THE JOURNEY TO ECUADOR
We woke up at 2:00, March 27, finished the final things for heading out, including giving Buster, our cat, some Gabapentin to calm him down before the ride to the airport. Robert arrived soon and we were off, in his truck, with 6 totes, one carry on suitcase, a day pack, a guitar and violin, and, of course, one large male cat. Our cat Buster survived the trip, but it was quite difficult for him, and I’ve decided to write a separate piece on his experience.
As soon as we were inside the airport Buster finally calmed down. (He was frantic at times, not liking being cooped up in his carrier). He seemed to sense changes and what not. He is not sociable outside those he is familiar with, so maybe all this was overwhelming for him. Check in went smoothly, and we put the “Pet Tag” on Buster’s carrier
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| PET TAG |
Going through security was a real pain. They put aside both my guitar and day pack, needing to see a few items. I had the day pack packed so tight it was difficult to put it all back into place. The lady said I had a knife in my guitar case. Hmmm, really? Did I accidentally put a kitchen knife inside it? Turns out I had some miniature thing about an inch and a half long she fished out. Wow! As if I could actually do some damage with it.
I was able to store the guitar in the overhead bin on the first and last flight, and in a small closet up front on the second one. I was really dreading having to let it go into the cargo area as I might never see it again. The flight to Houston was otherwise uneventful. We had to give Buster more calming medication as he was occasionally beside himself, clawing away and yowling. It reminded me of the part in the movie “Night at the Museum” of seeing the Egyptian mummy shaking the casket thing he was in. The soft carrier was simply too small for Buster, and he was not happy at all.
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| BUSTER WAS MISERABLE |
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| AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORT |
We had a 3 hour layover in Houston, then another 3+ hour flight to Panama, also uneventful. Buster had torn a hole in the screening about an inch long en route to the airport, and this was enlarging little by little when he was frantic and wanted out. I’ve been to the Panama airport a few times, and have had to always walk from one end to the other to reach my connection, close to a mile. Sure enough, the same thing presented to us again. Those small carts were in short supply there, and we finally flagged one down 3/4 of the way to our gate for another 3 hour layover.
Then our trip went from almost ideal to an ordeal. We scanned our tickets and started walking down the hall, and were then asked to return. To make it a brief explanation - COPA Airlines did not accept pets from another airline, such as United. Now what!? Uncertainty was in the offing. So many questions were being presented to our minds like. - Where is our luggage going to end up.? We had given up my day pack and Rosie’s small suitcase, so where were they to end up? What about the 6 totes which were certainly in the cargo space now. Copa suggested we return to Houston on the next flight, and to go back to the gate we arrived at. They were so indifferent to our situation. But the best advice they did give was to return to the United gate we arrived at. (I am leaving out a lot of conversation with COPA staff, as well as my own restrained sentiments)
So return there, we did. At least not having the aforementioned items was lighter. Once there, I met a couple of service people. One was Marilyn. She got right on the phone demanding some answers from COPA. Then she called an immigration official. I was impressed how she chewed out the service person from COPA. The solution was going to take place in the morning, and we’d need to check into and back out of Panama, and start fresh with COPA Airlines, from Panama to Ecuador. ( in other words, our origin was Panama with COPA) They even printed off 2 tickets for us (Thankfully there were seats available). She said to be at this gate at 4 in the morning and a lady named Kirstin would be here to assist us. So at least there was hope.
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| I DON’T KNOW WHY WE LOOK HAPPY HERE. |
I have to admit it was a really long night. Rosie was able to sleep an hour or so, but not me. I felt defeated. We were told the cat was to make it through. I had even called COPA shortly after purchasing tickets and was told to just show the pet pass. And why should it even make a difference? What is the difference between coming to Panama on COPA from LA vs coming there on United from Houston with a cat?
I was looking intently for someone to show up at 04:00, but that time came and went. About 4:15 a lady came walking by and looked at us. I asked her if her name was Kirstin, and she said yes, and she said you must be the Tice’s with the cat problem. She then proceeded to explain she had just been over to the COPA desk, letting them know a piece of her mind and to begin the process of getting us on the next flight. So she did show up at 04:00, but just not where we were. She assured us it was going to work out, and that she would personally see that it happen. Wow! Now that was music to our ears. She could not get to dealing with us until about 5:15 due to other obligations, but when the time came, she was on it.
The first thing we did was head to immigration where we checked into Panama, getting our passports stamped. Then it was to the ticketing desks of COPA. Once there another United service lady named Annie joined in the offensive to expedite the process. She said she used to work for COPA and knew just who to talk to. (I had to wonder why she now worked for United?). They were both talking to people, cutting in line and asserting their authority. Annie asked me what our return date was. I said we did not have one as we were moving to Ecuador. She said the system would not accept our tickets because of such, so they’d need to figure out how to bypass it.
There were 2 approaches, each being worked on. One was for the COPA desk person to ask his supervisor (I had heard that expression a few times already). The 2nd was to get proof of us officially moving to Ecuador. So I called my Visa agent, and luckily he answered his phone at around 06:00. He knew just what to do, and so sent me forms describing his upcoming work/appointments with us, which was exactly what was needed. In the meantime, the supervisor said the law about needing a return ticket was vague, and to not worry about it. I already knew that immigration agents in Ecuador are not that concerned about it, only asking what the person plans to do.
Next was dealing with the cat. Rosie thought I had paid for him upon purchasing the tickets, but I thought I remembered they said to pay at the Portland Airport, which did not happen. None of us could find that the payment was made, so I paid it. Funny how we had checked into Panama with our cat, but he was not checked in. Oh well, who cares? When we received our official tickets, an extra ticket was provided for Buster. Next it was going through security, getting our belongings scanned. Then it was onto the gate to wait.
We were done with plenty of time, like 2 hours before departure. About 30 minutes before departure time I asked the lady at the desk about our luggage. She said it was “ALL” going to be on this flight. (I’d later learn that none of it was!). It was puzzling to watch the desk workers at COPA while boarding was going on. It seemed like every 3rd or 4th person had to wait while the service person looked at the computer. Occasionally they needed to make a call (supervisor no doubt). One person had to wait about 20 minutes. You’d think the desk person would ask him to step aside so that boarding could continue. That particular person never made it onto the plane, and the plane left 30 minutes late.
It was an uneventful flight. As we neared Guayaquil we could see how muddy the rivers were. That meant lots of rain inland, washing the silt down river.
For a city of around 4 million, the airport is really not that large. Once at the gate, we gathered our stuff and headed to immigration. Rosie suggested we head to the booth where most were not going. I thought this would not work, but thankfully it did and we were through in 5 minutes. Then it was to the baggage claim area. Luggage was already on the conveyor. I could see there was plenty on it, and as none of it was ours, I was concerned. Rosie said to wait. After 5 minutes I figured it was a lost cause. After another 5 minutes I went over to the lost and found office, where I found our 2 carry ons from yesterday. There I filled out a claim on the 6 missing totes. The desk chap said they’d be in on their evening flight. I asked him how he knew, and he said he could see it in his system. I had so little faith in COPA by now, but was glad we were in Ecuador with what we had, especially the cat.
The next step was going through security. After putting everything on the conveyor belt going into the ex-ray machine, they finally saw our pet carrier, and asked if it was a cat or a dog. “Cat,” we said. So I was now escorted to the animal import room with a lady who did not speak English. This would be, what I always assumed, was the last hurdle. When the Vet filled out the paperwork she use my shortened name “Bill” rather than my official name “William” which was on my passport. I was dreading the idea of trying to prove to them I was one and the same person, especially if she did not speak English. But as the paperwork was all correct, she only needed my signature, and we were free to go. Now that I think about it, that form was in English, which she did not speak, so not sure what to assume now.
Once out of the hassles of immigration, we walked into the huge area just before exiting where we met Luis and Anita, who were to drive us to Vilcabamba. They spoke little English and so using Google Translate, I explained to them our totes did not come, and were supposed to be on the next flight. So would they mind staying at our hotel for the night and leave the next day, with me paying for that. They were agreeable, and now I could only hope that COPA would come through.
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| A VIEW OF THE CITY FROM OUR ROOM |
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| EXHAUSTED! |
I should mention that I had air tags in all 6 totes, and could see they were still in Panama before we left there. It appeared they were to be loaded into the cargo area of the plane, but while waiting for them to appear on the conveyor in Guayaquil, I checked and saw they were still in Panama. There also seemed to be some discrepancy about when the evening flight was as well. But after dinner, at 7:50, I checked the location for those air tags. It showed they had arrived. So down to the lobby I went, got a ride to the airport. The driver said he’d wait for me even after I told him I did not know how long it would be.
Once inside, the security lady explained that I’d need to wait for the COPA person to show up, which was said to be half and hour. He showed up in about 40 minutes. He said he did have my totes, and while I went to get a couple carts to haul them off, he brought them out. But they needed to get the paperwork ready for security. The security staff were quite busy at the moment with a plane load of folks who had just come in, but when that group was gone I was hoping to get to go through. However, time just ticked away and nothing was happening. Eventually one of the security guards came by for a chat, asking questions about me. I explained where I was from, why I was here, showed him pics of my wife and daughter, and a few other tid bits. And then another plane load arrived, and just as the beeper sounded for the luggage conveyor to start, my paperwork came through. So I got in ahead of that group. The Ex-ray lady scanned my totes and asked if I had anything metal. I told her mostly kitchen appliances. And then a couple of workers put my totes on 2 carts and headed out. Wow! I was suspecting they would open them up and check out what I was bringing into the country. But I think my nice chat with the guard paid off, and he sensed I was genuine and so let me pass more easily than the rest. The driver had to wait only one hour and 45 minutes. That was a huge relief.
We had breakfast with Luis and Anita, and afterward took off to the east. It took a while just to get out of the city. We left at 09:00 and it was already hot and windy. It was nice to see many water associated birds in marshy areas. We were to travel through a refuge named Manglara Churute, which was the only location on the west side of the Andes left for the large Horned Screamer, a turkey size bird of marshes. I actually saw one on the ground just after passing the sign for the refuge, which conveniently made my life list reach 1700.
We had the AC at full blast for Buster, which worked well for the most part.
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| BUSTER WAS PANTING HERE. BUT THE AC KEPT THIS AT BAY, USUALLY |
I knew once we started climbing into the Andes it would start to cool down, which proved to be the case. As soon as we reached the steaming foothills, a giant blue Morpho butterfly briefly flew over the road, as if to flash us a good omen. It took about an hour and a half to reach the summit, going through obvious vegetation changes with the increase in elevation. The summit was 13,615 feet, the highest we’ve ever been. This resulted in altitude sickness, with both of us getting headaches.
Our jaunt happened to coincide with Easter Weekend, a big holiday here. At the popular places in Cajas National Park, the cars had overflown the parking lots and were out on the shoulders of the road. But we were on a mission to keep going. A flock of about 50 Andean Gulls was a welcome sight as we descended into the central valley on our way to Cuenca, a city of about 450,000. Due to acceptable weather the city attracts some 25,000 foreigners who live there full time. We only went around the outskirts, and then headed south. The scenery was OK, and I’m not sure if it was the same as when the Conquistadors first saw it. But the father south we got, the more vegetated it became.
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| A SECURITY GUARD AT THE PLACE WHERE WE ATE. |
In Loja we stopped at the super-maxi, the large grocery store in the city to buy food supplies. It would only be about 45 minutes to our destination from here. Angel had a few friends over who helped us carry our stuff “up” to the cabin where we’ll stay for as long as we want to, which is unknown at this point. It was almost 09:00, so including for a stop for lunch, it was a 12 hour traveling day. Phew!
Here are a few pics of our cabin. In a month or so I’ll have another blog written to describe our settling in here.
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| A CLOSE VIEW OF OUR CABIN |
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| THE VIEW FROM OUR CABIN TOWARD ANGEL’S COMPLEX |
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| A MORE DISTANT VIEW OF OUR CABIN |
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| LOOKING BACK FROM ANGEL’S HOUSE. OUR CABIN IS TO UPPER LEFT |
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| NICE TO HAVE A POOL ON HOT DAYS |
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| A VIEW FROM THE POOL |
Big thanks are in line, and I’ll mention some important ones.
To Cindy for helping us with house cleaning on the last day to get it ready to rent, as well as she and Greg taking various items off our hands and Dan and Cheryl taking food items as well near the end.
To Gael for taking our cat Handsome who is at home in her house now, and for storing our table and chairs.
To Ken and Elisabeth for taking Chubby, our other cat.
To Rand for walking me through a few high tech items, and turning me on to Air Tags, something that proved to be invaluable during the trip. Wish we had put one in each carry on too. Will know for the future.
To Cole and Terry, our new property managers for their service, and finding some quality renters.
To Robert for taking us to the airport.
To Marilyn, Kirstin, and Annie - service personal for United Airlines, who went a few extra miles to get us on the next Copa flight to Guayaquil. Without them, disaster would surely have happened.
To ALL our friends who prayed for a safe journey.
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