Yes, we did a tour

It is now 5 months since we started this adventure. Now that we are taking time to look back, I am so glad that I took the time to write down some thoughts each day.

Planning this visit was making my head spin. We finally booked an 8 day Gate 1 Travel tour making it less stressful and more affordable than on our own. The guides were very informative even though the pace was hectic at times. Plus, we met some interesting people in our group.

We started in Quito's old town.

The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral in the Plaza de Independencia.

Fortunately, we had built in a few days in Quito before the tour to sightsee independently and rest up. We may have missed the tour with all of the flight delays. 

We did get to visit the Artisanal Market and an ethnic restaurant to taste the local foods. While returning to our hotel, we took a wrong turn and were lost and didn't have a sim card for our phones yet. So, we flagged down a taxi and I kept the hotel address on my phone and showed it to him. Over the 4 months, taxi drivers turned into our Super Heros with a few saves and getting us home. Being able to speak Spanish helped.

Mitad del Mundo. Middle of the World

No tourist in their right mind would miss this sight.

The egg did balance on a nail and the little girl was so cute and sweet.

Termas Papallacta spa day!

Papallacta is a small village  located at an altitude of 3,250 m (10662 feet) in the Andes an hour from Quito, leading to the Amazon rainforest. The tourist route from Quito to Papallacta passes through several small towns and villages before ascending to a maximum of more than 4,000 meters where mountains and glaciers are visible.

 Antisana Volcano which is elevated to 5,704 meters above sea level. The ice from the glaciers feed the aquafers for the hot springs.

We booked massages after soaking in one of the many hot springs outside our door. As I entered the room for my massage, I noticed a sign with the on-site doctor's emergency phone number. The therapist was quite robust as she rolled me back and forth on the table. I made sure that I could grab the side of the table in case I rolled off.  She began to breath heavily and I started to wonder who was going to need the doctor.

I am not sure how this video is going to work but thought I would give it a try.

Coca tea was available to help with the altitude. It was quite tasty, but we were advised to not drink it if we needed a drug screen in the next 10 days.

We slept well after a very nice dinner, coca tea and a roaring fire in our room on our return.