What can I say about the trip of a lifetime? It's been close to one week since our return and my husband and I are still talking about it constantly.
On June 2, we flew from Toronto, Canada, to Quito and were welcomed at 11:00 pm by Carlos and an assistant. We were the last people out of customs because our luggage had been pulled from the carousel by baggage handlers and set aside. However, it was only a couple of minutes before we found it and were on our way. There was a small bus with a number of others from our flight waiting and we were immediately handed bottles of cold water which we drank while we made our way to the hotel. The Marriott was beautiful and there were welcoming cocktails, munchies, and wet towels waiting in the lobby even though it was close to midnight. We were shown to our room and our luggage was delivered quickly.
The next morning we rose early excited about the day's excursion around Quito. After a tasty breakfast, we climbed onto the small shuttle buses at about 9:00 am and set off. It was very interesting touring the old city of Quito and seeing the view of the city. We got stuck in traffic jams a couple of times, but that only added to the adventure. The Crater Restaurant food was very good and we were seated with some lovely people. Our only complaint had to do with dinner that night. The Marriott decided to rent out one of the rooms to a private party and there was also no seafood buffet in the ballroom. We dined on a buffet in the "coffee shop" and although the food was only adequate, the company of the people we had met on the shuttle that day more than made up for it. We celebrated the 45th wedding anniversary of a couple from California and had a wonderful time.