Solita

Saturday September 6th, 2014.

Quito, Ecuador / Miami, FL / Los Angeles, CA

It’s 5am; I am very groggy. Laura is gathering her bags and will soon leave to catch her 7:30am flight back to AUS. As she exits I wave from underneath the covers and promise to see her again soon. By 5:05 I am fast asleep again.

At 8am my alarm goes off. I have 4pm flight back to LAX and half of day to spend in lovely Quito. I quickly get ready, gather my bags and head downstairs to find a driver. I am going to Cuidad Mitad del Mundo. Direct translation: Middle of the Earth City. This is where the equator monument has stood since 1936 (new technology has since proven that the equator is slightly north).

Throughout this entire trip I’ve had a very difficult time communicating with the front desk at this particular hotel and today is no different. As a result of sheer will power (and a lot of gestures) I am able to book a driver to take me to Cuidad Mitad del Mundo, watch my bags while I look around, and then drive me to the airport. I worry incessantly that something will go wrong.   

The morning starts out with a pretty long drive to the actual equator (the driver thinks I should see it and I agree). There is some conversation on the way there, but it is very rough. I keep catching the word “solita”, which I understand to mean small and alone (later it’s explained to me that it’s slang for "little lost child").

Soon we arrive at our destination. There is a small science center and a vista that overlooks a village that sits on the true equator. The view is nice, but there is really not much to do here. After 20 minutes, we leave for Cuidad Mitad del Mundo. Here I explain again that I want one hour to look around and that I would like to leave my bags in the car. I am sure he doesn’t understand, but I really, really want to see the monument. I abandon both my driver and my bags and hope for the best.

The monument is everything that I had hoped. There are cheesy gift shops and little museums all over the place, as well as, a thick yellow line that represents the equator.

The first order of business is to get a few photos of myself on that yellow line. Unfortunately, this is a task not suited for even the most independent traveler; I am going to need help. I look for a trustworthy tourist and eventually find one. As I approach her I realize she doesn’t speak English, but I use the universal gesture for will-you-take-my-picture and she seems to understand. What doesn't translate is that I want multiple pictures and I want them to all to be silly. Eventually I get my point across and she laughs heartily while I pretend to balance on the equator. When my impromptu photo session is complete, I retrieve my camera, thus crossing off another major bucket list item. Boom.

I spend the rest of my morning shopping for equator-themed T-shirts and walking through the adorably, cheesy Ecuadorian museum of history. When its time to return to the car to head to the airport, I say a little prayer, exit the main park, and find my driver right where I left him. Whew.

 

The ride the airport takes an hour and a half. I sit quietly in the car, watching Ecuador pass me by. Because I had planned for many contingencies (none of which happened), I end up at the airport way early.

I spend the next 3 hours sitting in a very empty terminal. I do some shopping in the duty free shop and play several rounds of plants versus zombies on my iPad. Eventually I board my flight back to LAX. Again, I am flying first class, but as it turns out, American first class is nothing like Delta first class. The service is nice but they do not have flat chairs like Delta. It’s okay though, I am pretty tired and am happy to just sit and watch movies.

There is a layover in Miami, which is a madhouse. I get through customs and just barely make my connecting flight. Eventually I end up back in LA around 10pm. My ride home is waiting dutifully outside.

The car ride back is quiet. I will not begin to fully process this trip for several weeks and I will not fully appreciate it for much longer. For now, however, I am just happy to be back at sea level.