I was on a plane circling the Quito airport. I had never set foot in a country less developed than Canada and was terrified of what I’d find waiting for me. Knowing my own limitations for fear tolerance, I was scheduled to meet up with a small group of independent travelers to tour with in a couple of days. I feel guilt even today for my occasional reliance on tour companies to lead me, and keep me relatively safe, because any true traveler would wince at the thought of a scheduled adventure of any kind.
I try to downplay this reliance on a tour since I know many travelers, at the mere mention of tour, the image of a huge gas guzzling bus lumbering down only the smoothest of highways carrying camera laden retirees around to all the sights within a days drive of the 5 star hotel. Upon arrival, they jump out of the bus, take pictures of themselves smiling mechanically in front of anything that may or may not have significance, and finally having exerted themselves, they run back to the bus to sip Evian water and wait for the stragglers that got lost looking for the bathroom.
But I digress. I’m on the plane. It’s late night in Ecuador and I look out the window to take in the sights of the city from my window seat. What I see is spectacularly beautiful. Quito is a narrow city squeezed into a valley high in the Andes. The city lights shimmered with almost a purple luminescence and looked like the sparkle of a million jewels. Our plane finally landed and we made our way off the tarmac and into the customs and baggage claim area. Once the formalities were dealt with I ventured out into the main airport area where I was immediately surrounded by fifteen to twenty cab drivers all vying for my fare. I picked the first one and got in, giving him the name of my hotel I hoped he could find it since he spoke no English and I hadn’t yet gotten my Spanish under control enough to attempt even the simplest of sentences.
We drove out of the airport into what looked like another world. A world I’d only visited in Mad Max and apocalyptic movies. The houses looked to be near collapse, and I felt immediately out of my element. We went through two police checkpoints where two officers with machine guns took my drivers papers and regarded me through the rear window. The country was obviously experiencing the kind of economic hardship that is almost incomprehensible when viewed through western eyes. I learned later that the unemployment rate was 30% (5% higher than what the U.S. experienced at the height of the Great Depression) and the government would be overthrown only a few months later.
My taxi arrived at the hotel without incident and I walked up the steps where I was greeted by the night manager and asked to sign in. I walked up the stairs to the fourth floor where I was staying and walked into a rather large room with a shower! Although the hotel was rundown, the accommodations were certainly better than any hostel I’d ever stayed in, although there was no phone in sight. Unfortunately, in the days to come I was to find that the a working phone with the ability to connect to an English-speaking operator would become my obsession.
After a long day fearful to venture too far out into the city without a guide I went to meet the group that would be accompanying me to the Galapagos Islands for my first trip. It was to be a whirlwind ten days/ten island trip. We would talk a bit about our travel experiences and I’d meet the Australian who’d infect me with a cold that lingered throughout my 4 weeks in South America.
But tonight I was tired and slept like the dead, feeling virtually no effects of the altitude. Perhaps I have mountain people in my genes. I was to find out the boat lovers of my German ancestors certainly didn’t pass on any theirs.
It was to be ten days that will always stay with me. The wildlife is extraordinary from bright red crabs to marine iguanas to penguins swimming alongside you these islands are everything an animal lover could ever want. I actually found myself stepping over sea lions without a second thought (although the bulls still could make me jump with a quick turn of the head) as they sunbathed in our path. We spent our days hiking in the morning cooling off with a snorkel in the reefs off-shore, eating a gourmet meal followed by a nap in a lounge chair until the heat of the day had passed. If it hadn’t been for those nights we traveled over rough waters or anchored outside the harbor the trip would have been as perfect as any could be.
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