WanderingWhy…

Flights were not cheap hopping from Panama City to anywhere in South America, but we had to move forward so we booked a flight on Avianca to Quito, Ecuador.

We had a layover in Bogotá Colombia which, as exciting as Colombia may sound, looks like just about any other airport. We did have to go through a security checkpoint again, and the Colombian airport police can be a bit intimidating. Thankfully they were polite enough but Dawn almost put it to the test.

Airports are the among the greatest places to people watch, and as I buried myself in my Che Guevara Biographyfor the next couple of hours, that is just what Dawn did to entertain herself. Then I looked up to see Dawn complaining that her camera battery died while she was taking pictures of the police harassing passengers at the checkpoint. WHAT!?!? Was she looking to get us a free tenderizing and nights accommodation in a beautiful Bogotá jail?!?! Not one of her shining moments but she just got a little caught up in the action. Here is the photo that she unknowingly risked our lives for:
Safely back on board the connecting flight, we arrived in Quito where the pilot announced it was 12 degrees centigrade—how helpful. Let’s just say it is nice and cool up here in the mountains.

We caught a taxi to our hotel and as we drove through the city I was blown away by the size of it all. Even from the plane I could not make out the edges of the urban sprawl. The city is much more modern than I expected as well: high def screens on the buildings, fancy shops and sidewalk cafes—really nice.

We are staying here in The Secret Garden “the best hostel in South America” according to some quotes on the web. Quite a claim, but as I sit here in the rooftop restaurant writing this morning, this is my view:

Pretty sweet huh? Thankfully the altitude seems to be kind on us and we feel okay so far. Right now the view is spectacular, the coffee is pumping through my veins, and the city needs exploring. We’re off to wander.

While we’re out, please check out our new reading list page listed in the right column. And if you want to buy something from Amazon, clicking a link from the page helps us out–thanks for your patronage. Also, the photo albums have been updated if you’d like to have a look.

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