Since I'd forgotten to do so during daylight hours, I quickly took some pictures of our "cabin".
two beds with mosquito netting
the open wall area above our beds
the third mosquito netted bed, and the hammock, in the common area
the shower (note the open wall above it)
toilet and urinal
sink and mirror...and open windows
I'm emphasizing all the open areas because it's an excessive amount of access for all the creatures that we are hoping to ward off with the mosquito netting.
I actually think I slept on most of the drive back to the airport. We got our tickets, checked our baggage, and took our 30 minute flight back to Quito. A different bus picked us up at the airport (Freddy won't be back to Quito til evening) and returned us to our hotel. It's maybe 11am at this point, not even lunchtime, which is confusing, because we've been awake for over six hours.
Lunch at the hotel definitely wasn't bad for our last meal there. Chicken kabobs and baked potatoes in the greatest sauce (it was thick, creamy, and buttery).
During our last afternoon in Ecuador, a few of us wanted to get a few more souvenirs. We learned that there was a market in Quito, similar to the one in Otavalo, but not nearly of that scale. We got someone to write down the location, and hopped in a few cabs.
This was a random toddler, hanging out, by itself, mere feet away from a trafficked street. WTF???
The market in the Mariscal
Then a few of us headed to SuperMaxi, which is like a Wal-mart. I wanted to get some Inca Cola (which I ended up not finding), a particular chocolate bar (which I also ended up not finding), and a bottle of Aguardiente ("fire water", a local liquor) which I found for $2.50.
Back at the hotel, we all prepared for our last meal in Ecuador. Our guides were taking us to their favorite hamburger place.
I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake (and it was delicious)
Back at the hotel we sat around for a few announcements. A day or so prior, as we had started settling our hotel bills, we learned some alarming news. We knew they were charging us for laundry by the pound. What we didn't know is they apparently determine that weight when the clothes are WET. So people who did one load of tshirts all of a sudden found themselves owing ridiculous amounts of money. I honestly wouldn't have washed clothes as often if I'd known that. Ashley and I's laundry bill was $100! Margherita spent about day going back and forth with management, arguing how ludicrous that was. But she called some other hotels and apparently that's common practice. But since there was a miscommunication, LSU picked up 30% of our bills, so I only paid about $35 instead of $50.
We presented our guides with cards (and envelopes filled with money...their tip) and said our thanks. They would be back at 4:30am (AGAIN) for the ride to the airport.
our guide Sebastian is on the left, and our guide Miguel is on the right. Miguel's pregnant wife Pepe is in the middle. She came with us to the beach.
There isn't much to post about the last day. We woke up before the crack of dawn. Rode about 15 minutes to the airport, and caught our 5 hour flight to Houston. The excitement picks up a little at that point. We get off the plane and only have an hour to get through immigration, baggage claim, customs, drop off baggage again, and to another terminal to catch our Baton Rouge flight. I'm one of the first ones through, so I get to stop at McDonald's (it's lunch time now). Then, once we are at the gate, it turns out the plane is too heavy. I have no doubt in my mind that this is our fault. In Ecuador they didn't weigh our luggage, so everyone was checking two VERY full bags. My two bags were 65 lbs (the limit in the U.S. is 50) and I know a few people's were heavier than that. This flight from Houston has 50 passengers, and there are 74 checked bags. They need SIX people to get off and take another flight. They are offering travel vouchers. I volunteer when it's $400.
The rest of my group boards the plane. They still need two more people, so one other person from the LSU group volunteers (the offer is $500 now). I pull out my laptop and enjoy some free wireless. Our travel vouchers are printed (we all get the $500) and we get standby boarding passes for the flight at 2:30pm. The flight at 2:30 is too heavy as well, and they have to ask people get off THAT plane. I get another standby boarding pass for the 3:40pm, and a confirmed spot on the 6:50pm. Luckily, the 3:40pm works out for me, and I am back in Baton Rouge approximately 12 hours after I woke up.
For anyone interested, I have already booked a flight to Chicago at Mardi Gras, and Denver for Spring Break. Thank you travel voucher.
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