The flight from Santiago to Quito was pleasant. Copa Airlines has new planes and is fairly comfortable. There was one stop in Panama City but it is a short layover. This also gave me the idea that I would stopover in Panama on the way back and explore a bit. Unfortunately David could not take that much vacation time so I would be on my own then.

Upon arrival we were not off to a good start. When our baggage came out David realized that he had lost his electric shaver and toothbrush in transit. They either fell out of the compartment on the end of his bag or were stolen. The look on his face when he realized this was not a happy one to start our great adventure. However things soon picked up. There was someone waiting to pick us up and drive us through the heavy traffic of a Friday evening to our hotel Vieja Cuba. Our guide used all his ingenuity to get us there as quickly as possible. All services in Ecuador were contracted through Zenith Travel  and were excellent. There was always someone to meet us and escort us on our way. The hotels were good and most of the meals were included. 

The Vieja Cuba was a delightful place to stay. The staff was amiable. The rooms nicely decorated. Breakfast was a friendly occasion with an ample selection of fruits as well as eggs, pancakes, etc. And there was a Subway sandwich shop a few blocks away. We loved the hotel and would gladly stay there again. It's bright cheery appearance was so welcoming. As soon as I walked in I felt we were going to have the time of our lives. That evening we did not go to Subway, however. It was late and we were very tired. So we survived by having some snacks we had gotten on the plane.