11
Location: Quito to the Amazon
We awoke at 6:30 and broke our fast on the usual morning comestibles. By 8:00 we were comfortably seated on the bus on our way to the Quito airport. Then disaster struck! We made it through security with plenty of time to spare before the 10:00 flight that our leaders told us we would be on. We settled into the cushioned seats with plenty of food and entertainment to tide us over for the wait. And so we waited, and waited, and waited. An hour after the flight was supposed to have left, we were informed that our flight had been delayed further. However, you only live once, so we ate donuts for a while. Finally, we boarded the plane, where we encountered ‘mild’ turbulence almost falling out of the sky. Four hours behind schedule, we arrived in the Amazon greeted by all its glory and humidity. When we had all been fitted with our very own pair of rubber boots, we set sail down the Napo River in motorized canoes. Off of a side stream, we arrived at our lodge and settled into our huts. Twenty minutes later, we found ourselves hiking through the Amazon on a large island owned by Hector the Protector. Although some people wandered off the path, we all managed to make it back for dinner where a bat landed in Margaret’s hair. After that, we retired to our mosquito net covered beds.