Arrived in Quito, Ecuador on 21 December - it's a great place.

Hi everyone. Just to update you on our progress since the 17th, we left the cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale on the 20th morning as scheduled. It was a most enjoyable 2 weeks and we were humbled by the luxury and total indulgence that we were able to have!! We met some really nice people aswell and our evening dinner table party was always something to look forward to as we all got on so well together. The food etc was wonderful and we both ate too much but will no doubt shed the pounds now that we have arrived in South America with 8 weeks of travelling to do on a tight budget with our backpacks!! I have to say, I put on approx. 3 kilos which I was glad to do as I had lost alot of weight earlier this year. Marilyn is looking great.

Anyway, we stayed overnight in Miami on the 20th at a functional hotel close to the International airport and left on the 21st p.m. LAN flight to Quito. No problems with immigration in the USA and our transit from ship to departure Miami went like clock-work. We arrived here at 9.30 p.m. and immediately checked in to a hostel in the centre of the new town. We spent yesterday getting our bearings and wondering around and the same today where we have been exploring the old town which is steeped in history and full of beautiful buildings, etc. We are over 10,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by mountains. Simply breath-taking. A great way to spend my birthday. We are going to have a quiet Christmas here visiting the local Botanical Gardens and Parks. We have joined a club called the South American Explorers Club which will enable us to get good discounts on trips and accomodation throughout Ecuador, Peru, and Chile as we haven't booked anything other than the trip in Peru (below). They are having a Christmas Eve get-together tomorrow night at a pub nearby, so that should fun. A chance to meet fellow backpackers,we hope.

We plan to start travelling south through Ecuador on the 26th, first stop Baños, approx. 3 hours from here by bus. By all accounts, it is a fabulous place and we will remain there for 3 days and take in a rainforest trip to survey the animal and bird scene. Marilyn is very excited about that , of course. We have to be in Cruzco, Peru by the 19th January where we have booked a 4 day / 3 night tour of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley - that should be awesome!

I will continue to keep you updated of progress and will put some photos of the cruise, particularly Panama Canal, on before we leave Quito. Have a wonderful Christmas and keep warm! Weather at home looks horrendous! It is a pleasant 18 c here and quite chilly at night but no lower than 10 c. It will get hotter as we head south. Bye for now. J.