Curfew

I had built a day in Quito into my itinerary, so that I could complete COVID testing before flying to the Galapagos the following morning.  At promptly 7 AM, someone from a local lab showed up at the hotel, swabbed my nose and told me I'd have my PCR results within 24 hours.  They actually came in about 12 hours.  

I had also planned to meet up with the director of our partner office in Ecuador.  Unfortunately, that was not to be as the Ecuadorian government had insituted a curfew due to increased COVID cases.  From 8 pm on Friday night to 5 am on Monday morning, no going out and no alcohol sales (even at tourist hotels, so no wine with dinner).  I was grateful to be holed up in the Wyndham Hotel at the Quito Airport, with a solid restaurant, gym, pool and fast WiFi.  

Between a morning workout, an afternoon swim and a Netflix binging session, the day went super quickly.  I found myself tucking in early for sleep, happy to have a full 8 hours before my 8 AM flight to the Galapagos.  Although I'm sad to miss a day of seeing friends in Quito, a day of complete rest and relaxation was needed. I remember the schedule in the Galapagos as being one of early morning wakeup calls and lots of activity.