafeteria at the top catering to the weary climber! I spent some time in the Cafeteria catching my breath. On getting down, I took a cab back to the hotel and for the first time during my entire trip, I had a good siesta.
I left the hotel around 3:30 AM and headed to the American Airlines Office (located in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel) to confirm my reservations back to the USA. The representatives were good enough to do the re-confirmation even though I had not carried my ticket to their office. I walked back on Rio Amazonas and tried to do some shopping. I found an excellent Panama hat for 95,000 Sucres (US $ 11). I had read that 'Panama' hats are made in Ecuador. (The name PANAMA is a misnomer). Hence I had to get one for myself from the source. On getting back to the hotel, I chatted with Marcos for a while. I was informed that he rents locker space for US$ 1 per day. I dumped all my souvenirs there, including my newly acquired 'Panama' hat.
I headed to a Mexican restaurant for dinner where the food was nothing worth mentioning. I seemed to be having a mild fever. Nevertheless, I headed to an Internet café and spent an hour there before heading back to the hotel. I met Marcos' Sister-in-law (who had lived in North America for a while) and we chatted for about 30-minutes. I went to my room, wrote my diary before turning in. I have to get up at 4:30 AM tomorrow.
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Woke up at 4:30 AM and was ready by 5:15 AM. Fabian had deputized someone else to pick me up for the Airport and we left around 5:30 AM for the Airport. The ride was shorter than expected (probably due to the early hour) and I was at the Airport by 5:45 AM. Margo from Galasam arrived around 6 AM with my tickets (for Galapagos) and I was all set to depart by 6:20 AM even though the flight was departing at 7:00 AM. We were to proceed to Guayaquil before heading to the Island of Baltra in the Galapagos. (From where most cruises start and end) I had my Camera and films hand inspected, without putting them through the X-ray machine. No one bothered to open even a single can of film! We departed at 7:00 AM sharp. I tried to catch some sleep during the 1-hour ride to Guayaquil. We were to remain on the plane during the 30-minute stop at Guayaquil. The Plane departed Guayaquil at 8:30 AM and we had a 2-˝ flight to Baltra. Galapagos in 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and is an hour behind mainland Ecuador. We arrived at Baltra a little after 9 AM (local time).
For reasons unknown, one has to go through Immigration control here as well. (Even though we are travelling within the same country) After the Immigration control, one has to wait in line and pay the entrance fee for the Galapagos National Park (US$ 100). This fee is Payable only in CASH. Since I had left my wallet containing my money in my checked-in Baggage, I was unable to pay the same immediately. |
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