Hotel Catedral Internacional Quito

... he was going there for confirmation and he said "no" and some explanation that I didnīt understand. I asked two random people where the right bus was and didnīt understand what the hell they said to me either. I then tried to get on a random bus with a random destination in the window and this driver said he was going where I needed to go!

So I got on and didnīt recognise any of the route until eventually everyone got off as it was the final stop. But ...

... involved a soup, plate of main dishes (lots of rice!) and a dessert. Kaela struggled to finish hers on both days, but of course I seemed to have no trouble at all.

We also had a nice candlelit dinner (due to continued power outages) with a couple of sweet yankee dudes we met at our hostel (Jeremy & Ruben). They recommended a Vietnamese(ish) restaurant called Uncle Hoīs which luckily was one of the few restaurants that could ...

... we took some steps, we already felt our heart pounding as hell and had difficulties to breath. Because we climbed very slowly and took a lot of breaks, we managed to climb until the refugio at 4800m. At the refugio, there was a hot and tasty chocolatemilk waiting for us. The other part of the group climbed further to the beginning of the glacier (5000m). We have tried to go with them, but after a few steps we felt that the altitude had won, so we ...

... new town which took around an hour.

We had decided to take a boat tour of the Galapagos Islands as it’s neither cost nor time effective to try to island-hop yourself. We met the tour organiser and about half of the group to give our insurance details and local fund and get organized for the flight the next morning.

The 5am start was a bit of a shock but everyone was very excited. We had to catch a flight to Guayaquil on the coast, then a flight to Baltra Island ...

... but we walked down the road a little bit until we saw a bus.  We asked this driver to take us to Papallacta and he was headed there anyway, so he gave us a ride.

When you are traveling things don't always go the right way.  You have to be flexible and willing to change your plans.  It is so important to ask questions when you aren't sure about something.  Gina, Annie and I are going  to be very careful next time we ride a bus out of Quito!

... hopefully blending in with our own yellow shirts.

On Friday we got Bilbo (the bike!) out of customs, an experience made much more pleasant by Linda, our Panalpina contact and Vanessa the customs agent! Took about 3 hrs of mainly waiting while all the security officials had their pictures taken with the bike, a woman even appeared out of nowhere with small child who was quickly placed on Bilbo for a photo!

Other good things, drinking coke from old ...

... monument, which signifies the Equator (but it is actually in the wrong location). Actually, Ryan and I have walked over the equatorial line several times. On a recent mountain climbing expedition with new friends from Mitad Del Mundo, Bayardo pointed out to Ryan the marker on the mountain that scientists used for the equatorial measurement. We figured (by eyeballing it) there is a little footpath not far from our house which is likely on the ...

So after only one week in Quito I have decided that our schedule was just nowhere near enough time to actually get to know the city. Too many Spanish classes and not enough wandering and sightseeing. We at least got to see El Panecillo (the Virgin-topped hill), a war memorial, and the Basilica (pictures to come, maybe tomorrow?). We also ...

... in Ecuador pretty much all planned. Here is our tentative itinerary. Staying at Hostel in Ecuador (nights 1-3): L'Auberge Inn: www.auberge-inn-hostal.com Yanapuma Spanish School on the North coast of Ecuador (Week 1) Living with an indigenous family in Platanos de Estero, near Atacames. http://www.yanapumaspanish.org/index.ht m Simon Bolivar Spanish School in Coca, Ecuador (Amazon Jungle)(Week 2 ...

... to the hotel. He was staying with the managers of the South America's Explorers club and told me if I was free the following day or maybe that Sunday, we could meet up. I said, sure, and told him that we should catch up at some point. Back at hotel Margarita the night security guard dressed in an outdated army uniform opened the hotel door for me. The hotel was quiet as it was close to 3 in the morning but was happy to see my bed.