Freezing in Quito (Drive Day 133: November 9th, 2003)
After almost a month in tropical Panama, Quito’s altitude and temperatures are a shock. The socks I wear under my sandals (most of our clothes are in the camper) freeze to my feet after a soaking rain. This kid wants to shine Gary’s shoes, “Limpio, limpio!” but they’re sneakers. So he settles for the same price to pose for a photo.
Still, at least we don’t have to get carted off by ambulance to the hospital like another hostel guest on his first night. Turns out the beer is a little stronger here and drinking anything alcoholic at altitude tricks your heart into thinking it should curl into a little ball and stop pumping.
Follow this bonus-material blog and ride along on a one-year road trip that inspired the memoir The Drive: Searching for Lost Memories on the Pan American Highway. On sale now. Get yours through the buy-the-book links at the bottom of the landing page on my teresabrucebooks.com website or here or here. Planning a road trip? Buy the audiobook here. Like The Drive’s Facebook page and tweet back at me @writerteresa.
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