May 24- International Travel

Arriving in Quito, we had knew only an intersection near where our apartment was located and had the vague promise made to Neil over the phone, en español, that someone would indeed be there to let us inside. We landed, got our bags, cleared customs, and got a taxi.

The taxi ride from the airport was a lot like riding in a taxi in New York, that is if the driver were on speed. This guy cut in and out of traffic, roared down the central boulevard, and shot a gap so narrow between a bus and a chicken truck that Neil and I thought we were gonna die. Riding in 3rd world taxis is…FUN…no, EXCITING…well maybe just AN ADVENTURE. He did get us to el Club Oasis though, the place were someone was supposedly waiting to let us in.

Naturally, all the windows were dark. There was nobody there. It was at this point that I realized that this was one of the most haphazard things that I have ever done. If you are reading this blog, you probably know me pretty well. You know that I meticulously plan things out. Well, here we were in some unknown part of Quito, Ecuador at about 10 o’clock at night, exhausted from our travels, laden with luggage, and not even knowing if where we were going to sleep that night. I thought I had made a BIG mistake.

It turns out that I did do one thing right; I asked Neil to come to Ecuador with me. Neil habla con fluidez en español, pero a mí, no. We finally saw a light on through what seemed to be a half dozen gates, and after banging on the innermost gate repeatedly, an Ecuadorian man (whom I shall henceforth refer to Raulito until we learn his actual name) came to see why the hell a couple of gringos were rattling the gate at 10 o’clock.

To make a long story short, Neil busted out his Spanish skills and managed to get us into an apartment. We weren’t even given a key to it, but we were eternally grateful to Raulito. As of tonight, we are settled into an apartment, and that is a good thing.