Back in Quito

I arrived last night about 11:30PM after a three week absence. When I stepped off of the plane I knew that I was not in Houston any more. The air was cool and crisp and a stark contrast to the heat and humidity I had been experiencing for the past three days. I do miss my Houston friends, but the longer I'm away in the summer, the more inhospitable June, July, and August in Houston seems. I really have loved the Quito weather so far and wish I could export some to Houston! Today was a little cloudy, but again no rain. It is now about 6PM and I am ready to go home but, since I don't have my internet connected there yet, I'm going to jot down some thoughts.

Jackson was great on the plane. He flew in the cabin with me for five-hour trip back to Quito and could not have been better behaved. We were also blessed to have a nice lady from Paris/Africa/Kauai sitting next to us. She is a free spirit whose father was a prominent developer in Washington, DC (read: she cashed in). She splits her time between an apartment in Paris, her house on the Island of Kauai, and an orphanage and school she set up in Swaziland, Africa. She is a nurse/midwife and avid diver, so she's on her way to do a course somewhere in Ecuador and then on to diving in the Galapagos Islands. She loves dogs, so Jackson could not have done better than to have her next to us. The flight crew and many assorted passengers (mostly kids) took turns wandering up to visit Jackson throughout the flight, which I'm sure annoyed all of the other passengers in the First Class cabin who wanted privacy and rest ...but Jackson loved it, so that's all that matters! Truth be told, I'm sure he would have been fine flying in the pet compartment, since he seems to go with the flow general, but it made me feel better to have him in the cabin.

When we landed, we got the royal treatment and they lead Jackson and me to the front of all of the lines saying that they did not want to keep Jackson waiting in line with the crowd! This was a huge help given that I had so much luggage and would have been waiting forever for assorted inspections. The vet at the airport in Quito who had to clear Jackson for entry just glanced at all of the papers that Stuart and I worked so hard to assemble --without an inspection and barely a look at all of the forms and vaccination certificates --and then asked if he could play with Jackson for a bit. I obliged and Jacskon again loved it.

My ride was very reliable and he was waiting when I walked out. He took us in his cargo truck to the apartment where I was greeted by Huira Cinche (pronounced WI rah SIN cheh), which means 'strong wind' in Qichua, an indigenous language of Ecuador similar to Qechua in Peru. Huiara is one half of my 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' realtor team and he was very accommodating in helping us move everything in. Of course, by the time I unpacked the basics and made the bed it was about 2:30AM, so a very long day for me.

Jackson has been resting at home all day and mostly sleeping. I have gone by several times to see how he's adjusting and all is going well. He likes his dog bed and the tile floors in the kitchen. He also has been wandering around checking out the various rooms. I plan to let him adjust at the house before I take him over to the office.

Today I was busy handling administrative matters, catching up on reading, and doing a bit more unpacking. I hope to have my internet and cable connected at the apartment within the next 3 days (probably more like Friday or Saturday, though) and then I will be more accessible to everyone. Until then, email is great and I love hearing from everyone even if it is just a quick 'howdy!' As you all know, the last few weeks have been hectic (and, at times, downright traumatic), so it is always good to hear from old friends.

I am tired after about 3-4 nights of not much sleep and too much travel for the past three weeks, so it is time to go see Jackson and wander out for some food. Look for more later this week.