From Toronto to Quito: My Travel Experience in Ecuador

I have always wanted to explore the Galapagos Islands. Maybe it is the remoteness, or maybe it is the idea of seeing prehistoric giant tortoises in their natural habitat. A deal came across my computer that I had to book, even if it meant delaying a return to Spain this year.

As a solo senior traveller, I have found that travel gives me personal satisfaction through continuous learning. I pursue passions such as learning about new cultures, exploring their foods and traditions and build friendships with like-minded individuals. I stretch myself both physically and intellectually and when I lay my head down at the end of a day, I’m grateful for the experiences. I am surprised by what the world has to offer every time I venture out. There are so many gifts and at this stage in my life, I am appreciative to have the means to travel to new and wonderful places.

The night before my flight takes off, we receive a generous blanket of snow. Generous by Toronto standards is 50 cm (19 inches). I’m up at 3:30 am doing the last minute pack. The airport limo arrives at 4:45 am and my fingers are crossed that the plane will take off. The limo driver reveals that if the flight is cancelled, I would know by now. I’m a little skeptical as -30 degrees with blowing snow are not ideal circumstances for airplane takeoffs and landings, however, I remain positive. Gazing out the window, the corner of my mouth broadens as I take a deep breath. This girl is heading out on another adventure.

Arriving at the airport with my carry-on and small backpack, I quickly learn that the ‘deal’ I had bought was going to have an immediate charge for carry-on baggage. I hand over $150 and continue on. I will deal with this later. These days, airlines are finding ways to ‘nickel and dime’ their passengers let alone reduce the leg room. It is all a bit tedious and sad. Remember when air travel was exciting and luxurious? We would dress up and receive incredible service from flight attendants. Now, it’s hand over your credit card for a stale sandwich or a cup of coffee.

Fortunately, the ground crew are busy clearing runways and my Avianca flight takes off after the de-icing, 2 hours delayed. I reach out to the Exoticca rep to advise that I will not make my connection. Landing in Bogota, Colombia, I locate an Avianca rep who hands me a boarding pass for a flight to Quito that will depart at 10:30 pm arriving at 1:20 am. They also give me a voucher for 2 meals which is appreciated but will go unused. 6 hours+ to pass the time in the Bogota airport.

I love the Bogota, Colombia airport. It’s modern and has lots of charging stations, restaurants and stores. You won’t be bored if you enjoy shopping. I have never seen so many duty free shops.

Protect yourself with a VPN such as NordVPN which is another layer of security for your phone, tablet or laptop. Don’t plug into international USB ports without a VPN. Malware can be loaded on your equipment. Avoid conducting banking transactions while using public WIFI.

The women and men in Colombia are gorgeous and have a strong fashion sense. The colours are bright and welcoming.You can tell who is local and who is a foreigner. The Colombians are dressed with style and others are stretch pants, pajama bottoms and flip flops. My body is buzzing from caffeine, altitude and exhaustion. I didn’t notice the nap pods in Bogota until it was too late. Let’s not forget the 4 gates changes. It’s 3:30 am when the shuttle arrives at the Holiday Inn Airport Express hotel. I will be up 24 hours by the time our plane lands in Quito, exhausted and still smiling!

After a quick rest and light breakfast, I meet a few people from the tour in the lobby. Lila and her daughter Elena are from the U.S. Lila is an honorary Canadian as she is married to a man from London, Ontario. Elena lives in Florida. We hit it off immediately. Their enthusiasm is contagious. We make our way to the 8:00 am orientation meeting where we meet the Exoticca representative who proceeds to run us through all the excursions and confirms which ones we have signed up for. It appears the majority of travellers are from Canada with 3 from the United States. Our first excursion will be at 1:00 pm today to Casa Agave and then off to the Intiñan Museum which is the Middle of the World (Equator).

Casa Agave

As welcoming as this location is, I could have skipped it. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or placement in the schedule. We learned about the blue agave plant, saw a zig-zag spider and toured the operation before a taste test. The blue agave plant is used to manufacture ‘miske’ which is the Ecuadorian version of tequila but not the same. The interactive tour where everyone participated at one point was pleasant enough. Lynn (Milton) was our chemist and Dan (Milton) was the bartender. The presenters were friendly and well-versed in the making of miske. Lila and I planted two baby agaves in pots while being named their mothers. We must come back to see them grow up. Elena used different solutions such as lime juice and salt to create different colours of the agave juice. Traditionally, the different colours are used for colouring textiles. Seeing the chemical reaction of the juice change from orange/rust to violet was interesting. Lila took the purple juice and coloured strands of her hair.

There was a pride in the manufacturing of this liquid and of course we had a visit to the showroom and store before boarding the bus to the middle of the earth.

Intiñan / Middle of the Earth

I was grateful this tour wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon and one I didn’t want to miss. The lack of sleep is catching up but the adrenalin was coursing through my veins from the excitement. This is keeping me upright and engaged.

Does the water actually turn in a different direction if you are north of the equator vs. south? What happens if you are standing on the equator? I can’t wait to find out (watch the videos below).

The equator is an imaginary line that is halfway between the north pole and south pole and Earth is at its widest at the equator. We follow a guide and take numerous pictures as we learn about the Ecuadorian culture, the Amazon and its flora and fauna. I am delighted by all the flowers and plants set in the view of a dormant volcano (Puluahua Crater) that erupted 2500 years ago.

At one point, the guide holds up a petrified tarantula, a test tube with a candiru fish, a preserved boa constrictor and a shrunken head. I’m pleased tribespeople no longer shrink heads. The candiru or ‘penis’ fish is a parasitic catfish. It has the reputation for entering a person’s urethra although the occurrence is quite rare and some say a myth. The legend made a few squirm and giggle.

The tour itself is a bit kitschy and all I want to do is get to the equator part. I spy a hummingbird and try and catch it mid-flight with my new Go-Pro. I need more practice. lol

Upon reflection, I suggest you can grab a cab from your hotel and do this tour on your own. You can join a tour when you arrive. The cost is 5 USD for adults and 2.50 USD for children and the the tour is approximately 1 hour in duration.

Here are some videos where water is being drained while standing in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere and directly on the equator. I found this fascinating.

Wandering around to different experiments, we see one that seems interactive. The challenge is to balance an egg on the head of a nail while standing on the equator. One attempt after another fails to the sounds of laughter and ahhhs! This is more entertainment than real science. Apparently, you can balance and egg anywhere in the world as long as you have patience and a flat surface. I was successful.

We try walking along the equator line without losing our balance. I was unsuccessful. Not sure if it was the gravitational pull, attained age or exhaustion. Lila did it successfully. Way to go girl! The other experiment was holding your arms up and having the guide pull down on your arms while you provide resistance. Apparently, it should be difficult but Lila is one strong woman and so the experiment failed. It was entertaining to say the least.

For me, I enjoyed wandering the pathways and observing the beautiful flowers and lush plants. Of course the egg balance was a highlight for me, and just being at the equator satisfied a bucket list item. Before leaving, I received a certificate for the successful egg balance and a stamp in my passport showing I was at the equator.

Heading back to the hotel, I grab a bite to eat and retire for the evening. Tomorrow is going to be just as busy but a good sleep should make it all worthwhile. We are catching a flight in the morning to San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands. I can’t wait.