December 23 – Bound for Ecuador

Having visited Tayrona National Park yesterday, Kathleen and I could have stayed longer at Tanganga or moved closer to the park to continue visiting the preserve. Indeed, we had originally intended to stay in Tanganga, Colombia until December 26th. However, we were itching to get to Ecuador to take advantage of their greater ecotourism opportunities.

A couple nights prior, we had purchased airline tickets through Expedia.com from Santa Marta to Quito, Ecuador. We would bounce in Bogota . . . back to Bogota! Jeepers! We can’t escape that city.

Trip joined us for breakfast before Kathleen and I settled up our bill with Casa Felipe Hostel. By 10am we were taking a taxi from Tanganga to Santa Marta. The ride through Santa Marta gave us a cross-section view of the city. Trash was nearly everywhere. Only near the cruise ship terminal did the city look less run-down and dismal. We arrived at the airport around 11am with plenty of time before our 1pm flight. So, we had a hamburger at the café before our flight.

We boarded the plane and the craft backed out of the jet way right on time. Within an hour and a half we were landing in Bogota. Here we had to check-in for our flight to Quito, Ecuador. Kathleen had to run off to get a card stamped indicating we were leaving Colombia and that we had paid our exit tax. This had to be done before our tickets could be handed over to us.

With our card stamped and stapled to our boarding pass, we decide to have a bite before flying off. We went to a Crepes and Waffles and had a nice meal. Kathleen and I shared a salad which was quite good, before she had crepes stuffed with mango and I had a waffle covered with mixed berries. We hustled through security with only one issue. This was the first time anyone wanted to see the computer I carried in my pack. The plane backed out of the jet way spot on time. Avianca could teach the U.S. carriers a thing or two. They would probably would have hauled our motorcycles.

We arrived in Quito, Ecuador about an hour after takeoff. We went through customs without a hitch and found the airport to be calm and quite modern. We exchanged our remaining Colombian money into U.S. dollars, which is the currency in Ecuador. We then booked a flight with TAME (acronym pronounced ‘Tah-may’), the national air carrier of Ecuador, for a flight to Loja in southern Ecuador. The soonest flight we could get was the afternoon of December 25th. We planned to start in southern Ecuador and work our way north.

We went to a taxi booth in the airport and bought a ticket for a taxi to a hostel we hoped would have room. Buying a ticket for a taxi ensures the driver doesn’t hassle with you over the price.

During our taxi ride Kathleen and I noticed instantly that the use of the horn was nearly non-existent. Additionally, drivers appeared to be far more polite and less in a hurry. We arrived at the hostel we found in the Foot Print guide only to discover they had no rooms. In fact we walked in on the family having dinner. The ‘man of the house’ called about for us and found another hostel. He kindly took us to the hostel Quito Antiguo.

Kathleen and I found our top floor room pleasant enough for $30/night. Kathleen was wired from travel and was watching the drug dealings going on the street corner long after I fell asleep.