Hola everybody!
Yes, made it to Ecuador yesterday... was flying in on a TACA plane... we were decending and I saw the amazing city which is Quito, with the beautiful mountains... and then I was asleep... and then wow, look at those buildings, and then asleep again. It got to the stage I was wondering if I maybe had narcolepsy! I´ve never been so tired that I couldn´t force my self to stay awake. Anyway, customs was quick and painless, picked up by a nice GAP rep and dropped off at the Hotel Plaza International near the US Consulate (I hope no one bombs it just yet!). No one spoke much English at the reception but they woke up the other Australian there also on GAP tour (she was sleeping of her jetlag having arrived the day befor) and put us in the same room. She was a bit confused and the first thing she said to me was - I don´t speak Spanish! She is really nice, her name is Mitzi, age 23ish and from Sassafras (sp?) near the Dandenongs in Melbourne. So we had lots to talk about, went out and found some food and explored a bit. The rest of the group we met later at 7pm (I arrived in the country at 1330)... There´s a 27 year old guy from NZ, a 19 year old guy from the UK, a 22 year old lady (nurse)from UK, a 36 year old lady (teacher) from Perth Australia and Mitzi and I. Our group leader told us to call him Keke... he is from Peru. He will take us from here to the end of our time in Peru and then we will be handed on to someone else. Not everyone is on the whole trip to Caracas... most leave along the way but Mitzi and I are doing the whole trip. We will pick up a Danish girl a Canadian girl and a few others along the way I believe. So a small group for now, which is great.
They wanted to go to dinner last night so it only made sense on my first night in Quito to go to have a Mongolian BBQ. !!!? I didn´t realise as we all selected from various vegies that it was all going to be cooked - until I got to the raw meat selection. By that time I had avoided most raw looking things thinking I´d risk getting sick if I ate them! Missed the whole plot... but they cook your selection. Mine was very average but I wasn´t hungry anyway. Haven´t eaten for a while now but am just getting hungry now. They say that altitude can cause appetite loss. Everyone (bar me) had drinks and by the time we got back to the hotel it was midnight... I was pretty wrecked by then!
So far I haven´t explored much. Just ventured out now this afternoon after sleeping away this morning to find the internet den and photocopy place... and later, a laundry!
Off to the jungle tomorrow for 3 days so not sure when I will be next online. Keep well all!
PS... there was a major thunderstorm when I arrived, it was so great! It was also so ccccccccold!
