Estoy en Ecuador. I just go in a few hours ago and the altitude is starting to get to me. I´m just feeling a little lightheaded, but otherwise, all is well. I´m tired becuase I had to get up at 3:30 this morning to catch my flight to Quito. Plus, I´m not expecting to sleep really well tonight. Well, I will probably update this more when I´m feeling a little more with it. I´m ready for a nap. Ciao!
Edit:
Just to talk about how things went on the way here. My flight from Cleveland was delayed for over an hour and a half, all of which involve the plane sitting on the runway. However, this was okay because I was only flying an hour or so to New York, where I had an hour and a half layover. This turned out to not be a problem at all because my flight out of New York was also delayed by about an hour and a half. I got into Miami around 8:00 and soon went to sleep to get ready to wake up early the next morning.
The next morning went well. I made the 4:00 check in for the 7:00 flight. Flying to Quito was fine. I was seated next to a guapo Ecuadorian who kept blocking my view out the window. However, he made a valient effort to protect me from falling luggage when the overhead compartment opened during landing in Quito. Nothing fell out so all was well.
Migration was fine. The guys at customs let part of the group through without checking anything or asking questions. I was a lucky member of this group. However, others had to wait half an hour or so to get through. My first real view of the Andes Mountains occurred during the wait in the airport, right out the window in the front. They are quite spectacular.
We took a bus through Quito to get to our hotel in the Mariscal. The streets are pretty crazy-I definately won't be driving here. There don't seem to be any speed limits. Cars and trucks alike cruise pretty quickly through red lights and stopsigns. I also think being a pedestrian here is pretty difficult. My experience just crossing to get to the internet cafe has led me to believe that it's going to take time to get used to running across the street when you can. In Gambier, you just start to cross and cars stop but here, drivers probably wouldn't hesitate to run you over.
That's pretty much first impressions.
It's not just a trip anymore. I am hoping to revamp this blog to include a lot of different things mainly centered around my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, but also including other random things I find myself reflecting upon. The contents of this blog reflect my opinions and not those of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps program. Enjoy!
