Baptizing my backpacking trip in Quito

The word "WOW" seems hardly sufficient. But I mean how else can I begin to describe how it feels to have finally commenced my year-long backpacking trip around the globe? Let's start again.

Yikes!

Yes, that's also how it feels and there were moments in the first 24 hours when I wanted to dance jubilantly, ooh outloud appreciatively and sob pathetically. But let's go back to the beginning. I flew out of LAX on time and with nary a hiccup (unless you count the fact that my sister Jenny informed me via Facebook that I had inadvertently dropped a pair of my underwear - clean ones mind you - on her living room floor which meant I was 1 day short of undies, DRAT). However, the landing at George Bush International Airport in Houston was hairy scary! It was raining something fierce with some serious wind sheer and so the plane suddenly aborted its landing and began ascending again. It circled around the airport a few times before it could land safely. The whole plane burst into applause once we touched ground. A number of flights were cancelled or significantly delayed at the airport but mine managed to take off only 45 minutes behind schedule. One funny fact about the Houston airport - I was
blatantly reminded that I was in the heart of Texas, where American football reigns supreme for there was a game going on and every so often the sounds of those watching would resonate throughout the whole terminal. Damn do Texans take their football seriously!

I arrived in Quito at about 23:15 and made my way through the melay of passengers gathering their bags and queuing for customs. It was politely chaotic. My backpack arrived unscathed and I was met by the proprietress of my accommodation, Chez Elena's Guesthouse. Elena was sweet but spoke only a little English and for some reason she convinced herself that I could speak/understand Spanish fluently even though I only squeaked out a few words tops. My room at the guesthouse was cozy and fairly spacious, replete with ample electrical outlets but curiously lacking a rubbish bin. I fell asleep with some difficulty due to the sound of a cat in heat outside my window, I kid you not.

For my first day, I had planned to take it rather easy as I didn't want to be too ambitious straight out of the gate. Plus the altitude in Quito is rather a kick in the head (close to 10,000 feet!) so I sported a wee headache all day long. To start things off in the morning, I managed to hop on a dilapidated but functional local bus which took me to the Mariscal district. I was hoping to visit the South American Explorers Club there but was dismayed to discover upon arrival that the office was temporarily closed. However, they had posted a sign which included an email address so I hope to still get in contact with the organization. I then caught a ride in a taxi to the historic district and dropped in at the Quito Visitors' Bureau where I arranged to have a walking tour of the area for $15. It was just me and my English-speaking guide, Carlos, a real sweetheart. I decided to book the tour partly because I felt so paranoid about walking around alone with my camera due to all the sob stories I'd read online from victims of crime in the city. The tour lasted just over 2 hours and included visits to the Conjuncto Monumental San Francisco and the splendiferous Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus. Carlos proudly informed me that the church is 98% covered with gold and, honey, it showed! This church really was stunning and ranked right up there with St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague as being the most beautiful I'd yet seen. So consider this a major thumbs up and hearty recommendation to any who might venture to Quito in future. One more thing about the tour - we stopped at a Franciscan convent which was the home to a trio of pet parrots. I was amused and surprised to hear one of them speak suddenly, albeit in Spanish. Fittingly it loudly uttered the word, "Padre", hee hee, seeing that we were in a place of religious significance.

Okay so I should finally write a little about the drama which ensued in the afternoon. I knew from the weather forecast and by just observing the converging and darkening clouds that it was going to rain in the afternoon, but OH MY GOD!! Little did I anticipate the downpour would include strong winds and freaking HAIL! On the plus side, I'd just finished my walking tour with Carlos so the timing wasn't half bad. Another positive was that I was decked in my goretex jacket which managed to keep my camera dry. However, I was also wearing my gym shoes which were hardly water proof. Within minutes my feet were drenched and I was squishing with every step I took. It also pretty much sucked that I was unable to find an empty taxi for about 30 minutes. The final and most substantially sucky and rather humilating thing was that I was drenched not once but TWICE by buses passing by due to the deep puddles which had quickly materialized due to the torrential downpour. I looked and felt truly pathetic and worthy of sympathy from those near and far. I mean, sure I've been splashed a bit by cars racing by (Who hasn't?), but this was more like having big buckets of cold water thrown in your face with significant slapping force! Or a baptism gone devilishly awry! I did manage to finally secure a taxi and made my way back to Chez Elena's opting for an early end to my day. Blame me?

Before I sign off on my first entry of my Grand World Tour, I'd just like to note a few things. Firstly, I was pleasantly surpised at how readily American dollars are accepted here (makes a trip to the currency exchange unnecessary for the time being). Also, the outlets accept plugs just like the ones in the States so I don't need to fiddle with adaptors. Finally, it appears that Jehovah Witnesses are ubiquitous globally as I spotted one of their centers on a main thoroughfare. Food for thought.

The forecast for tomorrow is...drum roll please...RAIN. Guess I'll be hitting some museums tomorrow!