WE MADE IT!!! Our First Day in Ecuador

We made it!!  We arrived in Quito, Ecuador late last night and got settled in our hotel.  We had made plans to stay at another hotel back in October.  Well, two days before we were to arrive, we received an email saying that they were having plumbing problems and that we would not be able to stay there.  I contacted another hotel by email that was recommended by Connie Pombo on her blog.  I sent an email to La Eugenia Hotel in Quito, but did not receive an answer back.  Maybe they never got my email.  So on Friday, I got on Priceline.com and made a reservation for us to stay at the Hotel Catedral Internacional on Mejia Street near the Plaza Grande.

The front of the hotel

Where we ate breakfast

It is a nice hotel, although there is some mold in the bathroom of our room.  And I am allergic to mold, but except for a little headache, I am doing OK.  The headache could be from the altitude too.  Pat has not been having a very good day.  We went out for a little while this morning, but he has been in the room for most of the day.  It must be altitude sickness--terrible headache, nausea, chills, etc.   We tried some mate de coca from the hotel and it didn't do much.  He may just have to work through it.  He has a tendency to get migraines, so it may even be the stress of traveling.

While Pat was in the room, I went exploring on my own a little bit.  I also tried to find some mate de coca.  No luck.  Does anyone know where you can find it?  Do they sell in the stores or the la farmacia?  I would love any suggestions about how we can help him to adjust.

Here are some pictures that I took while I was looking around  The first one was when Pat was with me this morning:

That is Pat in the picture (I actually got him to pose for a picture) at the Plaza Grande

In the Plaza Grande (a statue to fallen heroes)

Some children putting on a program as their parents looked on

Plaza de San Francisco

So not bad for our first day here.  The weather has been cooperating.  Now if we can only get Pat feeling better, everything will be perfect.

We were hoping to go to Cotachaci tomorrow, but if Pat is not feeling better, we will hang around Quito some more.  It's funny, but I feel like I did so much preparation for when we get to Cuenca (where to eat, where to stay, where to go, etc), that I forgot about our few days in Quito.  I don't even have a map, but I am already learning my way around a little bit.

If anyone has any suggestions about the altitude adjustment, please post an answer for me.  See everyone in Cuenca in a few days.  Sue