The anticipation of going to the Galapagos is huge. I pay my departure tax and do a little leapy dance as we wait for Zach. I go to check in and my ticket is locked as it is operated by another company so they cant check me all the way through. They check me in to Medellin (Colombia) but the helpful check in person says I will have to pick up my bag, clear customs and recheck in at Medellin. As I walk away I notice that my boarding time is after the departure time of my flight?? I go back to the counter to ask about this. I discover my original flight was cancelled. The check-in person had put me on the next flight, which is a good thing, but neglected to tell me that it wasnt my original flight...why would I want to know that information..:)! What the later flight means though is that I only have an hour between flights and with memories of traversing LAX I am a little nervous but he assures me it is only a small airport. Am I ever going to get there??...shouldnt have danced in the departure hall perhaps...:)!
I arrive in Medellin and discover it IS a small airport, actually it looks like its still being built. Signs that indicated the gate lounge numbers were being hung. There were no clocks anywhere. It was actually so small that the security guard that I asked about my bag, came and found me later to make sure I had my boarding pass! His colleague had gone to get my bag for me and would make sure it got on the plane with me. Okay I said, cool, I was sorted and went to wait for my flight.
Im a trusting kind of person and Im happy about that but okay so my bag didn’t make it to Quito. The issue with that was mostly that there was no chance it would arrive before we left for the Galapagos the next day. So essentially I had about an hour that evening, after arriving in Quito about 7pm, to head to the shopping mall and do some speed shopping. I have no toiletries, bathers, hiking shoes... nada except the shorts and tshirt I have on. In an hour I manage to buy 2 singlet tops, 1 long sleeved top (cos its cool in Quito), 1 pair shorts, 1 other top, 3 pairs of knickers, 1 bra and 2 pairs of bikinis (okay I didn’t need two but I couldn’t decide!). I decided to leave the toiletries as I could get them at the airport (hopefully). I got toothpaste and a brush from the hotel.
The next day I am to be picked up at 8am. When I meet Deanna in the lobby she advises that all flights to the Galapagos are cancelled today due to the tsunami in Japan that I had just read about on the internet. All that speed shopping for nothing! We would not know until tomorrow if the trip would go ahead. Deanna takes me to the Farmacia to buy some toiletries in case my bag doesnt show up. Then I spend the morning rewinding my early start as I had not slept well. I did some research on Quito and as Im not so enthused about cities at the moment I decided to head for the Centro de Arte Contemparaneo.
The Centro de Arte Contemparaneo was located on the edge of the old town of Quito.
This is a beautiful building, 107 years old and seemed perfect for this purpose, but was originally a military hospital. The exhibition is excellent with some really interesting pieces. Some very cool metal sculptures. My favourite piece though was an abstract representation of the union of man and woman which consisted of a small dining table and two chairs. On the table was a coffee cup half full of coffee (the woman – uterus), above hung many teaspoons with wavy handles (man – sperm) and reflected on the table was a changing ultrasound of a baby...Im not usually that into abstract but this was very cool. I felt sad as I seemed to be the only one there appreciating this beautiful building and the art that is on display here. Each room had a guide and Luis in the abstract room was very helpful with information about the artists and the works.
My taxi driver was Edgar. What a sweetie. He took me there, waited and then to the airport to pick up my bag that I had been advised would arrive at 2pm, then back to the hotel. Apparently my bag went to Lima, as you would expect (I didnt go there at all)?? It appeared nothing was missing except the tag Dawn and Glenyce had given me that said “put it back, its mine”. Later that day I am advised that I will be collected at 2pm on Saturday for my flight to the Galapagos.
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