After getting dressed, and having two more fruit & seed bars for breakfast to ease the nausea, I head out to have a proper look round, but first to the internet cafe to add some pictures and write some blog before I disappear for 8 days.

It is such a glorious day, blue skies, a few clouds and hot sunshine! Hurrah! After struggling with how to down loads pictures with all instructions in Spanish, it was time to head back to the hotel to meet Julia from Happy Gringos who was organising my trip to the Galapagos Islands tomorrow.

Julie was fair skinned and blond! How exciting! After having been the only blond, and feeling slightly alien it was very comforting for some reason. They do say that you bond with people when away from home with the tiniest similarities, strange but true. My flight is at 9.45am, so I have to be at the airport 2 hours before hand. Julia asks me how I´m dealing with the altitude, not great this morning. You have a constant headache which eases when you drink water, so for that fact I don´t take painkillers to remind me to keep drinking.

I book my taxi for the morning then head to a road called the Amazonas, which is a block away from where I am staying and is one of the main roads of Quito I think. I see more tourists which is comforting, look at some shops, visit a beautiful church, and again in awe of the amazing moutains as we are in a valley.

I then head to a cafe for a coffee and write in a journal I´m keeping. I ordered a cafe solo, but apparently its either an expresso, americano or a latte! The sun is beating down, its glorious! Though I think I will need sunscreen being so high up. I ordered a chicken tortilla but apperntly the chef can´t make it ´Sin Queso", no cheese, so I order an onion and mushroom omelette as the waitress looked distressed that I would only want eggs and nothing else!

I pay my bill and watch them set up a screen for the footie that they all seem very excited about- I have no idea who the teams are. I head out again and find this traditionally dressed woman selling beautiful looking fruit behind some shop, while her daughter plays with her toddler grandson who looks extremely content sitting in a cardboard box while sucking on a biscuit- ah the simple things in life! I buy 2 lemons, 2 apples and a satsuma for the bargain price of $1, then head to my favourite internet cafe which is where I am now.

I haven´t taken any photos today as I know I will be coming back here for a couple of days after the Galapagos trip where I will have to deal with climatising with the altitude again as the Galapagos Islands are at sea level- can´t wait!

I have actually been enjoying my own company and have not felt lonely at all but I´m sure modern technology helps you feel near to people, and there are plenty of internet cafes thats for sure! Though the first day is always strange as you are jet-legged and not really sure what to do with yourself as you are so used to having to "do" something, but you quickly slip into it after a good nights sleep.

I am so excited about everything, I can´t believe this is only my second day of 12 weeks! Well this is me now for 8 days, I´ll download the pictures of my Galapagos trip as soon as I´m back! xxx