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Leaving Quito
The flight out of Quito was SUPER late. Well, 12:30 AM-ish, which was pretty late for us since we normally get to bed around 10:00 PM.
As usual I wanted to get to the gate early so we were the only ones passing through airport security, as you can see in these photos where there is pretty much no one else in the Ecuadorian version of TSA.
We noticed that a lot of people were checking luggage and since we only have carry-on we didn’t have to wait for the ticket agents to open up. It pays to travel light.
We hung out at the American-priced TGI Fridays and had some boneless wings and sparkling waters. Mainly because the gate wasn’t showing up on our United App yet. But after a while we found out it was around the corner at A11.
Thanks to my crutches situation we were one of the first on the plane again. If it wasn’t for the discomfort and pain of having a gimpy leg, this would be a great way to fly. Not really worth it though, so I’m looking forward to the day when I have to fight for bin space with the rest of the peasants.
The flight was about four and half hours. They fed us some dinner after we reached altitude. I watched Wicked, which I didn’t realize ended on a cliffhanger. (boooo.) And I started fading out as we were passing over El Salvador so I managed to get about 2 hours of sleep before we touched down in Houston.
Houston Airport Layover
Wheelchair service helped us get through immigration, then TSA back to the domestic gates, and then out to one gate. Houston airport is HUGE. If you ever want to get your steps in, this is the place.
Whenever I leave the US for a period of time I forget out big and wide things are here. And if you add the “everything’s bigger in Texas” element to the Houston airport, it is almost overwhelming how big this place is.
But it is also a super nice airport so if you have a long layover its not a bad place to hang out.
Lots of overpriced airport eating fare. One of the Turtles, Greg, was a fan of Popeyes, so this made me think of him.
We were at our gate around 6:30 (since we landed around 5:30) and it was pretty dead. But after using the restroom, getting some water and taking a quick 20 minute snooze on Ruhi’s shoulder we decided to head over to our new gate.
But not before a bunch of people sprung up to take photos of the rising sun. It was pretty spectacular.
We were making our way to the gate but then this super nice man with the people mover asked if I wanted a lift. It turned out gate C5 was a lot farther than I thought so this was a welcome opportunity.
Ruhi was close behind since she had our luggage cart and after I got a seat next to the gate she showed up, we set up our laptops and phone chargers and I ordered a couple coffee drinks.
Man am I missing Ecuadorian prices. lol.
Pretty soon it was time to board our 10:01 flight to Austin. Once again the crutches got us on the plane and this time I had the window seat. Yay!
Since the flight is only about 35 minutes I only had time to watch an episode or so of Parks & Recreation. But I did get a few nice shots of the plane’s wing while taking off, flying and landing.
Back in Austin, y’all!
With only a few hours of sleep, we were pretty wiped out. Ruhi’s sister, Trina, and our niece, Sheena, picked us up at the airport. (Thanks, guys!)
When we got to her house it didn’t take long for us to totally conk out. The lack of sleep hit us like a ton of bricks and not even some chips, guac and salad could keep us afloat.
After a few hours we woke up and spent the evening hanging out with Trina and Sheena over a dinner of tacos.
And that wraps up our three week journey to Ecuador. Now that we’re back it almost feels like a distant dream. So, it is a good thing I blogged this whole thing so I can always go back and revisit things to remember what it was like.
Plus, as Ruhi says, I basically released a whole album while I was there. Speaking of which, here is the final one for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
Today’s Song: We’re Back!
Lyrics:
The latest plane in the dead of night
From Quito where we got our flight
Watched the movie Wicked. No time loosin’
Just five hours back to Houston
Only a couple hours of sleep
Trip was quiet. Not a peep.
Landing then through immigration
Back in the United States Nation
Chorus
We’re back! (we’re back!)
Back to the start again!
We’re back!
Back to where it all began!
Chorus x1
Catch the last plane of the trip
Across Texas. Oh, Just a blip.
35 minutes over to Austin
Starting to feel a bit exhaustin’
Picked up by sister Trina
Along with our niece Sheena
A quick bite of guac and then some sleep
Then woke up for a taco feast
It is amazing to think
That we’re back to the States
Was it just a dream?
Or is the dream our fate?
Chorus x2
We’re back! We’re back!
We’re back (back, back, back)
Oh, we’re back again!
We’re back (back, back, back)
We’re back (back, back, back) again!
We’re back!