Our homeward bound trip started on Wednesday, Feb. 24th,  it would be a two day journey from the Galapagos in the Pacific Ocean on the Coral I to Guayiquil and the airport by bus, to Quito by plane,  and the San Jose Garden Hotel, by van on Wed.   Thursday would take us by van to the Quito airport with our first plane to Miami and our last (and 8th plane of the trip) to BWI.

Our Wednesday 7 a.m. wake up call, found us packed and ready for breakfast.  The Coral I's staff is superb, and once again we enjoyed exotic (for us) juices, fruits, granola, eggs, breads, and breakfast entrees.   It also made us realize that soon we would be back home....with no one to say breakfast, lunch, or dinner is served, please join us in the dining room.  But, in truth, we all enjoyed the journey and were ready to be home - even if the temperature is 50 degrees lower than in the islands. 

Our trip to the airport included a circumnavigation of Daphne Island,  Note the indentation in the center of the picture of the island.  That is the volcano's crater, which is not active (thank goodness!)  We went to the top  deck for the ride to the mainland and were joined by numerous birds, especially gulls and Frigates that followed the boat and almost seemed to pose for the cameras. 

One final dingy ride took us to the dock for the bus to Guayiquil, where we waited for awhile with others from our cruise.  Photo of Don, Ellen, Dorothy, and Jane from CA, included.   Ruth was looking at the local restaurant across the street from the dock and the quite large iguana, who apparently is well fed by the customers.  

A bus arrived and transported us to the airport, where we had 30 minutes to shop.....the tours make certain there are opportunities to shop...and the shops are waiting.   Some of us made purchases, while the tour company saw to it that our luggage was on the plane.  They took care of everything, we received boarding passes and were soon off on our 40 minute plane ride to Quito.   We forgot about the altitude change, and once again the altitude change was immediately felt.   But not quite as badly as the first time around.  

We collected our luggage and as promised, the Garden Hotel staff member was waiting with a "Mary Lu Poll" sign; collected our luggage and we were off to our last evening at the hotel.  It was sort of like coming home.....Rose, Ruth and I had the same cottage and the staff was very welcoming.  Ruth later discovered that the hotel raises goats and chickens, and has a garden......organic, home grown food at its best.  We had to wait for the restaurant to open, but they rustled up coffee and tea for us. As there was an internet connection, we didn't mind waiting for dinner and used the time to connect with family and friends,   Our last dinner in Ecuador, was enjoyed by the blazing fire and recapping our journey. About eight, we retired to rearrange suitcases and try to get in a good night's sleep before our 4:30 a.m. wake-up call. 

The call came, and in Ecuador, it was not a robo call....an actual person called with a pleasant greeting.  By five they had carried our luggage to the front of the hotel and had breakfast - complete with the unforgettable local coffee - waiting for us.  We were in the van by 5:30 and on our way to the airport.  We were well taken care of, the hotel staffer transferred our luggage to the airport porter, who accompanied us to the AA counter, helped check our luggage and stayed with us to make certain we were headed in the direction of the right gate once we had our boarding passes.  Once again there was time to shop, and I discovered, with a small purchase, that bargaining is acceptable even in the airport. 

We  were in line waiting for our group to board when Mary Lu Pool was asked  to come to the counter and suddenly we saw her being led through the glass doors to another area of the airport.  We had no idea where she went.  On inquiry I was told she had been picked by the Quito police for a random luggage check.   Later she described it as being taken captive by a foreign government!   It was not a pleasant experience.  The plane was almost ready to leave when she appeared saying she would never return to Ecuador ever again.....and that she needed time to calm down.  Her luggage had been thoroughly searched, she had been through a total of three security screenings, when she thought she would be permitted to board, but was made to go through security for a fourth time.   She was not a happy camper, but relieved to be on the plane and heading home.  She does realize that it was random and it always happens to someone...but it was an invasive and unnerving experience. 

The plane ride to Miami was smooth sailing.  It also gave Mary Lu time to reflex, watch a funny movie, and relax after her trials in Quito.   The peace would not last for long.   We arrived in Miami, made our way through the U.S. citizens automated entry; picked up our luggage (briefly thought Rose's had been lost); re-checked it through AA's simplified re-checking system and were on our way to the gate for our next flight.  

The news was it was delayed.  The other news was we were to go through security again with our carry -on luggage.   I was briefly delayed, because Quito let us carry water on to the plane, the bottle was not empty and it was confiscated.   Martha and I were in TSA pre-checked.  The others were in the regular security line....and for some reason...unbeknownst to anyone -  Mary Lu lit up the security sensors!  In at least seven spots.  They could not figure out why...she was THOROUGHLY WANDED AND SEARCHED (fortunately it didn't reach the strip search point)  but she was once again outraged.  Maybe her irritation at the first search lit up the sensor....the answer will never be known.  At this point, we all agree she has stories for life....and now all we all needed was a cup of exquisite/yummy Cafe Cubano. 

We had time for several cups and learned that our flight was delayed twice.    So we have no idea when we will leave Miami, but the last photo is of Martha, Ruth, Mary Lu, and Rose patiently waiting for an announcement that AA flight 194 is boarding for BWI.  We will be home before midnight....and in a day or so, I'll add some of Mary Lu's and Martha's photo to round out the trip. 

Finally, let me say that if anyone is interested in a small personalized trip to Ecuador and/or a larger one to the Galapagos, please let me know, will be happy to send you info on the logistics of our trip.  It was a Restorative Journey...now all we need to do is reach home and rest up from our restorations.