LOCATION: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- Lima, Peru - Quito, Ecuador
The alarm definitely works- even at the ungodly hour of 2.45 am. Sort of auto pilot mode - everything is packed and ready to go - just have to fall into your gear and get out the door. My watch reported 3 hours and 15 minutes of sleep.
Welcomed to the foyer and our chariot by @Barbra's smile - she has already travelled 40 minutes in an uber to get there to pick us up.
We were hassle free to and through the gate, complete with hugs and well wishes, and LATAM permium economy ensured we were processed quickly and were almost first to the waiting lounge.
All the usual strip downs and scans, wands and checks in for security- felt like we had just got dressed - and were now undressing - including taking shoes off - and getting the obligatory pat down. I had no idea what was setting off the alarms this morning and definitely had no idea what the security woman was telling me to do - but it eventually turned out she wanted my shoes. Felt I was alnost doing a @Cheryl from the China trip - had so little left to give - another layer would have put me in g - strings territory
In through early enough so the group could pull up a sleeping seat and stretch out for our wait. I was in phone catch up duty and had plenty to keep me busy and amused in my own little creative retell world - didn't even notice the ticking of time or the changing of the guard next to me. When @Mac disappeared for a loo break I hadn't registered. He had left his bag beside the sleeping lounge and all his stuff on the table beside me. @Deb came over and commented "Well he's changed." I glanced over and a woman was asleep on his seat!! That stealthy little ninja move had taken place in 10 minutes. A case of the quick and the dead asleep here.
Got called with the lane 1 priority passengers but everyone here seems to be in stealth and ninja mode because we were about 50 th in the queue for the 10 seats available in the front of the qqaq. . Children, elderly, infirm, thise "claiming' to need assistance and their encourages, were all pretty slick in jumping up and beating us.
Most importantly- we had seats, over head locker space and were on board and comfortable for the scheduled 6 hours cross country from Brazil to Lima in Peru. As it turned out - the biggest plus was the proximity to the toilets.
Our destination today was Quito and nestled at nearly 3000 metres above sea level this is the highest elevation of our journey and we all have altitude meds to take.
And it's those meds which have provided the adventure for the day.
Had no idea of their impact and had naively been swallowing them. Turns out they are a diuretic and I now had two colliding medical needs. I have a little low blood pressure thing that kicks in when I fly dehydrated - altitude combines with lack of fluid, blood pressure drops and I pass out. To account for this my Dr has recommended 1.5 litres of water an hour before take-off with hydralite in it and then a litre of fluid each 2 hours of the flight. Has been a dream for the last 12 months and i haven't had an in-flight faint.
Now we add the altitude meds. Didn't know they were going to work in opposition and drain that fluid. So glad we were at the front of the plane and I definitely set the record for the most seating sessions in the priority loo. Even found out what happens when you are seated in turbulence and accidentally hit the flush button with your elbow while still seated. Yuck.
But the urgency. And the volume! Can't not be there. If the Iguazu Falls and the Devil's Throat are ever in drought, I think I could be the backup! #Fab5, think #handbrake turn.
It is very rare for @Mac to use the loo on a flight and he had TWO trips. My major screen entertainment for the 6 hours was tracking the red and green light indicators on the toilet! Location, location, so relieved (literally) to be right at the front.
Disembarked at Lima airport in Peru and it was a 4 way sprint for all of us to get to the Banos. We hadn't Dr Googled at this stage and had no idea what was happening, all we knew was that collectively we were toilet centric.
@Lloyd came out of the bathroom, red faced, bent over, tears running down his face and was a giggling gertie. He couldn't speak. Between guffaws we got the message. He recounted that he and @Mac were first first of the plane and conveniently first at the urinals. But once the crowds started to pour in, @Lloyd said he had never heard anything like it. There were blurts and whistles, squeaks, pops and bombs flying out of every male who entered the door. It was like a zoo! Have no idea why passing wind makes humans laugh - but it does - and that explained @Lloyd's bent over exit. @Mac on the other hand, thought he was in concert heaven. Thought it was an audition for the wind section and couldn't decide if he wanted to be a a clarinet, bassoon, piccolo, trumpet, trombone or the mighty tuba. He had found his tribe and came out with a totally different expression on his face from @Lloyd.
Thank goodness @Deb was tuned into the reality of transit or we would have missed the line completely. We were on a bit of a schedule here and had a 50 minute time slot to make the next border crossing - jumping from Brazil to Peru. At no stage had anyone pointed out that we needed to pay a "transit tax" but there was a line that indicated that anyone using the airport as a "thoroughfare" for a connecting flight had to line up and pay a tax of just under US$12 per head!
Wow, that is a new gig for us. Got to pay to walk through the airport. We were concerned that the line was so long we would miss the flight! They were quick to take our money though and the electronics installed to check that $12 payment 3 times before we reached the final security scan was impressive.
We arrived at our boarding gate with 10 minutes to spare which meant another toilet stop. Unravelled loads of loo paper, pumped that hand wash multiple times and took 5 paper towels to wipe my hands - I was determined to wrack up some use of that airport transit tax!
Last flight of the day delivered us to the lofty heights of Quito and the welcome of guide @Danny and driver @Juan(not two)Carlos and a pleasant 20 degrees.
When we got in the car we were in the southern Hemisphere- drove one hundred metres up the road and were in the Northern Hemisphere.
Not a bad day of travel. Three countries and two hemispheres.
The Quito airport is approximately 35 minutes out of Quito and the drive was an impressive welcome to the capital of Ecuador- the highest capital city in the world. Razor sharp ridges, deep ravines, extensive evidence of landslides, winding climbing narrow roads. We were definitely in the mountains. And green - so very green and lush. @Danny commented that they have just two seasons - a wet season and a dry season. We had arrived at the end of the wet season and although there was no rain, we were under cloud cover.
Arrived at the beautiful Swisshotel. What an oasis at the end of this drive through the wall to wall Spanish influenced local homes that clung at every angle to the cliff faces.
The hotel was filled with massive displays of red roses and the gentle smell of the blooms filled the space.
Busy, but organised, we were soon checked in just a tad shy of 4 pm and organised with instructions to stay close to the hotel as dusk settled. We were low on sleep (my watch indicted 3 hrs 15 min for last night), lethargic and weighty moving slowly with a little pressure in the chest. Other than settling into the room, withdrawing US$ for the upcoming Galapagos taxes (we have been reminded 6 times by @Danny already that we need that cash) and finding the toilets we had no desire to go anywhere.
Met up in the comfort of the piano bar for 5.30 and chatted, ate the local recommendations and drank our way through the early evening and barely made it to 8 pm. Collectively knackered, called it quits for Quito.
Showered and sleeping by 8.30. But I was awake by midnight with a thumper of a headache. It was a beauty. I counted backwards from 100 ... then two hundred ... then five. But I couldn't get back to sleep and the headache was like a vice. Thr toilet stops were urgent and frequent and still a waterfall! My tummy was not behaving 9either. Not vomiting - but a constant feeling of being unwell. Not happy Jan ... literally.
Sort of the chicken and the egg thing. Do I feel this way because of the altitude? Or because of the medication. I don't know - can't really think - my head so fuddled.
Can you believe this?
Key Facts About Quito
- Founded: December 6, 1534, by Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar.
- Population: Over 2.7 million in the metropolitan area.
- Nicknames: Carita de Dios (“Little Face of God”), Mitad del Mundo (“Middle of the World”), Luz de América (“Light of the Americas”).
- UNESCO Status: Historic center declared a World Heritage Site in 1978 for its well-preserved colonial architecture.
Survival Barometer
Steps 12 563
Weather comfortable 21 but fell quickly at sun set
Health stopped taking altitude meds - big headache and no sleep overnight. Toilet urgency disappeared once meds stopped. Shame about the wind!!
For Jesse: not much action today - lots of plane time
"Just look out the windiw Grandad, you'll be there soon."
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