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In the air, sitting in first class, over Quito- 6:56 PM
I woke up nutlike times during the night. When I woke up at 8:30, I had a horrible headache so I decided to go back to sleep until it went away. I was also having weird dreams that didn't help, either.
I set my alarm to go off at 9:30. Mimi had gone to breakfast already so I got dressed and headed down around 9:45. Mimi was there, along with about 10 other group members. I ate some cold pancakes and eggs and chatted with the group about their plans for the day. Mimi needed to go to the mall to get a charger for her phone that's been acting up so Frank and his son David decided they would walk the 20-30 minute walk to the mall with her. I had to pick up my laundry at 11 with Rhonda so I told her I would meet up with her later.
I went back to the room for a while and went downstairs to meet Rhonda at 11. We knew how to get to the laundromat so our walk was much shorter than yesterday. When we got there, our bags were ready with our clothes washed, dried and folded. I happily paid my $5 and we were on our merry way!
I got back to the room around 11:30. I packed my bag with all my clean clothes and brought my bags to the concierge to be checked until we needed to go to the airport.
I went outside and saw Mimi coming back. She went upstairs to get her bags while I waited downstairs. She got her bags checked and we headed out. I wanted to see if I could get some ibuprofen for my headache. The little pharmacy didn't have what I wanted so I decided that my headache wasn't too bad and we went toward the plaza to look for some shops that had jackets. I don't own any jackets other than pea coats so I didn't really have a jacket that would be waterproof, light and warm in case of bad weather in Peru. We went into a few shops that had jackets for $200 or more. They were all name brands. I decided that I could probably make do with what I had brought because there was no way I was going to pay that much. Josè definitely wasn't joking when he said alcohol and clothing are ridiculously expensive in Ecuador because of taxes. Fun fact- alcohol is taxed 22% in Ecuador! I think I'll save my wine drinking for when I get home.
We then headed back to the market across the street from the hotel. There was a bunch of art displayed for sale just like last Sunday. We admired the art and went through the stalls to look at the handicrafts again. Mimi and I both stopped to get cute llama socks.
We then headed to Subway so I could get a sandwich to eat before we headed to the airport. I got the daily special, "Italiano Picante." We took it back to the hotel where we hung out until 2:45, which is when our airport transfer arrived. We grabbed our luggage and got on the bus.
The bumpy ride took about 45 minutes. We had a driver and two Gate 1 reps to get our luggage into the airport and bring us to the Avianca airlines counter. Upon checking in, I noticed my seat number was 3D. I thought that seemed pretty strange because that might mean I got bumped up to first class, which I have never sat in. I was also given a voucher to go to the Avianca lounge. After going through security, Mimi and I headed up one floor to the lounge. I tried to get her in with me but they said no, that it would cost $28. I decided to head in to use the wifi and check out the snack and beverage selection. Mimi waited outside.
The lounge was pretty nice. There were lots of comfy chairs and tables. There was free wifi and there was a bunch of desserts and hot snacks. I grabbed a Diet Coke and a chocolate parfait. After being online for a little while, Mimi came in and said she was heading to the gate. I told her I would be down soon.
I went and got some rice with meat and tomato sauce and worked on my blog. Out of nowhere, Jed called me on FaceTime so we chatted for a while. After that, I grabbed a bottle of water for Mimi and headed for the gate. Everyone else was waiting there when I got there. I went to charge my phone and Mimi came to sit with me. It was then that I realized I probably got access to the lounge because I really was given a first class seat. My idea was confirmed when they called rows 1-3 to board first. I thought "Hey! That's me!"
I proudly walked on the plane and found my seat. The lady next to me asked if I would switch with her husband who had a window seat. I gladly switched because I wanted the window seat anyway. I was immediately welcomed with a glass of champagne and some mixed nuts. I thought "Yeah, I could get used to this!" Everyone else boarded from our tour group so I have a little wave.
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