Day 1 - The Longest Day

Day 1 - The Longest Day!
Buenos dios from Ambato. The team is on the ground. Our travel day found us on a mad dash to our leader's house at 2:45am Saturday when Groome failed to show at the church. We met up with Groome in Mechanicsville and made another mad dash to Dulles where we made it through security and to the plane just as they were boarding. Our only problem was one lost Winfree Preschool sweatshirt that Elizabeth left at the TSA checkpoint.
Both legs of our flights to Quito were full and non-eventful. The approach into Quito was most exciting. First, the scenary was breathtaking with several up close views of the local volcanos. Second, the landing path was better than most rollarcoasters. After landing, getting through customs, meeting a real live missionary, our driver and interpreters, we had our first meal at a local mall as nice as the Towne Center and a few of us had KFC. Yes, KFC!
Then came the 3 hour bus ride 90 kilometers south to our base in Ambato. If you thought Gilligan had a rough 3 hour trip, you haven't seen anything until you ride the PanAmerican highway. Well, we made it to Ambato and our hotel just as what looked like a wedding was ending at a Catholic church nearby and were welcomed with fireworks. After a nice dinner at a restaurant where a bunch of us had pizza, we hit the rooms about 10pm. End of Day One.