Too long in Ecuador, not by choice

We flew to Ecuador for two reasons: Galapagos Islands & because they let us. Covid was mad with restrictions at this time so we didn't have much choice where to fly to.

Galapagos was class. Once in a lifetime experience for most people, pretty cool place. We got to see the massive tortoises, swimming iguanas and stuff. Boss island, dead expensive.

We landed in Quito and stayed at a class apartment for like a week, before heading to Galapagos. Picked up by Ricardo through Uber. We didn't speak much as after flights, I've usually got a big headache.

We flew to Galapagos, and back. Once again, picked up by Ricardo through Uber - just timing and luck. He recognised us so I told him about my headaches after flights and took his number - obviously a normal guy so would be cool to hang out. It's always good to have a friend in a city too.

We met up and did some stuff together like visiting the equator, we went up a volcano together, had dinner, and he helped Tanya get her injections through his friend who was a nurse.

We've kept in touch since, and speak often. He's managed to get himself to the US and is living there happily now after being in Ecuador for a long time since escaping Venezuela.

We had flights booked from Quito to Lima and we had checked, double checked and triple checked the entry restrictions - we passed them all. But not according to Wingo, who we'd had issues with before. Terrible airline.

Basically the rules stated that if you had been to the UK in recently, you couldn't enter Peru. I hadn't been to the UK in like 8 months or something. But the person who spoke English decided that because I had been to the UK in my life, that means I can't enter Peru.

Think about how stupid that is. The restriction was due to a virus, which the UK had a lot of cases of, but I'd been in Ecuador for 6 weeks, Colombia for 4 weeks and Mexico for 12 weeks... I asked her if she had ever been to Europe, she said yes, I said well then you shouldn't be allowed to visit Peru either then. Her answer was, but I'm not British. Solid logic, just make up your own rules.

Anyway, we fucked around at the airport trying to get them to change the flights and shit but gave up and went back to the same apartment. Ricardo was still at the airport so came in to help, but there was no language issue, just an IQ issue with the staff it seemed.

After being denied boarding for Peru due to Wingo staff being useless, we jumped back in the car with Ricardo who was still at the airport and I messaged the guy whose apartment we just left and he said it was still available for the night, so I just grabbed the keys and went back in - pretty easy.

I booked an apartment for 2 weeks within walking distance from this apartment. The first apartment was very comfortable, good location etc. Now this second apartment was so, so shit - complete catfish with pictures on Airbnb.

They had white plastic garden chairs for the dining area. The kettle had a hole in it, so boiling water leaked out onto the gas stove, as it was a kettle that you put on the gas, not electric.

The sofa was covered by a blanket, and when I looked underneath the blanket, I seen why. The fake leather was just disintegrating.

The shower door was a sliding door, but it was split in half - I'm not huge, and struggled to fit through. Tanya noticed that there were no 'stoppers' on the glass sliding door and that it hit the tiled wall when you opened it. Fast forward, I was getting out of the shower, the door literally touched the wall and shattered, leaving me covered in broken glass, slices from head to toe and a huge gash in my knee and blood everywhere. I couldn't walk either as the glass was completely covering my feet. I shouted Tanya to come in, and we used towels and stuff to move the glass so I could get out of the shower, but blood was pouring from everywhere. She was terrified, it looked far worse than it was, luckily. Also, the lighting was so bad in that bathroom it looked like some sort of Saw movie or something mad.

I got cleaned up and picked all of the glass out of my body, then had to run to a pharmacy to get plasters, bandages, stuff to clean the wound and then some of the stuff that pulls stitches together. I was able to pull the wound together so it'd heal safely. It looks so fucking ugly now though, it's in every photo where I'm wearing shorts.

Anyway, we cleaned it up and told the Airbnb host, who came looking for a fight. A 5'5" angry Ecuadorian guy who didn't have house insurance and refused to let Airbnb deal with the problem. It's very, very simple, but this moron didn't understand. File a case with Airbnb, they'll decide who pays. If it's me, I'll pay - it won't be, it'll be him, that's why he refused and said he'd be sending people to get the money from me tomorrow. I caught it all on camera, he was getting super aggressive but I stayed calm. I messaged Ricardo telling him what was happening just in case, as this guy was threatening to call the "police".

Anyway I just told him we'd pay (no intention of paying), then he left. We packed our stuff and went to a new apartment, which was luckily available at 10pm, which is what time it was by this point. The dickhead was there arguing for like 2 hours. Honestly, he was bouncing around the room like he'd just done 10 lines - looking like one of those tiny aggressive dogs. Yes, I was tempted just to knock him out and leave, but he's got my details and I'd still be in the country for a few days, so didn't fancy getting arrested.

Anyway, he had no choice to file a case with Airbnb - and guess who won 😆 - me, obviously. Airbnb even refunded me the whole stay as I sent them the video file of this cunt going mad.

This started our move from Airbnb to Booking.com though, using hotel apartments instead of just some random cunt's house that they rent out with their shit throwaway furniture. We've stayed in some class Airbnbs with boss hosts, but it's rare we use it now.

Quito is ok, the internet is good, food is ok, cheap local food. Supermarkets are expensive - quite a lot of stuff is expensive actually since they use the dollar.

We did some other stuff which was cool in this country but I don't think I've got a reason to return except for visiting Galapagos again at some point.