Canoa to Quito

Friday, March 27th, 2015 Ottawa
Last Sunday morning by around 9 am we checked out of the Bahia B & B Hotel and got a cab to the Bahia bus terminal. We had the driver wait while I bought bus tickets for Tuesday to Quito for $10 each. Then the driver drove us back to Canoa, total cost $10 so we gave him $2 as a tip considering the wait in Bahia and the cheerful attitude.
The staff at La Vista laughed as they saw us coming in. Luckily, they had another 3rd floor room for us. That's the 3rd room on that floor that we've stayed in. They have only 10 rooms total. Like many small hotels in Ecuador, they don't have an online presence but depend on phone reservations and walk-in customers. Some of the little hotels in Canoa don't even take reservations but rely completely on the walk-in business.
We were sunscreened and out on the beach by 11 am. Glad to be there too. We spent Sunday and Monday doing the usual long walks on the beach, ceviche and cerveza for a late lunch and then seafood and beer on the beach for dinner at sunset. The staff at Cevicheria Saboreame #2 are getting to know us since we eat there once or twice a day. Like many businesses in Canoa, it seems to be a family affair. The young girls who serve us aren't the quickest but only surfing and soccer are done quickly in Canoa. We tip the girls anyway. They're very nice to us and they appreciate our business.
On Monday afternoon, we paid our bill at La Vista and arranged for them to call a taxi for us for 7 am Tuesday morning. We confirmed that a couple of times later. After that, we enjoyed happy hour at the Bambu with our friend Bob from Vancouver and an American expat from Vermont. Then we had our final meal just after sunset at Cevicheria Saboreame #2.
We were up by 6 am Tuesday to shower and finish packing before 7. About 6:50 am, we had the night guard open the front gate and we waited on the malecon for our taxi. It was critical that we finish the 1/2 hour drive to Bahia before 8 am when our bus was leaving. There wasn't another express bus to Quito until after 9 pm. At 7:10 am with no taxi in sight, we had the night guard make another call. We think he got some other taxi guy out of bed. However, an old van pulled up by 7:20 and we hopped in. For $10, we got to the Bahia terminal by 7:50 am so we gave the taxi driver a $2 tip for getting us there on time. We think the hotel guys never did call a taxi for us. Some stuff just doesn't get done. Usually we allow for that but this time we had cut it pretty close.
The Reine del Camino company bus was very clean, air conditioned and had movies showing on a big screen. We had reserved seats 5 & 6 so we had good seats for the movies. Unfortunately, by the time we got to Quito we had sat through 4 of the most ridiculous, violent crime movies (dubbed into Spanish) we've ever sat through. Denzel Washington was in 3 of them. He's made some bad movies.
We thought the bus would take a maximum of 9 hours and that the Reine del Camino company had their own little terminal somewhere in central Quito. I had read that online but hadn't checked at the bus terminal because we were in a hurry. Another travel mistake.
We had a short bathroom stop mid-morning and then a lunch stop somewhere near Santo Domingo at noon. Our last bathroom opportunity was before leaving after lunch about 12:40 pm. We got to the northern outskirts of Quito about 5:30 pm. It was raining and the bus windows were all fogged up so we couldn't see outside that well. Some passengers got out at the north end of Quito but we thought we would be stopping again closer to the Mariscal where our hotel that we had reserved, the Cayman, is located.
As we drove south down the west side of Quito, we saw the old town in the distance and again thought we would stop soon. We didn't want to just tell the driver to stop because we weren't sure of the neighbourhood we were travelling through and it was getting dark. Traffic was very heavy and we weren't sure if we could find a cab while walking through some sketchy neighbourhood with all our gear.
At some point the driver crossed to the east side of Quito and continued south. Then he turned back west, turned south, did a U-turn, went north, went east on a gravel road through a vacant area and turned south again when he hit pavement. At that point we realized he was lost. Eventually he stopped at a gas station where he and the helper disappeared for about 10 minutes, presumably to ask for directions. By now it was after 7 pm and everyone on the bus was tired and anxious to find a bathroom. Finally, by 7:30 pm we arrived at El Quitumbe terminal in south Quito. The bus ride that started out so well but turned into the bus ride from hell was finally over after 11 1/2 hours. For $10 we caught a taxi to the Cayman, getting there after 8:15 pm. After a shower, a couple of bananas and a cup of tea, we went to bed. That was enough for one day. If you want to travel, you just have to accept without complaint the odd day that's less than perfect.