Day 15: Quito to Home

Monday, May 21, 2001

It was an early 4:00 AM wake up call for the Joplin crowd. The rest of us had a pick up at 6:00 AM for the flight home. Again Ekaterina met us and took us to the airport. Check in was a breeze. Chris and Linda did some last minute shopping. The trip home was predictable:

1. The Joplin group’s flight from Miami was delayed for two hours.
2. The Batts’ airplane out of Miami was pulled out of service at the last moment. Fortunately Miami is an American hub and they were able to replaced it with another in about 90 minutes. And,
3. Linda’s car had a flat tire when she arrived in Tuscan. Because she arrived so late, she stayed in a hotel. At 4:00 AM, the fire alarm went off. Oh well, she was used to getting up early.

We had just completed a wonderful, educational, inspirational, and fun vacation. Not too often can one go on vacation and have such a variety of experiences and see such an array of sights. We'd gone from heights of 13,000 feet high in the Peruvian Andes to one foot below sea level as we snorkeled with the seals in the Galapagos Islands. We'd been amazed by how the Inca culture that could build Sacsayhuaman and Machu Picchu and still be defeated by 150 Conquistadors on horseback. We'd seen many birds, been entertained by the seals and the albatrosses, and amazed by the giant tortoises. It was truly a magical vacation made all the more special by good friends who added to the trip with their humor, sense of adventure, and shopping skills. No complainers allowed. And we'd made new friends in Marco, Wilner, Juan, and Jorge.
We promised ourselves we'd be back.