Quito Bonito

My South American adventure seemed to have stopped before it had even started, "I'm sorry sir, you cannot board this plane. The Immigration Authorities in Ecuador will fine us heavily if we allow you to do so."



It was midnight and I had just arrived in Madrid. My journey from London to Quito involved what I thought would be a simple stopover in Spain. It looked like I wasn't getting any further than the departure lounge, however.

"So what am I supposed to do, sleep in the airport and beg until I get enough to afford the next flight to Quito? I'm supposed to be working out there, teaching kids...I'm going to lose the job if I don't get there in the next few days!"

"I'm sorry sir, please stand back, we must let the other passengers board the plane."

I tried to stay calm, telling myself that the whole affair would sort itself out. I pleaded with the Supervisor for another twenty minutes, but before I knew it I was the only soul left in the departure lounge, staring dumbfounded at the runway as my flight across the Atlantic took off before my very eyes.

I had a one-way plane ticket to Quito, and although a visa is not necessary to enter Ecuador, proof must be shown that you are going to leave the country after 90 days. The Supervisor told me that without a ticket out of Ecuador there was no way I could be allowed into the country. I tried to convince her that I would buy a plane ticket out of Ecuador over the phone before encountering the Immigration Authorities. In my despair and in true South American style I think I even hinted at a tidy bribe. The staff of LAN airways was pretty convinced that I would be sleeping in Madrid that night, however.

It was midnight, I was alone and thousands of miles away from my destination. I started considering my options:

a.) Collapse in despair and drown myself in my own tears on the nicely polished airport floor. Very tempting.
b.) Invent some kind of flying machine. Slightly more challenging.
c.) Forget about Ecuador. It's far away anyway. Spain is cool, I could just stay in Madrid for the foreseeable future...maybe join a circus?
d.) Something else.

The first three options each had their own appeal but I decided to go for the fourth. Barajas airport is pretty large and at that time of night pretty empty. I spent an hour or so wandering around the terminals talking to anyone who wanted to listen to my story and asking for help. One lady, a member of the airport staff, had an idea.

"So your first plane from London to Madrid came in late?"

"Yeah, only by a few minutes though."

"Well, you can say that because of the delay you missed the connecting flight to Ecuador. The airline then has to put you up in a hotel until the next flight. They'll give you food, free phone calls and you won't have to pay for the next flight to Quito."

"Genuis! Life saver! You legend!"

Convincing the airline to give me these luxuries proved a little more difficult, however. I spent the next eternity going from one office to another. Each time I was told, "Sorry we can't help you with that. My colleague might be able to help you out." I patiently explained my situation again and again and eventually, a couple of hours later, found myself munching away on a courtesy sandwich in a four-star hotel.

I spent the next day in the airport, once again going from one office to another sorting myself out. I managed to get myself booked in for the next flight to Quito that evening, and then set about booking a ticket out of Ecuador in order to comply with immigration rules. I didn't want to pay for a flight all the way back to London so I got myself a ticket to Colombia, Ecuador's neighbour, with the hope that I would be able to reimburse it upon arrival in Ecuador. The only remaining problem was now my luggage - nobody seemed to know if it was somewhere in Madrid airport or rather on the other side of the Atlantic.

That evening I checked into my flight and was told that I would be upgraded to Business Class for all the trouble caused. Even though it was kind of my fault for not having the right ticket in the first place.

Thirteen hours later, I set eyes on Quito for the first time. Quito airport is right in the city, so as you're landing you get a great view of the place and the mountains and volcanoes that surround the city. It really was breathtaking. I even found my luggage after landing. Things were looking up, the journey was over and the adventure about to begin...