Quito

We have arrived but not without a little glitch. Leaving Toronto was with Air Canada. Our departure was on time and although no food was served (in five hours) it was smooth and only half filled, so pretty quiet. The trouble started when we went to the Copa desk in Panama. We were not given a boarding pass for this leg of our journey so we had to line up to get one. After waiting in the queue for 30 minutes we decided to go to our gate and speak to someone there. Well, to our surprise and amazement, the agent informed us that we we're not booked on the flight and that she could not do anything about it on her end. She told us to return to find an Air Canada agent to try to figure things out. Luckily this nice worker took us to another Copa agent and explained the situation. Air Canada had us in their system and showed us booked with Copa. It took awhile, but finally he was able to get the agent to find our booking. What a scare! We were now 40 minutes from our departure and we hadn't eaten. We quickly bought a few empanadas and headed to our gate.
The Copa flight actually served us food and alcoholic beverages, on them. To top it off, it was only a one hour and fourty minute flight.
We arrived in Quito on time, at 5:15 but once again things didn't work out as planned. Our driver wasn't there. We needed up taking a taxi. Our tour operator was supposed to book a driver for us. What a drive! Blinkers and following road signs are obviously optional. Our driver was also anxious to return to pick up more passengers as he was zigzagging in and out to get us to our hotel in record time. Wendy, you would not have survived that ride, even in the front seat. Quito is a city in the mountains. The climb to our hotel was in narrow, spinny roads where you still have to share the road with busses and trucks, yikes!
We get dropped off on a one way street so the cab driver stops all traffic to let us off. Imagine all of the horns going off as we struggle to get our bags out of the trunk and then find the fare for the ride.
The hotel is amazing. Too dark for outdoor pictures today but hopefully tomorrow morning. I did get a few shots in the hallways and in our room.

Just outside our room.  

Ron eating the chocolate left on the bed.

Our sitting room.

Some queen above the fireplace.