It's hard to believe we're spending our last day in Ecuador, the conclusion of a spectacular adventure.
At breakfast Gloria gave us directions to a sporting goods store, where we bought Liga (Quito's first division soccer team) jerseys for our grandsons. We spent a little time in the mall after our purchase; it's surprising how similar it is to any mall we are familiar with in the United States - same stores, same restaurant chains, even a lot of the same merchandise and paying with US dollars as well.
We paid a visit to the Confederate Bookstore, not far from La Rabida, to replenish our reading material for the trip home. Aside from the novelty of an English language bookstore in downtown Quito, it has an amazing diversity of titles - better than some I've shopped in at home. It was established years ago by an American ex-pat from New Orleans (hence the name) and has become an institution.
We bought a few items at an Ecuadorian products shop we stumbled onto and ate supper at Mama Clarinda's, a restaurant specializing in Ecuadorian fare that Gloria had recommended. I finally got to sample the Ecuadorian delicacy ''cuy'' that I had read about. In English, it's Guinea pig. I ordered the half portion so it appeared on the platter sort of flat; it is roasted complete with the head, making it look unfortunately like road kill. I found it pretty greasy and salty. It tasted a bit like - are you ready for this? - chicken.
We got to the airport well in advance of our flight time and everything turned bizarre. We passed through a fairly perfunctory security check and were immediately accosted by a young woman in some sort of official looking uniform telling us we needed to have our checked luggage shrink-wrapped for security. Beside her was a burly young man ready to do just that. After grappling with this unheard-of ''requirement'' for a few minutes I decided that there were too many scam-like elements involved and I declined. Then, shortly after we had checked in with the airline we were told everyone had to vacate the gate area while they performed a security sweep, which they did, and pretty thoroughly, too. Then one by one we were readmitted after a hand search of all of our carry-on luggage, even though it had already been scanned in the first security check. Helen had to surrender a bottle of water she had bought after the first check. All the while we were in the terminal the reader boards were scrolling a message to the effect that the airport was closed due to weather conditions.
Despite all the distractions they boarded our plane and we took off for Atlanta more or less on time for our 10:30 p. m. flight.
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!
Hazel Araza
10 hours ago
(1) great information on the website and throughout all the "materials." (2) Jane Packer is great: knowledgeable, responsive, takes a personal interest and tone, seems to care about the customer as a person not a sale.
Larry Bethune
18 hours ago
great people doing a wonderful job to make our voyages happen.
trudy
1 day ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
2 days ago
Adventure Life is my favorite travel company due to their genuine care for their customers. They make every effort to ensure a wonderful travel experience for you. Their personal touch really gives the customer a lot of confidence with their travel plans and the trip leaders are always outstanding. They are truly consistent and accountable with the great service they provide. I can't thank Adventure Life enough for the incredible trips I have enjoyed thanks to them and their attention to detail.