Ecuador - Part 1

3 months ago i travelled to ecuador for 30 days. during that time i kept a journal of my experiences. i wrote it such that it would provide me with a more detailed recollection of the trip and of my head space during that time. now, with the advantage of hindsight i intend to reproduce my journal notes. after each note i'll add an afterward where i'll add to the entry. i'll also add notes in parenthesis during the journal entries. so without further adieu...

'April 17, 2010
I wanted to make sure I wrote something before I left. Just to get some pre-trip thoughts. I'm just at work playing out the string. As I write I find myself in an air of calm amongst an otherwise blustery couple of days. It doesn't take a lot for me to feel overwhelmed these days and there actually is a decent amount going on right now. I think/hope I've left everything okay at work. All that's left is to hand my key over to SG and get outta here. After all this catching 3 flights and being in 4 countries in one day on Monday will be a piece of cake. I can't wait to be at the hotel in Quito on Monday night. I really need this adventure to give me a kick in the ass. I look forward to meeting you Ecuador!'

A fairly innocuous entry. Except for the fact that literally a couple hours later when SG arrived I was laid off. All things considered I wasn't too bothered about being laid off as I was going to be looking for another job when I got back. The only real downside was that I wouldn't have income immediately upon my return. This was my first foray into non-European travel and that generally made me pretty excited and interested in what I was going to experience. Not much else to say about this entry really.