Our Arrival/Apt

Here's a lovely little post that we wrote last week about our arrival in Quito and our new apartment. There are pictures that go with it, but I can't get this computer to work with me right now. Maybe next time we'll be able to get some pics up.

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We have arrived safely in Quito! Just as importantly, so did our baggage. We breezed through immigration and received out 90 day tourist visas with no problem. It was a bit of a wait at baggage claim, but eventually we did get all of our bags. After this, a walk through customs…hand over your piece of paper and you’re through. The only remaining challenge is navigating the gauntlet of people waiting to greet arriving relatives. The return visit of a family member who has been abroad is a special event here. Travel abroad can be difficult due to the red tape and expense, so entire families (and they are large families here) turn out at the airport to welcome loved ones home.

A friend of a friend, Pancho, was kind enough to offer his apartment in an area of Quito called Jardin de Valle. This is a safe and quiet area of town, almost qualifying as a suburb. It is about 15 minutes by bus from central Quito and pretty freakin sweet. Ramiro, Pancho’s brother, met us at the airport and took us to the airport. The next day, he was invaluable to us as he taught us the bus line, took us to the nearest market, showed us where to buy good coffee, etc. Ramiro was more than happy to show us around, he is very proud of his capital city with good reason.