Top of the World

If there isn't an unwritten rule about travelling then there ought to be. This is important so maybe someone should just write it down. I appreciate that that would make it a written rule, but hey, some things just need to be formalised.

You see, the thing is, that we have recently travelled from New Zealand to Ecuador and by my reckoning we have spent longer wandering around airports that we have actually spent in the air. Surely that can't be right? I know this is the price of travelling but if I see one more Duty Free shop or someone promising the best deal on the iPhone6 I'm going to pop. Besides, it's simply not possible. They can't all be the best deal. And while we're on the subject of airports, can somebody please get some common rules on when you can and can't take water on board. It's not big and it's not clever to confiscate water in the boarding queue. And neither does it look cool swilling down a two litre bottle of carbonated water. And it certainly doesn't feel good an hour or so later.

Anyway, I've digressed but needed to get that off my chest and am feeling much better now.

So we have finally arrived in Quito, just ten calendar hours after leaving home. The actually tally is somewhere nearer 28 hours. I never will get used to crossing the international date line, or as us travellers prefer to call it, the twilight zone. The zone where days miraculously disappear and reappear.

Because if the aforementioned time spent in airports, we arrived just as the sun was about to come up. The delights of Quito awaited, or at least they would once we'd had a shower and some sleep. It's ironic that after spending all that time sat around doing nothing the first thing one wants to do is have rest. But it was either rest or risk exploding at a random stranger and create an international situation.

Thankfully check-in was quick and within minutes we were showered and slumped on the bed. It was a most welcome and much needed rest and we slept solidly until noon. Time to explore.

Stepping out of the cool and calm of the hotel into the middle of a bustling Quito day felt like we'd stepped into the middle of a movie scene and a total contrast to our arrival in the small hours of the morning. Where did all these people come from? A Quito day was in full swing; cars were travelling in all directions, shop owners hustled in an attempt to sell their wares, conversations excitedly unfolded on street corners and the smell of sweet food hung in the mountain air.

Ahh, the mountain air. It was hard to believe that Quito was over 2,800m above sea level. Nearly 3km higher that Auckland. Luckily there were two reminders. First, there was the fact that just walking around became difficult and any incline had us gasping for air. Secondly, there was the back drop. Quito is surrounded by mountain peaks. Just a glance up the street confirmed the mountainous nature of this fascinating town. Despite it being a sunny day,, clouds spilled off the mountain tops and down the slopes into Quito. It was like nothing I'd seen before: Well not in a city anyway. Usually at this altitude we'd be dressed in hiking gear and carrying a rucksack, not wandering around busy street, wearing sandals and looking for a place to buy lunch.

Thankfully we shuffled enough to find a local restaurant and get some much needed lunch. Or was that breakfast? It didn't really matter because it was delicious... and cheap. Amazingly cheap.

We just had time for a quick visit to a supermarket to buy some essentials (water and biscuits) before heading back to the calm of the hotel. What a journey, and this was only the first day. Later we would meet our tour guide and the rest of our fellow travellers. 

If the rest of the trip was as rewarding as these first few hours then it would've been worth it, unwritten rule or not.