First two days...

1/17/08

The venting, firey, smoking volcano I was hoping to see, could never have been spotted through the thick clouds that barred all vistas of the country as I traveled south from Costa Rica to Ecuador on Taca flight 66661. I remember thinking I had never seen clouds so dense, it looked like you could scoop ice-cream out of them or make snow balls, they were so firmly shaped and packed together. I was thankful however that the flight number didn’t have one less 6 and 1 as that would have been a bit ominous.

All in all, though a very long flight, it went quite smoothly. I was superbly jealous of the man sleeping across three seats on the L.A. to Costa Rica leg, but was able to claim three for myself on the Costa Rica to Quito segment. Once I disembarked I sped through immigration and customs, picked up my bags and met Nancy from HCJB at the airport exit in about 15 minutes flat. Nancy hailed a taxi and deposited me at the guest house. I had arrived in Quito!

The shower beckoned and I waited about 10 minutes for the hot water to kick in before I realized that it was probably regulated to the morning and evening hours. So no hot water, but I do have a very nice room with two queen size beds should anyone like to visit. :)

1/18/08

I expected memories of Ecuador to come flooding back the moment I arrived in Quito, but it has not been so. I feels as though I was here in a dream once, but it it is all murky and foggy and doesn’t quite feel real. I achieved my hot shower this morning, and a very nice one at that. I actually had to put the heat and the electric blanket on last night so it is not too toasty here at 9,300 ft at the equator. Another visitor from Oregon keeps asking me if I can feel the altitude and seems mystified when I answer no. She has been drinking a special tea to help with the altitude and reports her breathing feels strained.

I had my first almuerzo menu today. This is the set menu for lunch offered all over Ecuador. Lunch is typically the main meal. I had sopa de pollo (chicken soup) complete with noodles and neck vertebrae, jugo de marancuya (passionfruit juice), arroz con bistek (rice with beef), and a beet root salad (don’t know the Spanish for that). I ate this all back at the guesthouse while I listened to the house-keeper describe how she eats patas de pollo (chicken feet) which are supposedly very high in Calcium. She makes sure her new grand-daughter gets chicken feet soup to make her strong. Umm....that’s interesting.

Tonight I have been invited to dinner with Denise, a radiologist with whom I will travel to Shell on Sunday. This afternoon I will meet with the Austrailian physio who is currently working at the hospital in Quito to exchange ideas for the clinic in Shell.