Leaving from Cancun airport and getting stung with paying taxes from leaving Mexico wasn’t particularly nice to have to do as I never expected to have to physically pay to leave the same country?!

Yet another long flight and late arrival. I needed a hostel stay for the night as the hotel I am based at to get myself all prepared for Galápagos wasn’t allowing an early check in there at a cheaper price then a typical nights stay (wanted to sting with me £80 room stay). I would of gladly slept somewhere on the floor as I needed to start #savingthosepoundsordollars at the hotel but instead the hostel I stayed at for the hours in between was actually proper plush and well worth the trouble of getting into. I also had my own pod with it’s very own plug chargers (not shared) which made a nice change for once! Believe it or not but I got put in bed 21. The return of that lucky number again! What were the chances seriously!? This is all getting a bit ridiculous now I hear you all start to say but I truly believe this isn’t a coincidence anymore. It’s happened far too many times now for it not to be. As far as I am concerned I believe it’s somebody looking out for me on this trip. Has to be surely. Will probably end up saying this a lot throughout this blog so sorry if I do.

The hostel I stayed at was called ‘El Hostelito’ but for my shortest stay so far on this trip the pods they had based there were absolute luxury. Fantastic for privacy. It was very cheap and once again a good choice on saving money. Check them out for yourself.

It’s the return of the dreaded U.S. Dollar again here in Quito as Ecuador doesn’t have its own unique currency but the way it works money wise here is they don’t tend to go that high up with the value of the dollar itself. For example grabbing a typical cab is normally no more then $10 bucks to most destinations around the city but it’s wise to make sure you have low amount of dollar notes on you at the time of paying the fare because if you chuck the driver $20 they will not be best pleased with you! So note made to myself is always carry short amount of cash or exact fare money to avoid awkward circumstances!

Galápagos is now dawning upon me. I finally check in at the ‘Mercure Hotel’ as I am a day early before all the fun begins. Got myself a rather big single bed which was actually upgraded to a twin room due to me unexpectedly finding out I am going to be sharing this room with another guy the day after arrival! This guy is going to end up being my roommate for my entire Galápagos trip I then find out so a cozy night in together tomorrow night at the hotel to get to know one another better lol. I don’t quite know what to make of it all if I’m honest. This is all pre-booked by G Adventures so I am powerless to complain about this. I knew nothing about the guy and I was under the impression I could be put in a room with either somebody who could genuinely be a nice guy or a complete utter psycho! I obviously hadn’t read the small print had I!

I used this as a good opportunity to get out and amongst it and explore around some of Quito. I have no idea where I am going or where to turn out of the hotel but after 5-10 mins I get out into the city more and head towards a massive cathedral called ‘Basilca del Voto Nacional’ that I kid you not you could see from about twenty minutes away, it was that big! It’s uphill also so obviously a great way of keeping in shape for Inca Trail training but also an eye opener for arriving finally in South America at long last.

Once getting there and witnessing it in person it astounded me of how beautiful it was inside. Sure everyone loves a cathedral to look at from the outside but it’s the inside that did it for me. Ecuador itself is a very religious country and out of common courtesy I am asked to remove the hat I’m wearing upon entering inside. Here’s a few of the outside and inside…

After spending a good twenty mins inside I then see it is a good opportunity to go finally purchase some shoes that I can actually use specifcally for the Inca Trail but break into as well during Galápagos also. I managed to find some that were in a sale and yes even with those winnings behind me I still always look for a bargain! They were a snug size US 10 so there wasn’t that much room in them but they seemed comfyish. Never had a size 11 in stock in that type so I chanced it and obviously realising I couldn’t depend on my Toms anymore for that kind of activity as they were taking a battering and were starting to smell! Word of advice, never ever get your Toms shoes wet!

I passed a local bakery and wanted to try out the local cakes. My Spanish is absolutely awful but I manage to point out what ones I wanted to try. Absolutely delicious I gotta say! I then set off towards the hotel and barter the price down of an Ecuador footie shirt off of a lovely old market lady. Gotta love a bit of bartering! I don’t think Quito gets that many Gringos visit and upon walking back I am approached by locals attempting to speak English to me. According to my lonely planet book various parts of Quito are supposed to be fairly dangerous at night but only vibe I am getting back from here is it’s just a place with a lot of love and kindness to give. Very underestimated. When back at the hotel I claim my complimentary cocktail at the hotel which wasn’t the greatest and get an early night in as tomorrow I am meeting everyone who I will be travelling with, including my new room partner! Hope we get on!

First thing in morning I run down and get something I haven’t had in a while. An attempt at an English Breakfast provided by the hotel to which is nice but not the full ticket I’m afraid! It’s then time for the first meetings for seeing my new room mate. I await in the room and he walks in fresh off of conquering the Inca Trail in Peru! We are experiencing the same journeys just in different order so yes I’ve got plenty to ask him! So his name was Tom, he’s Swedish and half Japanese! Speaks perfect English and seems like I was stressing over nothing and finding out about how challenging the Inca actually is got me very worked up and excited indeed. Galápagos first though!

Later that day it’s time to meet the rest of the group and our representative from G Adventures ‘Angeles’. There were a few couples, one from Toronto Canada, Lisa and John who I can immediately relate to as I had already been there previously, one being a nurse the other a vet, another two couples both from Norway who are both doctors, a couple from Australia Roger and Jenny who like my roommate Tom have also come in from Peru, an English couple Janice and Roland who had been travelling previously and they had a tale or two for the group of their own previous encounters and lastly two more Aussie girls to which I have to say I’m sorry I can’t remember their names and that being everybody I think.

A good friendly bunch of people and I can look forward to knowing a trip to Galápagos is now going to be an even better experience. Our representative Angeles thought a good idea would be for each of us to introduce ourselves to one another and learn about each other’s adventures to which we all had something equally exciting to tell one another. We also went out that night together for food as a good opportunity of all getting to know one another. Some of the group as I mentioned earlier are fresh back from climbing and conquering the Inca Trail so for those who hadn’t been a part of their journey already it was time to become a part of their next adventure. The food we had that night was a mix of Ecuadorian meats which was lovely, very fulfilling. Mine was a large mixed grill (typical English me!)

Tomorrow was an early start for everybody, very early! Something I’m not great with normally but definitely got better with as I’ve gone on. It’s on to the airport, it’s on to Galápagos! The adventure starts here….