Bringing in the New Year

Day one – I arrived in Quito, Ecuador around 11 pm New Years Eve. I was able to make it through customs and immigration with just enough time to run outside the airport and gaze down the mountain and watch as the people of Quito lite up the sky with fireworks as they celebrated bringing in the New Year. I returned to the airport bar; I knew it would be a long night before I could purchase my ticket to Guayaquil in the morning. I enjoyed watching as the airport employees, dressed up in outrageous and amazing costumes while they drank bottle after bottle of champagne and danced around. I walked around the airport in a blissful haze induced from the beer and the wine…and sleep deprivation. Eventual, I found the correct ticket counter to purchase my one-way ticket to Guayaquil. I arrived in Guayaquil around 8 in the morning and I quickly found my way to the bus station. I have never seen a station like this. It was beyond huge with hundreds of ticket counters all offering a variety of tickets to different cities all over South America. Finding the right counter proved to be a challenge. The station was especially crowded. There seemed to be some kind of political protest going on. The police had a small area gated off. There was an angry mob of people standing around the gated area with a line that stretched three quarters around this metropolis of a bus station. Finally, I found the correct ticket counter; it was one of three that was fenced off by the police. I went to the back of the very slow-moving line. After about a half hour one of the police asked me if I was going to Montanita. I nodded my head indicating “yes.” He told me I do not need to wait in line. He grabbed me and forced me through the angry mob to the front. I am not sure how happy that made people because they were shouting, raising their fists, and shaking the fence. After I bought my ticket; a couple standing directly behind me in line, who travel to Montanita often, took me with them and showed me the correct bus to get on. The bus was departing in approximately thirty seconds. Sweating, in distress, and not embraced with all my cognitive abilities, I drop my luggage on top of another piece of luggage next to the bus. I made it! It was a beautiful three-hour drive through Ecuador’s countryside. After arriving at the bus stop in Montanita; I waited and watched as everyone grabbed their checked luggage from the under compartment on the bus. The pile was getting smaller and smaller; now all of the luggage is gone. By the time I realized that my luggage was not in the pile, the bus was departing. I waited in the street. I flagged down the bus as it was on its way back through town headed back to Guayaquil. I tried explaining to the bus driver that my luggage was missing. Struggling to speak Spanish, the translation was lost. Fortunately, there was a bystander that spoke English and could translate for me. He explained to the driver what had happened. The driver began taking all the new rider's luggage off the bus. Not inspired to inconvenience all the new passengers, I asked him to stop. I knew my luggage never made it on the bus in Guayaquil.

All hope is lost. At this point, all I possess are the clothes on my back and my two personal Items: my computer and camera; and that’s all I really cared about. I spent the day meeting amazing people and watched the sun set on the beach. All things considered I was happy with my day. When it was time to turn in, my new friend, Robyn Luck, took me to the hostel where she had booked me a room. When we arrived, they informed us that the room was no longer available. Due to the holiday, the availability of rooms anywhere is very scarce. We eventually found a place that had a room. This new place did not have the charm of my original accommodations. It looked like it was drafted straight out of a Wes Craven film. But I won’t let that bother me; if anything, it makes the experience more interesting. As long as I have a bed, I am happy.

Day two - I woke up in the morning to the man that I rented the room from slowly closing my bedroom door while leering at me. Now I am not sure if he was coming or going, but my camera was gone. When I tried leaving, I realized he had locked me in the room from the outside! My calm is becoming damaged. I force my over-sized man-hand through the circular hole that once housed a door knob. I reach my hand up on the outside of the door. I feel a wire. He bound the outside lock with chicken wire! I am locked in! I am a prisoner. I look out of the window. I am on the 5th floor. There is a family residing on the concrete slab bellow my room. There is no fire escape. I begin flailing my arms out the window and screaming “help me” to the family. I did receive their attention; so much that the now terrified mother shuffles all of her children inside to shield them from the crazy man 5 stories up. Prior to my departure, I learned some essential Spanish phrases. I never thought "help me” world be characterized as “essential.” I know it now; it’s “auyudame.” I grab my laptop and run full speed at the door with my right shoulder pointed forward. After busting the door down, I holster my laptop over my good shoulder and run down 5 flights of uneven concrete stairs. I can see the morning sunlight breaking it's way through the front entry-way. I charge towards it, forging through what feels like an endless hallway. I break free! I am out! I continue running down the street. My eyes slowly adjust to the day's light. I can hear the owner of the hostel screaming at me. I do not stop. I do not look back.

I am walking down the beach; my destination is the Casa del Sol beach resort. I am meeting Robyn there to help me with my next move. All things considered, today is going to be a good day…