Day 1 Part 2: Madrid to Quito

Boarding is a lengthy process. There are so many people trying to squeeze into what looks like a small plane, but being an airbus of course we all get on. The flight is full and what look like empty seats actually contain small children. I agree with my Spanish-speaking companion that it threatens to be a noisy flight.

Take-off is delayed by 45 minutes as a checked-in passenger took ill so they have to remove his luggage. The children all around me are grumpy and whine a lot and the atmosphere in the plane becomes more oppressive. I feel a headache coming on but it´s probably because I´m so tired.

I start planning my viewing of in-flight movies until I realise the choices are for Business Class only. In cattle-class, we have no choice. First, a magazine style programme, followed by 3 movies: 17 Again, The Pink Panther 2 and The Maltese Falcon. At least I can sleep without worrying that I´m missing out. If I am awake, I may watch the latter.

In the end we´re only 30 minutes late taking off. We nearly use up all the runway before the airbus full of noisy children and a few weary adults takes off. Although I´ve never been afraid of flying, immediately after we eventually lift-off, the plane takes a sharp bank to the left and I´m mindful of the recent crash off Brazil. That was an airbus wasn´t it?

The weather is a hazy 25 degrees C but we fly right over mountains topped with snow eight minutes after take off. (I try finding these on a map via the internet but can´t, so will google them later). It´s a bumpy ride until we clear the area. When we get to 30,000 feet, it´ll be too high to see anything, then I can relax.

Food arrives; again no choice. It´s pasta or nothing. Pasta is good! I plan to sleep after eating.

Unlike all other long-haul planes I have been on since DVT became an issue, this Iberian flight has no moveable foot-rests. I need to remember to move my legs, feet and ankles. I´m already wearing flight socks but they make my feet hot and sweaty. I´ll put up with that discomfort if they stop me getting a DVT.

An English-Spanish phrase book is a wonderful ice-breaker. Over the next 10 hours, I discover my companion is married to a Spaniard, she is a nurse in Barcelona and is travelling home to Ecuador to see her mother who is about to celebrate her 80th birthday. She also tells me she has 80 grandchildren but I think I may have misheard her or she said 80 but meant 18?

I manage to sleep for nearly 5 hours remembering this time to wear my anti-snoring device. The children are still noisy and running around, and the little darling behind me keeps kicking the back of my seat which wakes me up every time. I want to chastise him severely = kill him (remember I am sleep deprived) but when I try and give him one of my looks through the gap in the seats, I can only see his mother who just smiles at me. Then I feel really mean. However, my companion, Maria Elena hates children as much as I do right now, so we moan together - she in Spanish, me in English and we understand each other perfectly.

Maria wants to invite me to her house to meet her family. They live 2 hours outside of Quito and it takes me half an hour to explain why I can´t take up her kind offer.

The Atlantic is so much bigger than it seems on the map of the world and it takes the majority of this flight to reach land. We fly over a large populated island (I need to look it up another time) about 8 hours after take-off and I thought we´d reached South America. But then it's back to more sea.

My plan to watch the Maltese Falcon fails as the nearest monitor doesn´t work and my binoculars are in the hold in my rucksack! I´ve not had any alcohol because of my headache which has now gone. In fact, apart from dozing, I´ve done nothing except write this in my book and talk to Helena (which is what she like to be known as) - she´s given up trying to call me Sue as it´s apparently hard to pronounce and as Susan in Spanish doesn´t make me feel like a naughty child I´m happy with this compromise. For those who know me, it was her talking to me, not the other way round! Honestly! We swap addresses and promise to learn each other´s language and she invites me to stay with her in Barcelona instead. I reciprocate.

By the time we´re due to land, local time will be 16:20 and I will be have been travelling for 22 hours and not slept since Friday night. My body clock tells me it´s 23:20 Sunday night but Quito is 6 hours behind UK so I´ll have to stay awake for at least 4 more hours unless I want to be waking halfway through the night. I´m getting very confused with it all and just go with the flow.

As we fly over land I see a few very large towns in mountains but we´re still 400 miles short of Quito, and have no idea where we are. The children are driving me mad. No parent is keeping any form of discipline. The is also a dog on this plane! Barking!

The weather changes suddenly and we fly into empty air. We drop like a dead duck and everyone screams, including me. Helena grabs my hand and she prays out loud for both of us. I truly believe we´re going to die. The noisy kids think it´s a funfair ride and and their laughter distracts us from our fear. It must have only lasted about a minute but it was a very long minute.

Eventually, I see Quito not far below through very thick clouds even though I can barely see the wings of the plane. The capital city of Ecuador sprawls out over a wide area and I can see poverty in the shape of the building even at this height. The area however looks clean,fresh and green. I was expecting brown but as the Amazon rainforest is relatively close by I don´t know why I´m surprised. The altimeter says we´re at 3,300 metres so we´ve only got 300 metres to go as Quito sits at just under 3,000 metres. We land right in the middle of the city surrounded by houses. I hope this is the airport and not an emergency landing! The pilot gets a huge round of applause, so I guess this is the airport.

As we disembark, Helena sees her mum and all her family through the terminal window and everyone is crying, me included. She´s not seen her mum for 3 years.

Swine flu fever means we have a health form to complete so we´re greeted by people in masks and protective clothing and our photos are taken. I guess if we get sick they can find us and identify us?

Helena wants me to meet her family but I lose her in the melee and my driver is already there waving a sign for Mr Gardner. He spots me a mile off as I´m about a foot taller than most other passengers (I´m 5 foot 4) and dressed like a tourist.

He speaks as little English as I speak Spanish but we manage and he drops me off at the hotel which is of a higher standard than I expected. By the time I go up a flight of stairs to my room, I´m breathless. Not because of the view - there isn´t one - I have no windows, but because of the altitude.

It´s dark before 7 pm and the temperature has dropped dramatically.

Dinner is served - there is no choice:
Soup - tastes like potato and mushroom. Delicious.
A small bowl of popcorn, unsalted.
Large glass of pineapple juice - probably made with water? Dare I risk it? I watch the noisy Americans at the adjacent tables. If they drink theirs, I´ll drink mine.
(I hope I packed my earplugs. I´m going to need them. )
Potatoes in a cheesy sauce, rice with finely grated carrots, saffron (I think) and coriander - I hate coriander but it would be rude to leave.
Chicken and ham rolled around carrot sticks.
Cake - a type of madeira soaked in some kind of syrup.
The cost: $5
I had no idea at prices here so I´m very happy with this.

I discover my mobile doesn´t work when I try and text my daughter that I´ve arrived safely. Very annoying that all that effort before I left to get a Pay as You Go Sim card was a huge waste of time. Orange knew I was going to Ecuador - they should have told me - I think I´ll ask for my money back on my return.

...nearly finished...it´s been a long day...

The noisy Americans have gathered in the room next to mine for a party. I flop into bed and hope they won´t keep me awake else someone is going to die. I remember my mp3 player so use that to drown them out as I do at home if my tinnitus stops me from getting to sleep. I quickly fall asleep with no thoughts of anything else. Too tired to be excited about where I am.