In Quito we checked in Hotel Quito Antiguo in the new town. We grabbed some food in The Magic Bean & quickly went about bagging ourselves a last minute trip to The Galapagos Islands. The first place we checked had no availability until the 9th of October so we thought "Great, we´re going to be stuck waiting in Quito for weeks!" As soon as we walked through the door of the 2nd place (Safari Tours) who did we meet but Peter & Carol. I decided to leave the 3 of them there and see what "Happy Gringo" around the corner had to offer (a recommendation from my old SCUBA buddy Olly).We all reconvened to discuss the available options but, truth be told, the 2 ladies had already made up their minds... they opted for the Eclipse, a luxury class cruiser www.eclipse.com.ec
The Tour Operator wouldn´t accept Visa because there was no time to ensure the funds would clear - we had to pay with cold hard cash. We had to come up with the full price within 24 hours. Fortunately there is a bank that allows cash advances up tp $10,000 on visa cards without charging commission. However, the bank gave us all the money in tens & twenties so we ended up carrying huge wads of cash back to the travel agent!! We leave tomorrow (Saturday 29th Sep) on what promises to be an outstanding 8 day trip, with an excellent itinerary, on a stunning boat.
With regards to Quito we really haven´t done any sightseeing yet. We have remained in the new town readying ourselves for our trip. We even bought some new clothes & Claire treated herself to the works (waxing, haircut, manicure, pedicure & a massage)!
We went into Quito Old Town that Friday afternoon. We enjoyed walking through the many streets and plaza´s whilst viewing the myriad of churches & colonial buildings. We had noticed on our flight tickets that Claire´s passport number was incorrect. Completely incorrect!! So, we left the Old Town in order to get back to the tour operators office and get it sorted out. Claire had no intention of being left behind on this once in a lifetime trip!!
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