It�s going to be a hell of a day, though. I�ve got to get up at 04:30 to get ready for the shuttle. The plane, supposedly, leaves Toronto at 09:30 and an hour later I�ll be in Newark. I have about a five-hour layover there. I�m thinking I may even try to take a tour somewhere while I�m there. That makes me a bit nervous, though. I�m a bit anal about time�it�s a guy thing�so I probably won�t go sightseeing after all.

Last time I was in that airport, I remember standing at a window looking at the skyline of Manhattan. Last time I was there, there were two tall white obelisks that aren�t there any more. I guess I�ll have to take another look.

Anyway, I pull in to Quito at midnight. From there, I�ll be driven about two hundred kilometers into the Andes Mountains � directly from the airport, apparently. I don�t sleep when I travel so I�ll be pretty whacked when I get there. It�s also a high altitude location so the atmosphere is really thin. I have trouble breathing in the Andes.

I got to say goodbye to Girlofmydreams today so I�ll be all right for the duration of the trip, I think. My goodbye to Luvofmylife comes tomorrow morning. Actually, it�s been going on for a couple of days now. I always miss her when I�m away. I�ll miss them both.

You never know what might happen. It�s good to tell the people you love that you love them before you take a trip like this. You just never know.

I�ll be away �til the 18th of March. I�ll be looking for Internet connections everywhere I go so I�ll attempt to up-date the diary on the road. And I�ll be reading all my fav�s, some more than others. And I�ll try to post some photos from my spiffy new digital camera.

Wish me luck

Arc