All went smoothly. totally unbelievable with my travel luck. Clark says it's because I'm with him, and he has good travel luck. We were dropped off in Tampa with plenty of time... Sat around for awhile, watched the first half of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which I now own. For some reason. Got on the fligt to Miami, arrived 20 minutes early and had time for Clark to get some weird pizza. He was upset about the price. Four dollars for a slice of pizza that is worse than the stuff he gets for a dollar in New York. Understandable.
Flight to Quito was uneventful, Clark slept, I didn't. I was planning the next leg of our journey... I was worried about how rusty my Spanish was, how dangerous it would be to get around, how Clark would feel upon arrival having to adjust to new sights, sounds, smells. Having to depend on me to communicate. It was the first time I've had food on an airplane since the 90s. I really only ate the rice and salad because everything else had gluten in it. This doesn't bode well for the next three months.
We landed and it was dark so you couldnt tell anything other than how large and sprawling Quito is. I had no idea how big it is. The airport was much nicer and more modern than the one in Guatemala City; toilet paper could go in the toilet, that was so very modern and reassuring thing. The security personel didn't have automatic assault weapons. And the taxis looked like they could make it up small hills. Got our bags, got a cab, found the hostel. All using my terrible Spanish! Spent the night in a room with two beds, both mysterious, and steered clear of the bathroom as much as possible. The toilet was elevated so I felt like a totteler using it, my feet swinging inches above the floor. the shower was terrifying--I avoided interaction. The stairs were steep and the noises from the discoteques that neighbor end the hostel were fun obstacles to overcome.
We woke the next morning early and ready to get to Banos. Called a cab, got to the bus station, got our bus, and yet again didn't sleep. This time though it was because I was watching everything go by. The scenery (up until Banos) reminded me of drier parts of Colorado. I was thinking how odd it is to be on the equator and feel right at home. Excepting the people, language, food, culture, and animals. But then we came swooping around this bend and layed out below saturated in green was a little town at the foot of a volcano. There it is.
We found La Biblioteca easily, it's a small town. There are a lot of tourists. I was opposed at first, but in this week, Banos has grown on me. The market on Wednesdays and Sundays is lovely. The people are friendly, they speak slowly. It's safe here. It's a good place to make a home for awhile.
