Volume VI: The South American Journals
Ecuador
March, 2020
Day 1. Sunday, 8 March. 2020. London- Quito
Up at 3.00am. and followed the usual day-of-departure routine – suffice it to say that we were ready to leave the house at 4.30 am as planned and take a leisurely walk down to Gants Hill relatively unencumbered by luggage (we are taking one large bag for the hold and two rucksacks and shoulder bags to keep with us).
Waited on the platform for the scheduled 4.58 train to take us to Holborn. Some raucous Rumanians led to us getting into conversation with a fellow-passenger, a middle-aged exponent of the Keto Diet, and we passed the time with him pleasantly enough until it was time to change lines.
Redbridge Station platform
Embarked at 5.28 for Holborn to West Hounslow and then a short wait for a Terminal 4 train – finally arrived at Heathrow at 6.35 am.
Checked-in our bag with Air France (and witnessed a woman being turned away who had hoped to check-in four huge suitcases!) after which we went through the necessary formalities without undue incident (although my right shoe did set off the alarm!) Waited in Departures from 7.20 am until time to board an Airbus A320.
Flight to Paris remarkably quick – just 45 minutes, which left us with a comfortable amount of time in which to transfer to the Quito flight scheduled to leave at 1.15 pm. from Terminal E Gate M27.
We were just settling in to our seats on a not particularly crowded Boeing 787 when we thought of asking to move to where we might have a little more room – changed seats 24C & D for 17 D & G which meant that we had three seats between us, albeit in the central row.
Departed Paris at 1.20 pm and were soon served a pretty reasonable lunch (chicken chasseur, beans, tabbouleh, roll and camembert) plus a couple of small bottles of an excellent wine.
Spent a good part of the journey reading the TLS and snoozing but devoted the last couple of hours to watching the entertaining Elton John biopic, Rocketman.
After some eleven and a half hours we arrived at the spectacularly modern airport of Mariscal Sucre where we soon gathered our bag and then moved into the reception area to be met by the pre-booked taxista [Rene Flores]. A forty minute drive to the casco viejo ensued; Sr. Flores proved simpatico and on arrival at our lodging, Yumbo Imperial, we arranged to travel back to the airport with him when we leave Ecuador.
At the hostel we were taken straightaway to our room – not at all bad but wholly enclosed so that, when offered a different room at the top of the building with windows and a view of the city, we jumped at the opportunity to move! Proceeded up to the fourth floor to a quaint but exceedingly small room…
Our upstairs room at Yumbo Imperial
Unpacked the essentials and gave ourselves over to enjoying some rum and coke before taking a couple of “sleep-aides” and, exhausted, going to bed, 10.30 pm local time (3.30 am. UK time).
Day 2. Monday, 9th. March, 2020. Quito
Well, I have to say that I, at least, had a very good night in spite of having to visit the tiny bathroom on three occasions! Got up at 7.30 am to a bright morning. Breakfasted at 9.00 am – omelette, coffee, cheese-roll and a tree-tomato drink – all-in-all, not at all bad.
A warm, sunny day, we decided that our best policy would be to take a free walking tour of the Casco Viejo starting at 10.00 am not far from Yumbo.
While waiting for the tour to begin we witnessed a demonstration of mothers demanding more English teachers for their children!…
Led by a young woman, Natalia, a group of about a dozen of us set off a little after the appointed time and enjoyed a very informative trip around the neighbourhood.
Probably the highlight of the tour was reaching the Square in front of the Cathedral where a major military tattoo was in full swing; apparently something like this happens every Monday but, on the first Monday of the month, the ceremony is even more elaborate! Bands dressed in archaic uniform march about the environs and the fallen of every war that Ecuador has ever been involved in (seemingly quite a few) are remembered!
Proceeded to C. Venezuela and the ornate Franciscan church...
...before visiting a chocolate emporium (the country apparently produces the very highest quality cocoa) for an explanation of the cacao industry and a few samples.
The tour ended at the Central Market at 1.30 pm where we then had lunch at one of the stalls – roast pork, potato cakes, maize and a very tasty pepper sauce [$3 per person].
After lunch we moved a little further on to an office linked to the walking tours and booked a visit to the Mitad del Mundo [$10 pp]. At this point the beautifully sunny day became increasingly cloudy and, before we set off at 2.30 pm, it began to rain heavily.
Journey to Mitad del Mundo took some 45 minutes and delivered us first to the very interesting Museu Inti- Ñan located exactly on the line of the equator. We toured various exhibits and took part in several curious experiments (eg. trying to balance an egg on the point of a nail and walking along the line of the equator with arms outstretched and eyes closed!).
From the museum we moved on to the Mitad del Mundo City and the Equatorial Monument from which we had a fabulous view of the city and its surrounding mountains [$5 to visit the city and $4 for the Museum.] GPS has found that the true equator runs through the Museum and not the city and monument!
Back to Quito by 6.00 pm. and then a struggle to find our way back through the gathering gloom. Once on C. Guayaquil we stopped off at a supermarket to buy beer and snacks before continuing on to Yumbo.
Sat at a table on Piso #3 drinking our beer and endeavouring to make use of the wi-fi facilities (albeit without a great deal of success!).
Moved back up to the room at 8.30 pm. to watch some TV and to sup rum!
Day 3. Tuesday, 10th. March, 2020. Quito
TV here seems to have thousands of channels but, in spite of that, we struggled to find anything even vaguely watchable! Finished off our bottle of rum and then enjoyed a really sound night (despite having to get up twice!) Woke initially at 6.30 but then snoozed on and did not finally rise until 8.00 am.
Breakfast was the same as yesterday so we had no complaints. While eating we watched TVE which with its reports of Italy isolating itself, dramatic world-wide stock-market falls (the New York exchange even closed for 15 minutes to allow things to cool down!) was positively frightening! One wonders exactly what we will return to if things carry on like this!… Here in Ecuador there is a campaign to make people aware of the virus and of the steps that can be taken to combat it. Anti-bacterial gel seems to be available at all public meeting points and, in places (eg. Museu Inti- Ñan) its use is obligatory. Of course, on arrival at Mariscal Sucre we along with all others on the flight had our temperatures taken.
Bright sunny morning, walked towards the main square and observed an animated demonstration demanding information concerning the myriad disappearances of women throughout the country.
First port-of-call for the day was the Cathedral after which we planned to visit the city’s major churches. The Cathedral [$2 pp. entrance fee) is a highly impressive edifice housing, amongst other items of interest, the tomb of Sucre, the national hero. There a lot of paintings from the 16 and 17 centuries plus rooms of vestments and paintings of all the archbishops and cardinals throughout the Cathedral’s history; under the altar lies Sta. Mariana de Jesús de Paredes [1618 – 1645].
Parade in front of Cathedral
Tomb of Mariscal Sucre
Found our way to C. Espejo and visited a really excellent museum [£5 pp.]- the Museo Alberto Mena Caamaño which vividly illustrates Ecuador’s colonial years and the struggles involved. By the time we were through with the museum it was time for lunch and so we headed off to the Central Market as the weather grew increasingly threatening.
As we were finishing lunch we could hear rain pattering on the roof which increased in intensity as we left the building…in fact we only just managed to get outside when the heavens opened! Took shelter and watched a violent hail storm which eventually turned to torrential rain! When, eventually, the storm abated, we made our way back to Yumbo before the rain started up once more.
Took it easy in the room until 3.30 pm when it seemed that the rain had passed even though conditions remained pretty miserable. Walked up C. Sucre and paid a visit to the Jesuit church of La Compania [$5 pp.] which just has to be the world’s most ornately gilded church! The interior of the church is simply fantastic to behold and, in my opinion, actually makes St. Peter’s in Rome seem modest!
Moved on from La Compania to La Merced but by this time it was approaching 5.00 pm and a Mass was underway – an extraordinarily modern happy-clappy affair in which the celebrant led the hymn singing! Stayed only a short while and resolved to return next week when we would hope to be free to look around properly.
Prior to visiting the two churches we bought a couple of (to us) exotic soft ices (blackberry and vanilla) and then, after La Merced, yet another (guanabana) at the up-market ice-cream parlour in the Archbishop’s Residence building on the Plaza Grande.
Walked home as darkness fell and got back just before another downpour. Packed up our belongings and then turned to drinking wine and watching TV. Looked as if we would experience the familiar frustration of having a multiplicity of channels with none offering anything worth watching but, luckily, we found a channel showing an Indiana Jones film – quite ludicrous, of course, but amusing, and very easy to follow particularly as it had Spanish sub-titles.
Went downstairs and paid the proprietor $55.57 for our three nights and arranged to stay a further two nights on our return. Made a quick sortie to the newly-discovered supermarket on Sucre for some tortilla chips and another carton of merlot ($6.85) as well as to surreptitiously dispose of our empty rum bottle….Back to the room to sample the wine and then to have an early night.
Day 4. Wednesday, 11th. March, 2020. Cotopaxi
Had a good night even if I seemed to be woken on each hour by the myriad clocks in the neighbourhood. Our alarm was set for 5.00 am but we were awake long before it went off. Plenty of time to shower, get ready and then take our bags down through a hostel in total darkness! Had to wake the boss to unlock the doors so that we could wait at the entrance, as arranged, for Ecuador Hop who were scheduled to pick us up between 6.15 and 6.30; in the event they arrived on the dot of 6.15 am.
Bus picked up a few other travellers and then headed off for Cotopaxi which we reached at 7.45 am. At the Chuquiragua Lodge, an establishment set in the most picturesque of settings and where we shall be spending the night, we dumped our stuff in an ante-room and then enjoyed a very decent breakfast.
Chuquiragua Lodge
By 9.25 am we were ready and waiting to set off on a hike in the Cotopaxi National park [$40 pp]; surprise, surprise, we were generations older than all the rest of the party!…
Bus took the best part of an hour to reach the National Park where we disembarked and began a hike along a scrabbly path to the Base Camp at 15,995’ – there was an option to go further and higher to the glacier. In actual fact the walk took an hour and was pretty gruelling – I, for one, did not fancy continuing on to the glacier! (although one or two of the younger element did just that.) On the other hand, I felt that we Old Timers did pretty well and were far from being the slowest in the group (indeed not all the party even got as far as Base Camp!)
Relaxed for a while at Base Camp and then made the descent down via a precipitous path and was back by the bus at 2.00 pm. We were fortunate that at all times the weather was reasonable – bright but cool. For a while the clouds lifted from Cotopaxi so we saw the volcano at its best; we also saw a couple of condors which, by all accounts, is highly unusual.
A short ride took us to a beautiful glacial lake where we spent a short while looking at the variety of water fowl before another ride of an hour, as the weather deteriorated, back to the lodge.
Once back at the Lodge we were given “lunch” and very good it was too – trouble was that it was either too late – or too early! It felt very strange to be finishing lunch at 5.00pm.! Finally checked-in for the night and paid $60.50 for our accommodation before being shown to our very attractive little chalet.
Unpacked a little and prepared a change of clothes before going off to avail ourselves of the spa facilities, notably the Jacuzzi and steam room…Well, there were clouds of steam in the room as we entered which might have given us pause for thought; to our chagrin the Jacuzzi proved to be impossibly hot – no one could possibly have got into it! Informed the management who said that they would investigate but, for the time being, there was no hope of a remedy being found.
By 7.00 pm we were back in our comfortable room wondering what to do next; dinner was available but, having eaten only a couple of hours ago, it was hardly a realistic option. We thanked God that we had brought an extra litre of Chilean wine with us which would help us pass the time congenially! The room itself was devoid of a TV but did have an electric heater to which we had to resort as the evening became increasingly chilly; another early night which, in itself, was no bad thing!
Day 5. Thursday, 12th. March, 2020. Cotopaxi – Baños
Had a very comfortable night in a pleasantly-warm double bed. Set alarm for 6.15 am. and got up immediately, anticipating a lengthy, warm shower…Perhaps I should have suspected that having experienced a super-heated jacuzzi last night, the water-heating system just might go into reverse this morning; and that is exactly what happened – freezing cold showers! Bit the bullet though and afterwards felt most refreshed!
To breakfast at 7.25 am – not bad but not up to yesterday’s standards. Waited a little after the meal and then, at 8.30 am boarded the bus on what had become a distinctly cool and cloudy morning. By the time of our departure the Lodge and its gardens were choc-a-bloc with members of some religious organisation from Montgomery, Ala. God knows what they are doing in Ecuador but they look far too rough to be missionaries!
First stop on today’s itinerary came after nearly two hours when we reached the mirador of Anka Pavana Toachi, a vastly impressive canyon.
There were a couple of elaborately-dressed young women replete with babies and llamas asking for $1 to be photographed – felt rather sorry for them standing out in this bleak landscape so snapped them and paid accordingly.
Another twenty minutes brought us to a magnificent green crater lake – Shalala where we took a short and steep path up to an elaborate look-out where we were able to get a perfect panorama of this very peaceful and beautiful lake. On the way back to the bus we stopped to look over the wares of some of the stalls run by the indigenous community – between us we bought fridge magnets, a small hand-painted picture and an alpaca poncho for Maya.
Another lengthy ride ensued through some highly impressive scenery – it was just a pity about the weather which was heavily overcast. Finally rain began to fall just as we were coming into Salcedo, the ice-cream capital of Ecuador (if not the world); we enjoyed exceedingly fine four-flavoured ice-cream lollies of very generous proportions (coco, blackberry, naranjilla and taxo with a guava centre).
The ultimate leg of the journey saw us arrive at a warm and very sunny Baños at 3.15pm. Just a short walk from where we were dropped to a warm welcome at the Balcon del Cielo and to be shown up to a very fine room several floors up but with a great view of the river down below.
Hostal Balcon del Cielo
3.50 pm., having had a few minutes relaxation in our room we went downstairs, paid for the accommodation (with a credit card – amen!) and then wended our way to Ecuador Hop’s meeting point for the afternoon’s excursion.
Met up with our small group and set off in very dull weather for the Casa del Arbol swing – by the time we arrived the sun was shining brightly! A very popular attraction, we had to wait a fair while for our turn on the swing. Was eventually strapped into the swing and launched into space – five or six heart-stopping swings into the void before giving way to the next person – all very exciting!
Enjoyed the swing experience but must confess to being a little dismayed when Joseph, our guide, asked if anyone wanted to experience the “extreme” swing – The swing at the end of the world (or some such name) and the two elderly Dutch travellers said that they were keen: the remainder of the party, M, Liz from Dallas and me were nowhere near so enthusiastic!…In the end we ended up at the “extreme” swing and the Dutch couple shot off seemingly miles across the canyon! M was determined not to take part but Liz and I jollied one another into giving it a go. We got strapped up and were then hurtled into the void – the first launch was absolutely terrifying but subsequently it all became rather relaxing albeit highly exhilarating at the same time! Once back on Terra Firma we came across a family from Stratford (E.15)!
With darkness fast approaching we returned to Baños via an establishment specialising in making sweets, marmeladas and liqueurs where we were invited to sample the wares – ended up buying a 500ml. bottle of guava liqueur before being driven back to the tour’s starting point.
Walked back to the Balcon but not before stopping off at Picanteria Elvita for an appetising meal of churrasco, eggs, chips, salad and avocado. On our return we whiled away the time drinking wine – the TV did not seem to work but otherwise we had no complaints!
Day 6. Friday, 13th. March, 2020. Baños
Went to bed at 10.30 pm and enjoyed the sleep of “the just”. Woke at 6.15 am, had a warm shower and slowly got ready for the day. Breakfast was scheduled for 8.00 am but we turned up downstairs a little before that and found that service had already begun – had a very good meal of huevos revueltos, croissant, cheese, ham coffee plus a pineapple juice garnished with a strawberry!
Rendezvous with Ecuador Hop was scheduled for 8.30 am at a park some six blocks away; after a quick walk we were the first of the group to turn up and, as usual, the bus rolled up shortly thereafter exactly at the appointed time.
A hot, sunny day, we set off to observe some waterfalls and then moved on to the Rio Blanco Mega Park Adventure where Liz, M and I plucked up the courage to try “zip lining” which proved to be great fun although it nearly ended unhappily when, on coming in to land, an employee inexplicably got in the way causing Liz (especially) and I to hit the ground – Liz grazed her wrist and broke her watch-strap while I was more-or-less unscathed.
Preparing to “Zip”….
The third and final part of the excursion was to the Devil’s Nose catarata, a spectacular waterfall that one can follow alongside for a great way down.
11.30 am and back in Baños where we parted from Joseph, Patricio and our fellow passengers and returned to the hostel to sit on the balcony and drink cold beers.
At 1.00 pm we went back into town in search, once again, of fritada but, just like yesterday, the specialist fritada restaurant was closed; luckily, a girl in a nearby restaurant took an interest in our search for the dish and suggested that we tried La Hornada a block and a half away.
La Hornada [or El Sabor de Soñita] as it transpired, does not do fritadas but it does serve hornadas (ie. the meat in the dish is roasted and not fried) so we opted to give it a go – $3.25 each bought a generous helping of maize, potato cakes, salad, avocado and roast pork – absolutely delicious! We resolved to return tomorrow!
Meal over, we took it easy in a near-by park before making our way along the outskirts of town to Las Termas de la Virgen where we paid $3 each plus another $1 for the loan of a swim cap (gorra) and then spent the next hour alternating between the hot pool and a freezing shower! At 4.00 pm. the hot tub began to empty out (both in people and in water) as the authorities prepared to clean everything out before re-opening at 6.00pm.
Walked home via a supermarket and then enjoyed more cold beer on the balcony – gradually, as we did so, it began to rain, forcing us to move back into the room. By 7.00 pm the rain had stopped and our thoughts moved towards finding a Chifa!..
Found a Chinese and had a very substantial meal of spring rolls, “special” fried rice and sweet and sour prawns [$15 in total]. While we ate a religious procession took place outside in the road – there are a number of newly erected and elaborate shrines on the corners of several roads and the group, led by a priest, stopped and prayed at each one (actually a chap in the hot pool told me that this evening was of religious significance but I understood him only to mean that there was to be some kind of service in the Cathedral.. )– exactly what the celebrations are in aid of on the evening of 13th March I am not sure!
Reached our room to find that the TV has been fixed and so we were able to watch a lengthy news programme as we drank our wine before retiring a little before 10.00 pm.
Day 7. Saturday, 14th. March, 2020. Baños – Cuenca
No pressing need for an early start today so we were able to linger in bed until 7.30 am and then breakfast at 8.15. Originally planned to spend the morning at the Termas but the weather was far from ideal so we decided to abandon that idea and to explore the town a little more.
After another good breakfast we had an almost complete re-pack and were then able to leave the room ready for evacuation at mid-day.
Wandered into town and stopped along the way to explore a large artisanal clothes shop (yesterday, unfortunately, M must have left her cardigan on the bus and so was in need of a replacement of some sort); M managed to pick up an attractive, zipped cardigan for $18 as well as a couple of small, woollen, novelty bags.
Paid a hurried visit to the very quaint Cathedral at the bottom of the town which proved most rewarding. Cathedral has an attractively decorated ceiling and a most colourful altar-piece; however, the outstanding feature of the building, for us at least, was the fact that the walls are lined with paintings detailing a number of miracles which have taken place in the environs of Baños over the last three centuries (the last miracle commemorated in paint took place as late as 1935!). All the wonderful occurrences illustrated were ascribed to the saving power of La Virgen de las aguas sagradas and, apparently, a number of them were recorded in newspapers as far away as Quito!
Baños Cathedral
Visited the supermarket briefly and then chatted to some women selling roasted cuy before passing rapidly through the thriving market. Crossed the bridge to the other side of town to get a different perspective to that which we have got from the Balcon before returning to collect up our baggage.
The local delicacy -roasted cuy
Carried our bags to La Hornada where we indulged in yet another very satisfying lunch before moving to the park to sit in the sunshine for a while. Met up with Frank and Joy, a congenial couple originally from the Carolinas but now resident in Cuenca, and spent the waiting period chatting with them. Yet again the bus turned up precisely at the appointed hour (2.00 pm).
Not many passengers, perhaps a dozen or so, meaning that we were able to enjoy two seats to ourselves plus a further seat for the rucksacks! Pleasant afternoon spent passing through some very attractive rural scenery before the day began to cloud over.
After a couple of hours there was a very brief stop at Riobamba where I had originally thought that we might spend a night (but am now more than glad that I abandoned the idea!) As far as I could see, all that was noteworthy about the place was that we passed by a couple of football matches and both comprised female teams!
Not long after Riobamba we made our first major stop at Colca to visit Ecuador’s most ancient Church, Santisíma Virgen María Natividad de Balbanera, a quaint stone edifice founded in 1534 and still in use.
Departed Colca and spent another couple of hours travelling before the major halt of the day at Alausí for dinner at the Café del Tren. Had a fine meal of a large shrimp salad while M had fajitas – together with a dessert each and a couple of bottles of agua con gaz, the bill came to a very reasonable $16.
Dining with Frank and Joy at Café del Tren
We set off at 8.00 pm on the final leg of the journey on a dark and rainy night – obviously there was nothing to see but, at times, we were conscious that the road surface was pretty bad (unusual because, on the whole, Ecuadorian roads have been in impressively good condition).
Arrived in Cuenca at 11.15 pm and transferred to a shuttle bus which delivered us to Hotel Conquistador at precisely midnight; disconcertingly the receptionist seemed completely nonplussed to see us! I was delighted to learn that on booking I had already paid for the room [$124]. We eventually got through all the procedures and were given a ‘smart’ card for Room 405, quite the most comfortable room we have stayed in since Curitiba or Cologne!
By 1.00 am we were enjoying a second wind and ended up drinking some very palatable wine and, foolishly perhaps, not actually going to bed until 3.15 am!…
Day 8. Sunday, 15th. March, 2020. Cuenca
A short night, waking up with an incipient headache which, fortunately, some Solpadeine soon rectified. Showered in the luxurious bathroom and then went down to breakfast and found a lot of guests all seemingly with ravenous appetites!
It was just as well that we went downstairs when we did because although the meal is reputedly served until 10.00 am., we had quite clearly missed the best of the offerings even though there was more than an hour to go! Nonetheless we could not really complain and both came away feeling more than satisfied (spam, cheese, maize, rolls, fruit juice and a very fine fruit salad).
Back to the room to spend a fruitless hour trying to get into the KLM website (yesterday evening there were vague rumours of possible flight disruptions) but eventually gave up and went out into a warm and sunny morning in search of the bus terminal.
Terminal proved to be in reasonable walking distance and we soon obtained all the information we needed – buses to Quito are hourly and cost $12 pp., taking up to eight hours to make the journey.
Early afternoon we walked a couple of blocks to the Parque Calderon – stopped outside the Cathedral to read a notice informing everyone that all Eucharistic services would no longer be performed in the Church but rather broadcast via Radio Católica!…Had a beer in the Square and then set off for C. 3 Nov. which runs alongside the river.
We had only progressed a short way down the road when we came across Restaurante Cositas where we were tempted by a set meal of $3.45; went upstairs to an eccentric and quaint dining-room and enjoyed a good-value lunch of rice, lentils, avocado, chips, pork and sausage.
Continued our perambulation and then walked beside the river until we reached Café Museu which had been recommended to us by Frank and Joy – halted a while for a pricey beer before returning into town via an alternate route.
Along the way we passed a number of Cuenca’s noteworthy churches – all closed and displaying notices announcing the suspension of Masses during the national emergency…At this point it became pretty clear that our visit to Cuenca was going to prove a damp squib as the churches are the city’s finest attractions!
6.30 pm and out towards Parque Calderon in the hope of finding a snack/meal and found the streets completely empty. On one of the side-streets we came across an Italian pizza bakery and so bought a selection of pizzas and returned home to eat them with our wine.
It’s a dog’s life in the Parque Calderon!
Spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV – having already had our fill of programmes about Covid 19, it was with some relief that we found some wild-life channels even if some of the programmes seemed more than a little familiar!
Day 9. Monday, 16th. March, 2020. Cuenca
Reasonable night and a very breakfast at 8.30 am. Yesterday the breakfast room was packed out – this morning we were the only ones there!
Have been corresponding with Millie via Whatsapp – apparently, within the next three weeks, people over 70 are going to be confined, more or less, to their homes! It is incredible to see the measures being taken in countries like France and Spain; even so, I don’t like the idea of being under virtual house arrest!
Plan for the day was to do a little sight-seeing (if possible) around the town and then go out in the afternoon to some nearby termas…
The “best laid plans” etc!…
Our first idea was to visit some of the city’s outstanding churches; alas, as we had begun to fear, every single one was closed.
Frustrated, we engaged a taxi to take us to the Baños Termas ( a journey of some 8 km.); the taxista was friendly and chatty and, as we were leaving the outskirts of the city, he happened to let drop that he had heard that the country was heading towards a total shut-down tomorrow!… This total shutdown would encompass just about everything save pharmacies and food outlets! Felt we had little option but to ask the driver to turn around and take us, not to the Termas, but to the Bus Terminal instead where we might hope to get a complete picture of the transport situation.
At the kiosk for the Quito bus the staff were still not sure what was going to happen but informed us that, after the President’s address to the nation at 3.00 pm all would be clear!…
Now lunchtime, we had a simple meal in one of the snack kiosks outside the Terminal – not bad and very cheap [$2.50 pp]. Walked back into town and decided to go for a beer at the very pleasant bar that we patronised yesterday – closed!
Repaired to our room and endeavoured to contact KLM to ascertain their flight plans; somewhat to our surprise, and certainly to our relief, the Thursday flight to Amsterdam is still as per ticket (quite how we shall get to the airport if, indeed, there is no transport is a problem that we shall consider when the time comes!).
As we were checking our flight plans, the President gave his televised address to the nation and decreed a total shut-down of the nation starting at mid-night and continuing for at least a fortnight! This decree meant that we had no option but to leave for Quito tonight!
Took another taxi up to the Terminal and was greatly relieved to learn that we could take a bus this evening; I opted for a departure at 11.30 pm only then to be asked for our passports!…Another taxi back to the hotel to pick up passport photocopies and then yet another taxi back to the Terminal! Secured seats #11 & 12 on the 11.30 departure to Quito which, I hoped, would terminate in the Ciudad Vieja as opposed to Ciudad Nueva.
Returned to Conquistador to pack and then to consider an evening meal. We chose to repeat last night’s experience – a generous helping of assorted pizzas washed down with a litre and a half of Chilean Merlot. The evening passed pleasantly enough largely watching accounts of how other nations were coping, or otherwise, with the virus. Checked out of the hotel at 10.10 pm– we were the very last guests! Very sad!
Passed through the Terminal’s Boarding Gate at 11.20 pm , stowed some of our gear in the hold and settled in our seats; it soon became clear that the bus was unlikely to be very full so, as the seats at the very front were vacant, as soon as the vehicle set off, we moved places and although we did not benefit from any great view of the road ahead as the driver’s cabin door shut us off (it was dark anyway so there would have been little to see), at least we had lots of room and leg-space and were able to travel in comparative comfort.
Day 10. Tuesday, 17th. March, 2020. Quito
A well-appointed bus made steady progress through the night; there was just one comfort stop and, a little earlier than I at least had anticipated, we were moving through the dreary environs of Quito.
Disembarked at 7.00 am and made our way up the main road where there were fewer people in the hope that this would give us an advantage in getting a taxi (there were hordes of people seeking to hail taxis and, though at first it seemed like a lost cause, I had a feeling that we might just be lucky as, appearing to be foreigners, taxistas might assume that taking us might be more profitable!). Happily my hunch proved correct and, after a wait of perhaps a quarter of an hour, a taxi stopped and proposed a fee of $15 to take us to the Centro Historico – we jumped at the offer!
Car dropped us outside Yumbo Imperial where we tried in vain to get a response…walked down to the square and asked a couple of very helpful policemen whether they would call Yumbo for us, they obliged and, eventually, I got someone on the line who said (I think) that they were closed but, as I could hardly hear, I felt it pointless to argue the toss about already having a reservation…The policemen pointed us in the direction of C. Rocafuerte where, with the aid of a Good Samaritan we soon found ourselves at Masaya Hostel and were able to check-in for a couple of nights (and rid ourselves of our troublesome $100 bill!). Accommodation at Masaya is not given away [$32.50 per night including breakfast] but it is of very good quality: we received a large, airy and pleasantly decorated room with separate shower and WC.
Once ensconced In the room we set about making provision for the next day or so – opened up the KLM app. and, to our horror, found that our Thursday flight had been cancelled!
Received no notification from the airline and, as previous communication with them had proved somewhat unsatisfactory, when it passed 9.00 am I asked the receptionist to call the British Embassy but she was unable to get through. Came to the conclusion that there was no option but to go in person to the Embassy: managed to find a taxi, paid $4 and was taken downtown to the “Diplomatic Area”. Found the building housing the Embassy and walked in only to find a notice informing visitors that, due to the virus, staff were working remotely and that, in case of emergency, one should call the very same number that we had tried unsuccessfully to ring from the hostel! Paid another taxi $6 to transport me back to familiar territory.
A fine example of “British humour”!
Back at Masaya we pondered our next moves: we went on-line to KLM (seemingly to be ignored), M e-mailed Wes Streeting, and, from her end, Millie tried contacting both Embassy and airline (alas, without result).
Come mid-day it had all become a little depressing so decided to relax and to start off with a shower – I firmly believe that this was the finest hot shower that I have ever had in my life! Thereafter we went out into the neighbourhood; saw no signs of any restaurants being open but a nearby supermarket was operative and so we stepped in to buy wine, bread, cheese and presunto and then, from an itinerant road seller outside, avocados and tomatoes before returning to the hostel and making a simple lunch.
Immediately after eating we had another fruitless interlude trying to contact the airline and eventually gave up in despair, went out into a fairly deserted city and found a bench in Cathedral Square on which to while away the time. At 5.00 pm, just as we were thinking of leaving, one of the Public Order officials “suggested” to us that we might think about returning to our place of residence – we duly obliged!
Before our evening “night-cap” we thought we’d check out the hostel’s restaurant and ended up having a tasty and filling Andean potato soup garnished with cheese and roasted maize with a side-dish of avocado [$4 pp].
Typical Andean fare
By 6.30pm we were back in the room; apparently elsewhere in the hostel a film-show was scheduled but, as it was Cidade de Deus we decided to give it a miss (I’m far from convinced that the show actually took place anyway!) Tomorrow at 8.00 pm a live music show is advertised so perhaps we shall attend that. Meantime, wonderfully, KLM contacted us with their apologies and their assurance that they are working upon a solution…
Day 11. Wednesday, 18th. March, 2020. Quito
Had a reasonably early night after a generous helping of wine and slept pretty well (even if I had to get up several times!)Finally rose at 8.30 am and then enjoyed a very good breakfast (huevos revueltos, toast, extensive fruit salad etc.) Afterwards returned to the room in order to follow the labyrinthine procedures in KLM’s latest missive.
The day promised to be a good one, weather-wise, it was just a pity that almost everything had closed down giving us the impression that we were living in a ghost city. Sat in one of the outhouses for a while and made the acquaintance of an American photographer, Sally, who seems to be a lively character. Prior to lunch the three of us went out – to the pharmacy and the supermarket, and that comprised our outing for the day!
With Sally in the recreation area
Spent a considerable while trying to make sense of the KLM app. which appears to function differently according to the apparatus used! We were disconcerted to find that while my app. informed me that “we could not find any alternative flights that suit your trip,” M received notification of departure for Amsterdam at 5.30 pm! As it was now well past 2.30 pm there was absolutely no chance of us packing, finding a taxi and travelling 40 km to the airport to reach in time for check-in/departure! All incredibly frustrating! To further confound the situation, on the airline’s website we have seen notice of a Friday 5.30 pm departure but can find no means of making a reservation!…Meantime I extended our room booking to take us to next Tuesday!
5.03 pm and KLM whatsapped me to say that they were sending me a message but an hour later and it had still to materialise! [in fact no message was ever received…]
Had to call a staff member to clear a mess on the sill outside our window – someone has thrown a bag of cooked maize at our window and it is proving a major fly attraction! We assume that the culprits are among the hordes of “down and outs” who seem to parade incessantly along the road behind the hostel!
The hostel has published some coronavirus advice: residents are recommended to stay within the precinct whenever possible and be aware of a curfew running between 9.00 pm and 5.00 am.
Potato soup again for supper for which we were joined by Sally and then back to the room to watch the ludicrous Titanic on television.
Day 12. Thursday, 19th. March, 2020. Quito
Another sound night terminating with a luxuriously hot shower at 8.30 am and then another fine breakfast (menu as per yesterday.)
Made a quick trip to the supermarket on C. Sucre and then returned to the hostel to try, once again, to contact the Embassy…Would you believe it? The line is now out of order!
Returned to the room and wrote an account of our travails to the Letters page of The Times which I found most therapeutic! We sent some more pertinent details to Wes Streeting and, later in the day, wrote to a journalist at The Mirror with our tale of woe!
The day’s weather, already pleasant, became warmer and sunnier as time passed; decided to forego lunch and settle for cold beers in the garden. Later on, put on vest, shorts and sun cream, found an optimal spot on the garden’s bleachers and spent the remains of the afternoon reading and sun-bathing.
In the early evening we made a simple meal of tomato, avocado, cheese and tortilla chips; had previously seen mention of an evening’s Canción Latinoamericano but it became pretty clear that this was no longer going ahead – we were assured however, that there will be a karaoke session tomorrow evening!
Took it easy in the room for a while reading Bonjour Tristesse before taking our familiar potato soup in the dining area. Met up with Sally who we had originally planned to go out with this morning: she must have spent the day asleep as apparently the caffeine in the tea that she drank last night kept her up until 4.00 am!…
Back to the room to finish off the day by drinking wine and watching the very entertaining Spiderman film.
Day 13. Friday, 20th. March, 2020. Quito
After a good night made sure that I was ready to take a call from The Mirror which was scheduled for 8.20 am.
By 8.45 my WhatsApp video call with the on-line newspaper was completed – it was a little hard to play down the fact that, all-in-all, we are actually quite enjoying the situation! The journalist, Chris, was engaging and I felt that the interview went quite well.
After another substantial breakfast we sent off some appropriate pictures to The Mirror and then tried yet again to have some meaningful contact with the airline. Looking up Quito airport on the internet we were interested to see that a KLM flight is expected this afternoon which will then return to Amsterdam via Guayaquil but, of course, there was no communication from KLM so we assumed, correctly, that we would not be on it! In fairness though, KLM has contacted us with details of the check-in time and appropriate desk at Schiphol for the flight to London City Airport!...
We have made The Mirror On-Line! A detailed article with pictures – an almost verbatim report of the interview (although at no stage did I ever suggest that we were “desperate” to get back to the UK!)
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/coronavirus-brit-couple-stuck-ecuador-21726350
Spent another hour or more wrestling with the airline’s app. – made some progress in that it recognised that our flight had been cancelled and gave us a link to re-book for another date but, whenever we attempted to do that we received a message informing us that there were no available flights for the foreseeable future!
Needed to get out of Masaya for a while so we walked to the imposing Basilica at the end of the Old City – very impressive (nineteenth century, I should think), just a shame that we could not see inside. All streets pretty deserted.
Quito Viejo in “lock-down”
Back to lunch on tostadas, cheese and avocado and a couple of beers. A dull afternoon so we took to our room but not before chatting to our French neighbour who informed us that, thanks to pressure from the French government/Ambassador, she will be returning to France tomorrow! Apparently there are also KLM evacuation flights leaving Quito over the next few days but, obviously, no-one has been in touch with us!
Sun came out in the late afternoon so we were able to enjoy a short interlude in the garden before our standard evening meal of potato soup accompanied by our onion/tomato/avocado melange. After the meal (which was accompanied by the promised karaoke session) we returned to the room for an evening of wine and The Incredible Hulk.
Day 14. Saturday, 21st. March, 2020. Quito
Was unable to stay awake long enough to see the end of the film; had a very good night and was up by 8.00 am.
After another satisfying breakfast spent time in the room checking e-mails and sending messages to the G.B. Consular Service in Quito (at least they acknowledged receipt of my communication!) Received a message from Bismark in which he says that, thanks to the Mirror article, we’re becoming national heroes in Ghana!
Tried calling KLM twice but to no avail and, when I tried the Embassy again, the line was out of order so sent another letter of complaint to their e-mail site! KLM are still impossible to deal with but even they seem, at long last, to be aware of our situation which, one presumes, represents some degree of progress. Ended the morning by going out to the supermarket and replenishing our wine stocks and buying more avocados from one of the street sellers.
A once thriving major thoroughfare
The afternoon was beautiful – sat with a beer and finished off my last TLS. At 3.30 pm took a short trip outside the hostel (having received a severe warning from the receptionist as to the need for caution) and, with the help of some of the ambulatory avocado sellers, managed to find a woman selling tomatoes.
From time to time during the afternoon I returned to the room to check on any news from the airline or Embassy but, of course, there was none. To alleviate some of the frustration I sent off an e-mail to the FCO asking them how we can get assistance from the Quito Embassy when the only means of communication, the solitary telephone line, appears to have been out of order for the last few days…
Moulin Rouge was today’s film, shown at an earlier time than usual – watched the last forty minutes before going off for our nightly soup – this time we opted for potato soup with chard from the garden.
By 10.30 pm when we retired for the night we had spent the evening drinking wine and watching a series of cooking programmes. Disappointingly we received no messages and, tomorrow being Sunday, went to bed feeling pretty sure that there would be no further developments until next week…
Day 15. Sunday, 22nd. March, 2020. Quito
Another good night; up at 7.45 am and to breakfast half an hour later for another substantial repast. Looks like being a sunny day; forecast for next week is, however, not particularly encouraging.
Received an interesting Guardian article from Mike Kingston – apparently ALL calls to British Embassy helplines are routed through a Call Centre in Malaga! No wonder that the line here doesn’t work as, even though it may appear to be a local number, it will go through to Spain with all similar calls from around the world!
Took a quick trip around the local streets and were stopped by Security and asked to wear face masks (ours are far from comfortable but, I suppose at $0.75 each, we have little room for complaint!) Seems that a number of German residents at the hostel are returning to Europe via KLM this evening! Doubtless the result of pressure from Berlin…
After checking WhatsApp and the hopeless airline app for the nth. time I decided that there really was no option but to ignore pleas to stay away from the airport and to go in person to Mariscal Sucre and actually talk to somebody about our situation; it has been something of a comfort to find that we are not alone in finding the KLMM app impossible to navigate.
As luck would have it, Reception was able to put us on to a personable German couple who are flying this evening and arrangements were made to share a taxi with them to the airport (as suspected, they along with others, have got their flights courtesy of the German Embassy!).
Left for Mariscal Sucre by taxi at 1.30 pm; on arrival M and I were separated – she had to wait in the main passenger lounge while I was permitted to cross to the other side of the road and enter the Departures/Check-in area. I was soon separated from ticket-holders and made to hang around while hordes of the fortunate slowly passed through to the Check-in kiosks; in the end however, I was able to buttonhole seemingly the only genuine figure of authority in the vicinity and he permitted me to enter the sacred precinct and wait in a line devoted, mirabile dictu, to Customer Services! While waiting I got chatting to a young Englishman who, via contacts, had managed to get help from our Embassy! Fearing things not going well it was an almighty relief when he gave me the personal number of the Head of Mission in the Quito office!
In due course I found myself in front of a KLM Deputy Service Manager who made absolutely no bones about accepting our out-of-date tickets and trying to find us another flight. I did ask whether there was any chance of us being able to leave on the final Wednesday flight but that, it transpired, was fully booked…instead we were offered places on the penultimate flight to Europe tomorrow! Unfortunately there are no readily available flights onwards to London on Tuesday so we shall have to proceed onwards to Heathrow (as opposed to London City) on Wednesday.
Took another taxi back to town driven by a very polite “speed merchant” and were back in Masaya by 5.15 pm. Had a beer to relax over in the garden and then ordered a somewhat more elaborate meal than our usual fare for 7.00 pm.
The last supper at Masaya
Dinner [$8 pp] proved to be very good – rice, chips, salad and avocado and Seco de Chievo (lamb marinated in beer) plus my own salad of tomato and avocado. Joined by Sally for a lively farewell interlude before retiring to our room for the night.
Day 16. Monday, 23rd. March, 2020. Quito –
Yet another good night in spite of being woken by a pain in one of my molars/gum (the same tooth that was treated a little while ago); worried that if it continues I shall have to visit the chemist for some antibiotics before we leave.
Got up at 8.00 am and breakfasted alone; fewer guests today so the meal was served on an individual basis; I was given a very generous fruit salad and then, at my request, fried eggs – to all this I added my surplus avocado and grenadillas.
Packed bags, disposed of rubbish before talking to the new Receptionist. Called taxista René and asked him to take us to Mariscal Sucre but he was not available to do this so Masaya booked us a taxi for mid-day. Before leaving I mailed Chris at The Mirror and thanked him for his efforts on our behalf and forwarded Bismark’s laudatory letter for his gratification!
Checked out at 12.00 pm and within thirty-five minutes we were in the airport and in the comfortable Waiting Lounge – a fair number of travellers but there were at least two departures scheduled for the afternoon.
A little after 2.00 pm we joined a lengthy KLM queue but were soon waved through the barriers at the entrance to Check-in (unlike yesterday) and joined a short line for Servicios del Pasajero. Having suggested that we conduct business in English we actually used Spanish throughout! Much to my surprise there was no problem with our reservation, the only issue arising when, tickets having been printed, we were informed that we had not paid for our bag! Luckily we had our old flight information to hand which stated quite distinctly “Quito – London: One bag.” Quite why the operative wanted to argue the toss in face of conclusive evidence is beyond me but eventually a supervisor had to be called and the matter was ultimately resolved in our favour!
The long-awaited news!
Progressed rapidly through baggage examination and passport control and soon found ourselves sitting in a crowded but reasonably pleasant Departure Lounge.
Masked-up in Departures
Boarded a Boeing 777-300 at 4.10 pm and by 5.55 we had reached Guayaquil where more passengers were due to join the flight. We were allocated seats 54 E & F – ie. in the middle seats in a row of four running down the centre of the aircraft – quite the very last location that I would have picked had I been given a choice! Very early on in the flight there was a disquieting announcement that due to the extraordinary current circumstances the “usual” services would not be offered…I took this to mean (and I was proved right) that we were in for a flight devoid of dinner and drinks!
On board for Amsterdam
At 8.00 pm we were still on the ground in Guayaquil! Apparently, on landing, a bird was ingested by one of the engines and it took the airport’s only technician an age to sort out the problem! There was another announcement about the paucity of catering facilities but, looking on the bright side (if there was one) there seemed to be several good films on offer and, all passengers having boarded, we were able to move our positions a little giving us both aisle seats plus a spare seat next to each of us (54K & J; 54 D & E) and thus we found ourselves very comfortably situated. Left Guayaquil after three hours on the runway!
No meals served in Economy – just a glass of orange juice and a small packet of crisps! Watched the excellent Oscar-winning film from South Korea, Parasite, and then turned to sleep.
Day 17. Tuesday, 24th. March, 2020. Amsterdam – London
Flight was comfortable physically, at least – two seats each plus a decent amount of leg room for a change; shame about the catering though! (it seems though, that First/Business Class did not suffer the same privations as we plebs!) About an hour before arrival there was a general distribution of cups of water and caramel wafers! (the latter, incidentally, Stroopwafel, being exceedingly moreish!).
Arrived at Schiphol at 7.15 am. and, after a wait for our bag, found a cash machine from which to draw out e120 which actually cost us £125! Used Booking.com to find what looked like a pretty reasonable place for the night – only e46 and within 4 km of the airport. Bought some brilliant sausage rolls at the airport supermarket [e1 for two rolls] and a couple of bottles of wine at the vintners next door [e9].
Went out of airport to find that there were no airport shuttle buses and that taxis were charging e25 for the short trip to our chosen hotel…at this point M received a message from Giovanni to the effect that he believed that KLM did in fact have a few seats available on this afternoon’s flight to London…
Visited the KLM office and found that we could travel on the 4.00 pm departure! Hastily gathered our things together and hot-footed it to the Check-in, not forgetting to cancel our hotel reservation as we did so.
Schiphol without the crowds
Long delays at Check-in and then a lengthy trek to Gate D29. Boarded a 737-700 and found ourselves at the back in seats 24 E & F; on each seat was a little package containing a salad wrap and a container of water – slightly more sustenance than we received on an eleven hour flight from the other side of the world!
Within fifty minutes we were in Heathrow and rapidly through Immigration; lengthy wait for the bags to be loaded on to the carousel in spite of the fact that there seemed to be no other flights coming into Terminal 4!
To the Underground and a wonderfully fortuitously synchronised succession of trains bringing us to Gants Hill in what must have been record time! Quick walk up a chilly Woodford Avenue before a warm welcome from Millie and the cats! I for one was glad to be back!