The day has finally come to take our trip to Ecuador and The Galápagos Islands. We have been talking about this trip for almost three years, but could never find a place to fit it in. After one previously canceled attempt, we were on our way.
We arrived at Philadelphia Airport around 1pm only to find a parking nightmare. All the parking garages were closed except for terminal F. Of course our flight was in terminal A. It only got worse as the only section left in F was the rooftop. I hate parking on the rooftop leaving the car open to the elements, but we had no choice. We parked, grabbed our bags and made the LONG walk to Terminal A.
Along the way we would hear the announcements about a $1500 fine for not wearing a mask on airport property. Apparently a lot of people don’t care about money since we saw many people with their masks down. I just don’t understand why people can’t follow rules. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t fly.
Our flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador had a connection in Miami, so we boarded the first flight and we took off on time. We had the extra benefit of getting a 787-8 Dreamliner with the lie-flat seat configuration. The downside to these seats, if your traveling with someone, is that is it hard to talk to each other.
We were served a meal on this flight. The options were a Steak salad or a vegetarian Caprese sandwich. My wife and I both opted for the Steak.
We arrived in Miami and headed to the American Express Centurion Lounge since it was a short walk from our gate. This brought back some painful memories as the last time we were in this lounge, we were making our escape back home from Belize due to the start of the Covid outbreak and shutdown in March 2020. After we grabbed a drink, it was time for our next flight.
This plane was also a 787-8 Dreamliner with the same seat configuration.
After about four hours later, we were landing in Guayaquil, Ecuador around 1:30am. Our next flight is not until 9:50am and we did not feel like spending all morning in the airport. The VIP lounge is closed from Midnight until 4am. We decided to get a room at the Hilton Colon so that we could shower and rest a bit. The hotel is only about 10 minutes from the airport and Hilton offers a free shuttle service. We didn’t take too many photos of the Hilton since we were exhausted. We got showers and rested up for the upcoming trip to The Galapagos Islands, specifically Baltra.
This is the first post of many documenting our trip to the Galapagos Islands. Check back soon for the next part.
Adam Woods
