Ok, I know it's loooonnng overdue, and won't be as clever and witty as usual simply because it's been a monkey on my back and I want to cross it off my "To Do" list, that seems to keep growing, rather than shrinking.
First, and I hate to start out on a down note, but I wanted to honor one of my former (and favorite) students, Patricio (Patito) Proaño as less than a month ago, he was tragically killed by a taxi cab while riding his bike in Galapagos. He was a mere 16 years old, with so much promise. My sympathies go out to his family and friends. He will be painfully missed by all who knew and loved him.
So here it goes...I think I left off after I got my censo and shot in preparation for my travels to the jungle. We'll just pick up when Klever kindly housed my non-pertinent luggage and then took me to Iguana Park, which had cool iguanas which were very different from their friends I was used to in Galapagos. (A strange side-note/non-sequitur: I ran into one of the Tomas de Berlanga students in a shopping center that same day, small world!)
Later in the afternoon, he accompanied me to met my friend, Michel, at the Guayaquil airport. and escorted us to the bus station, where he directed us to a nice clean and safe bus on which to travel to Cuenca. The bus took about 4 hours, and aside from some very dodgy, and possibly lucky, cliffside maneuvers, it was quite comfortable. We arrived at Hotel Rio Piedra to discover we had a kitchen with a stove, fridge and sink! It was perfect, because we weren't planning to cook! But it was clean and comfortable, so that was all we cared. We settled in, then explored a bit, ate a not-so-cheap dinner and a couple drinks, then to bed early, long weekend ahead.
The next day, we headed out to check out tours of Cajas, only to find the tourist office closed, so we wandered about by the park and discovered there was some parade going on, for what occasion we never inquired.
After deciding we'd hire a guide to go to Cajas the next day, we explored the town of Cuenca, it is so cute, we loved it! We went to the Rio Tomebamba (the river below) and then to Museo Banco.
After the museum, we made an entire lap around the Incan Ruins because we passed the entrance. We needed our exercise anyway...the ruins had an irrigation system, a botanical garden, including some special trumpet flowers that the Incans used to "get them through" the long hike through the Andes to the Pacific, if you know what I mean. There were also llamas, ducks, giant beetles and lots of caged (sad) birds (intentionally not shown).
We totally exhausted ourselves that day, but still needed to locate a travel agent to book a guide for Cajas, which I ended up having to call and make the reservation (in Spanish) on the phone. En serio!
After a snooze at the hotel, we headed to Baños, thermal baths local to Cuenca. We took in the steam room, then the thermal pool (which to be honest, wasn't that hot), and due to creepy men inching closer to us, we finally decided to go for a beer and an empanada at a local restaurant. From there, we saw a wedding party leaving the cool blue church there (sadly, I was sans wide angle lens).
Juan was our guide and he picked us up in his car at our hotel the next morning, and gave us a brief history of Cuenca as he whizzed through town, and was proud to point out that "Panama Hats" are actually not Panamanian at all, they originated in Cuenca, but were popularized by the Cuencanos who worked on the Panama canal, leading to the name. Seriously, Google it!
So here we are at the first (short) hike. Sadly, it was very cool and drizzly (thankfully I bought a rain jacket my last day in Guayaquil!), but it was still beautiful!
This second hike was long (4km-doesn't sound long, but you try it!) and quite tough, especially for me, who is sooo out of shape! We saw beautiful landscapes, flora and fauna, an old Incan pool!
These tiny flowers (about the size of an eraser on a pencil) are indigenous to Cajas, and the plants on the right were very sponge-like and great shock absorbers!
We even explored some wooded areas.
Then ended up at Tres Cruces (3 crosses), and a view of the whole valley area at the Continental Divide. If only it wasn't so cloudy!
After our hike, we went to a restaurant near by and had a shot of hot cane liqueur w/cinnamon, potato soup, yucca and trout, which incidentally is the only fish in all the lakes in Cajas as they were introduced, and are basically responsible for all the other species dying out.
That night, over a YUMMY ice cream, we decided to head out for the real Baños, unfortunately, this required a transfer in Ambato early in the morning, but at least we met some new friends, Dana (from San Francisco), Jordie and Juan Pablo (both Chilean). All together it was about an 8 hour trip. But alas, in Baños, we found a hotel that Dana had heard recommended, and we parked it. Don't recall the name, but this was our view:
We were there so early, and mostly slept on the bus, so we jumped right in after our $2.50 breakfast (coffee/hot choc, juice, eggs and bread) by going to Geo tours to book a rafting trip for the next day. It was here that I ran into the brother of a friend I'd met in Galapagos. I said, crazy small world!
Next, we rented $5/day bikes to tackle the Agoyan River path to Puyo. Stopping many times along the way to see the Agoyan River Damn, or to hike to the various falls (all of which were hikes down, but hikes UP on the return). So no, we never made it all they way to Puyo...
The views were spectacular!
We even took a cable car across to one fall, and saw some beautiful flowers and butterflies, as well as the amazing river (which we were going to attempt the next day)
Some of the bridges to access the falls were a bit dodgy, as you can see...
But the flowers were incredible!
And the falls, oh the falls...(where'd that belly of mine come from? Frightening!)
So after seeing many falls, we were done...and after some lunch, were ready to ride back...or better yet, get a ride back (fortunately, the ride towards Puyo was downhill, nearly the whole way, however that would prove a challenging return, especially after hours of cycling and hiking).
That night, we went to La Virgin thermal baths or Baños. There were 4 pools, 3 of which were active (one they rotate), all of different temperatures. We felt like Goldie Locks, one was wayyyy to cold, and the other was waaayy to hot, but the one that was "just right" had wayyyy to many people, especially brats...er...I mean kids. So we opted for the excruciatingly HOT one, and after about 20 minutes, we got both our feet in...and finally we were able to get in to our shoulders. Strangely, this pool had all the older, senior folks in it. Boy, do they LOVE their blistering hot water. I was watching the mad patrons jumping from the hot to the cold and back again. What lunatics! Well, about 45 minutes later, I too was jumping from the HOT pool into the cooooold jacuzzi pool (contrast bathing, literally!) and it was exhilarating, wow!!! Everyone MUST try it! Our friends showed up just about when we were leaving, and we decided to meet at the bar later.
That night we ate at one of the MANY pizzerias, and it was quite good pizza! We found the one local bar where all the tourists and guides seemed to hang out, and had a couple drinks, and Dana and the boys met us, but we refused the offer to go to the one club after, and retired for the evening, as we had another long day ahead.
We awoke to rain...and gray skies. But we were reassured that is a GOOD thing for river rafting...more white water, and current! We dropped off our laundry at reception (which turned out to be $2.50 between the two of us!). We then tried and were disappointed with the new breakfast spot, and promised to return to our friend at the first place the next day. The river rafting was incredible, it was my FIRST time, and I had a blast! We even decided (along with only 2 others and the guide) to continue an extra hour down the river. I was lucky to have given the driver my camera, and he got some pix AND a video, which you MUST watch for the blue raft!
Great stuff, and we only fell out once (all except Michel and our guide, anyway)!
The next day, we awoke to rain again, then had a lie in as we had no big plans. We ate at our local and the power went out, but the owner was so sweet, she said I could return for my juice as she couldn't make it w/o the electricity. We asked around about a chiva tour to see the Tungurahua Volcano, but of course as it was cloudy and rainy, they couldn't promise we'd see much. Plus, it seems they only have night tours so you can see the "active" lava glowing. So, having no specific plans, we decided to take in a massage. After asking around to a few places (and me being skeptical of qualifications and quality), we booked in a time. After all my "research" it turned out a bad choice for me. Michel liked her treatment, but my therapist was not great at draping, and worked my adducters a little to much (for those not familiar, these are your "groin" muscles). A bit creepy, I must say. Maybe I should have forked out the extra fiver for the $25 place! We hung out in the room playing Quiddler (sort of like Scrabble but with cards), which turned out to be a good and lasting source for us to pass the time.
Over a nice (and not cheap by comparison) dinner that included veggies (which is probably why it wasn't cheap) that night, we made our plans to head out to Quito in the morning, where we were to catch our flight to Lago Agrio for the jungle tour we booked.
Thur, 12th, we packed up, checked out, and headed to the bus station. On our way out of town, I reflected on what a huge industry salt water taffy is in Baños.
Three hours later we were approaching Quito with a spectacular view of what is a valley in the Andean sierras. We checked into a hotel that the travel agent booked for us (as it is the same building as their office), which turned out to be quite a dive. We had to hike up god knows how many steps, and then our "private" room required us to walk through a 6-person dorm-style room and all of us shared the bathroom (incidentally, both Michel and I decided to pass on a shower the next morning...we were going to the jungle anyway, what harm?).
After settling in, we walked around, ate lunch, snapped pix, hung out at the Presidential Palace, etc. We then hit the tourist info office to make sure we had a nicer place upon our return form the jungle.
Later that night, we met with my friends Chris and Karina over a very TALL beer, and some grub. Good times!
Up early the next morning to head to Cuyabeno, a reserve in NE Ecuador, very near the Colombian border. Upon arriving at the Quito airport, I ran into Hernan, owner of Hernan's Restaurant in Galapagos...again, SMALL world!
After a 30 minute flight, we arrived in Lago Agrio and waited for about 30 minutes for a bus, which picked us up, made half a dozen stops in town, and after about 20 minutes on unpaved, and badly pot-holed roads, we were literally back at our starting point. It was about another 2 hours once we were actually on the road and making progress, that we arrived at the reserve and paid our entry fee (which was $20, but had I known my censo got me a discount, it would have only been $5!). We saw such amazing wildlife there, and got to ride in a super long, and very not-versatile, yet durable canoe...for 2 hours...yet it didn't seem that long, as the view was just Amaz(on)ing (get it...?)!
We met some new friends from Germany (Zara with Michel), Sweden (Yandeh the dark one w/the fro swimming with us below) and Norway (Marte and Christina, the cute blonde duo).
We took a dip in the Laguna Negra (black lagoon), and saw some more wildlife. It was a very different experience swimming in the fresh water after being in the Pacific for so long! On the way back, we saw more wildlife, I hope that snake wasn't poisonous!
We had some house, or rather lodge-guests. Our friend the tarantula, and I dare say hundreds of cockroaches (who liked eating candle wax for some reason)! Who knew they were so popular in the jungle?!
Cool plants and leaf cutter ants...on our night insect hike
Our lodging and the guide, Lennie, who seemed to think we wanted to spend days in one spot, sweating profusely in the middle of a hike so he can demonstrate his ability for arts & crafts.
The deadly frog, whose name I don't recall, and some cool trees!
An anaconda in the water, or in a tree...and bear in mind, that's the same water we swam in (albeit a bit of a distance away).
We went pirhana fishing, Yandeh was more successful than most of us...
The next morning, before we headed out to see the shaman and the local village, we got a sneak peek of 2 night monkeys in a tree. They were too cute! This picture was actually taken with my point and shoot through the eye of a telescope, not too bad!
These are kids of the staff members aren't they precious!? One of which went to visit the shaman, who had many natural resources on his land, including cocoa plants.
We even got a demonstration by the shaman as well as photo ops. He's quite the entrepeneur as he and his wife also sell jewelry. The plants and animals were amazing, these are tiny peppers:
Reversible butterflies? and centipedes!
Our guide had a sense of humor when he told us to chew this "teeth whitening" plant...these trees are used as a sonar tool for people to find each other when they are lost in the jungle...
Then we visited a village, with giant limes!
And a girl who was going to make a treat for us....she first pulled the yucca roots from the ground, then she "peeled" them with her giant knife!
Then she grated them, and dried them by squeezing the liquid out with some plant, the name again, I don't remember.
Then she sifted the dried grated yucca and spread it on a plate on the fire to make a thin wafer like bread, on which we either put jam or tuna. Yummy! (It is also significant to mention that the sand flies were horrendous here, and we were all eaten alive...so much so, that Michel and I had new bites surfacing for days!)
We certainly had a fun filled 4 days in the jungle with fun new friends and good food. On our last morning, we went bird watching, but sadly, most of my shots didn't do them justice, so you'll have to settle with the one parrot.
But we got bats and monk saki monkeys!
And coolest of all, flying squirrel monkeys--totally awesome! It was incredible watching them "fly" across the river from one tree to another...and a mom with the child on back! Crazy!
After our long canoe ride back, we had lunch again at the park entrance, along with a guest appearance by Melissa, the local's pet! She was so friendly, she was giving hugs, and trying to steal cameras (ok, that's not really friendly, but you get the idea).
Then after our brief 30 minute flight, we found ourselves in rainy and cold Quito. After waiting several minutes in the rain and finally finding a cab, the driver tells us he can't take us to the hotel because he doesn't know where it is...even after I showed him a MAP! He actually hailed another cabbie, and booted us out! We were relieved to find our hostel was much nicer than the last, although it was quite chilly...and only $3.50 for 2 loads of (drop off) laundry! Sweet!
After settling in, we had mexican food, used the cabinas (had to call mum and wish her happy belated birthday!), and then sat down in a local internet/cabina/bar/restaurant for a drink. We were in bed early again as we had a long day ahead whether we went to the volcano, or La Mitad del Mundo (the equator).
We investigated our options of visiting the volcano (in crap weather) or going to the equator, and finally settled on a guide to take us around the city and the equator, which we decided to do as we didn't trust the weather would make the volcano hike worth our while, then had breakfast, and headed out for the tour. Another private guide and car, for just $35+tip each, for the whole day! We saw the National Cathedral...from EVERY angle...
Of course we saw the Virgin Mary statue, again, from many angles.
Then headed to the equator. Now the equator I visited in 1996 (below with the monument behind me) was since found to be inaccurately marked, so we also went to the "real" equator, where we saw a real shrunken head...
I got to shoot a blow dart, we saw livestock for the national delicacy cuy (guinea pig)...
And of course the REAL equator, where we got to witness and participate in several equatorial acts, like balancing an egg...
Experiencing weightlessness, or less weight anyway, on the equator. We performed weird tests that showed we weigh less on the equator than off, that water flows straight down a drain on the equator, counter clockwise north and clockwise south of the equator. On the way back, we saw some migrating cows.
Although Quito had some nice things to offer, the several warnings about our safety there and the rainy days pushed us to book a flight to Manta (the coast) to start the sun & surf leg of our trip a day earlier. But that night, we met up with our good friends Zara, Yandeh and new friend Melanie. They gave us the name of a bar, and we arrived by cab (in the pissing rain) only to find that they were at different location. So Michel and I walked, in the lashing rain, down some dark and deserted stairs of creepy back yards (this after all my Quito friends warned NOT to be out after dark alone), but fortunately and safely found the girls. We had some food and a drink before agreeing to meet in Montañita for Carnival.
The next day, we headed out and caught our 1pm flight arriving in Manta about half an hour later. We took a taxi to the bus station, and the driver tried to convince us that it would be much faster and more comfortable in a cab, and we could stop and take pictures at scenic vistas. He also tried to convince us that the bus detours inland, so it would take us 4 hours, rather than 2 by car. I had already booked our lodging and had inquired about the bus ride, so I knew the real story, and politely declined the offer, and along the way we witnessed how the fishermen got their boats into the ocean, rolling them on logs! About 2.5 hours later were in Puerto Lopez. We walked to hostel Itapoa and settled in. It was a cute, except for the cockroach crawling on my bed. Nice landscaping, and of course, hammocks!
We booked a trip to Isla de la Plata, then wandered about the town, shopped, ate, took the sun, walked the beach. The town is mostly fisherman, who leave some pretty strange creatures on the beach after a day's work:
Later, we just chilled out and took in a beverage at the bar on the beach...we were served by 9 year old, Maria Christina (in the green below), who was interested in our Quiddler word game and wanted to play. We let her help us and tried to teach her a few English words, and when Michel left for a few minutes, we attempted a game in Spanish, which was challenging, yet successful...later, MC had 2 other friends come by, Jair and Johnny who equally took an interest in our game and we alternated playing in English and Spanish.
They loved the camera and went crazy taking pictures of random things like ice cream trucks...hey, is that Señor Softee?! Later that night, I decided to give my Quiddler game to Maria Christina and the boys to share...I hope they attempt learning some English words!
The next day, we went to Isla de la Plata, known as the poor man's Galapagos because it cheaper to visit and has similar plants and animals. we saw Blue Footed Boobies (fuzzy baby boobies too cute!)
Nasca boobies and lovely vistas...
Amazing plants, that I did NOT see in Galapagos!
We were now entering Carnival season, and booking hotels was getting more and more difficult and expensive, so instead of stopping in some other beach towns, we went straight to Montañita to meet my friend Roni. When we got off at the bus stop, first thing we noticed was lots of mud and puddles (it had been raining a LOT in Ecuador recently and when the roads are just dirt, that makes for a big, sloppy mess!). First thing I see, is my friend Chris and his friends! What do you know, fellow Americans. I'm telling you, it is a SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL!
Roni then told us just to take a taxi to Kamala (below), for just $1. Kamala is like a hippy pot-head commune, with it's own kitchen and bar, which most of the time was self serve and on the honor system. The "room" was not great, but it did have a mosquito net, what more can you ask for?! Oh yeah, plumbing maybe? The toilets rarely flushed, and the shower had less pressure than someone pouring a glass of water over your head (and I laughed at Ronnie for bathing with buckets of heated water!? Not so crazy after all!), but it was cheap and a great location, right on the beach, plus just a 20 minute walk into Montañita and was our home for the next four nights!
After settling in, we walked into town and had a drink at Hola Ola ("Hi Wave" is the direct translation of this play on words), which was just across the street from Otro Mundo, the dive shop where Roni worked. We then decided it was cheaper to buy our own booze and hang out on the stoop at Otro Mundo, where many other friends Roni's (Caro and Jenny) congregated and shared our libations.
Later that night, Zara, Yahdeh and Melanie arrived, and had no place to stay and Kamala was fully booked, but Michel suggested, and Roni arranged it so they could stay in the TV/rec room at Kamala for next to nothing. Sadly for them, there were no mosquito nets, and what's worse, poor young Zara was stung by a scorpion! Fortunately, all she did was feel some local pain, and was advised not to over-exert herself, so we opted for a taxi in to Montañita the next morning.
We weren't really keen on the super-drunk Carnival celebrations for us, seemingly old farts (note that the 3 other girls were all under 23). The surf and sunset from our beach.
The wild life at Kamala...in addition, there were very evil sand flies, which seemed so much worse than all the mosquito bites I suffered in the recent past!
After 2 nights at Kamala, all 5 of us moved into a private lodge together with it's own bathroom (that WORKED on every level...when we had water anyway). We had our own deck and hammock too! There was a pool at the camp (which was a bit scary looking) and a cute little crab testing the water.
There were 2 dogs, names I don't recall, and one was a resident at or rather ON the bar.
This was the height of Carnival, when all the crowds poured into Montañita via the beach.
The beach was packed, and there were very young entrepeneurs catering to the masses.
Even public baths (I can only assume for those who weren't lucky enough to get lodging and were sleeping or passing out on the beach). There were also vultures feasting on god knows what!
One time while Yahdeh and I were sunbathing, a father and his family approached us saying that he saw a dead gringo on the beach and that the police needed to be called. I questioned him (in my very simple Spanish) whether he was sure or if he was joking, and he was very sure and said that he was naked in a hole in the bushes on the beach. I then went to the owner of Kamala to inform him, upon which he said let's go check it out. I was just fine not going to view a dead body, so let them investigate. Upon their return, they said that there was a naked white man on the beach, however he was just a passed out drunk. Apparently, it's not all that uncommon for people to drown to death in Montañita, after several drinks, they like to challenge the rip tides. But I was happy to know that this was not one of those incidents.
Back at Kamala, Melanie is attacking a papaya with a butcher's knife. Caro & Roni pose for a snap as we leave Kamala. We headed up to the main road, and met another traveler who advised us on when the bus was expected. Fortunately he WAS there, because the first bus passed us, and the second bus just barely slowed down and he motioned for us to run and catch it before it took off without us!
A few hours and bus transfer later, we were back in Guayaquil. We checked into 10 de Octubre, as I was sure it would be safe and clean. Later that night, Jose said he wanted to take us out for a despedida and told me (in Spanish of course) "WE will meet you in the lobby of your hotel." I pondered what "we" could actually mean, and thought, maybe Klever was coming? I wasn't clear, but in my poor translation, I did hear him say something about his mom and aunt, but why would they want to go to dinner with us? Couldn't be...or could it?!
Well, sure enough, Jose's mamá and tia met us at the hotel (note I never use their names, as I don't recall hearing their names when they were introduced as his mamá and aunt), and he took a separate cab, so Michel and I were in a cab with these 2 women we JUST met, and with whom could barely communicate. To be fair, his aunt was very good about speaking slow and clearly with me, and was super funny! On the other hand, his mom spoke very quietly and not very clearly. We went to their favorite restaurant, La Parrilla del Ñazo. Oh, boy, and WHAT a meal! They ordered for us, and they ordered so much food it could have fed an army! We couldn't possibly eat it all! And they were so beyond generous, that they wouldn't let us reach into our pockets! Awkward as this was a first meeting, and it was all too much generosity!
[Our meat fest and behind me is Jose's mum and his aunt is behind Michel]
Or could we eat it all? haha In the meantime, we had the, seemingly not so happy, marriachis serenede us...I kept making jokes (yes, in Spanish) about how they weren't smiling, and how I was going to start smiling at them to see if they'd return the smile...and sure enough, they did! It was hysterical, and Jose's tia was appreciative of the joke!
Klever never met us out as he was working late, however we were thoughtful enough to prepare a doggie bag for him!
After dinner, Jose's tia asked what we wanted for dessert, and since they didn't have ice cream I wanted, I said nothing. So, she INSISTED on walking (in the rain, with his mum who has bad knees) to an ice cream shop many blocks away. When we finally arrived, it was like a Coldstone creamery and to be fair, it was the BEST ice cream I'd had in MONTHS!
Upon insisting, Jose's mum and tia volunteered to escort Michel and me to the airport. This worried me, as I had SO much luggage, and the cars are so small, I thought it would be impossible to have 4 bodies and our luggage in one vehicle. However, the next morning, it was pissing rain, so much that the main roads in the city center were flooded. The power in the hotel went out (which meant me dragging ALL my luggage downstairs, por suerte we were only on the 2nd floor!). But because of the flood, Jose's tia couldn't get her car out, so his mum met us and we took a cab (in which we barely all fit) to the airport.
At the airport, I was able to check my 2 OVERWEIGHT bags for NO extra charge. I LOVE LAN! Then, Jose's mum insisted on buying me gifts, and I tried to politely convey that I had no room for any more things, but she said it was no problem, she'd carry them back with her when she comes to visit her 2 other sons (living in Queens) in April. What was I to say? I thanked her over and over, but it's hard for me say no w/o being rude, so I allowed her to buy me a pack of Galapagos playing cards. Cheap, and easy to carry. My flight was before Michel's and she was starting to feel anxious because if I was having a difficult time understanding the mum, then for her it would be impossible! It was also a bit awkward because we wanted to chat in English, but felt it was rude to speak in front of the mum, so there were long silences before I headed to my gate...
Michel seemed to survive ok, and I was heading to her gate as I was boarding, and we sent text goodbyes. My flight was smooth and uneventful, and I arrived in NY as if I never left, yet it felt like I'd been gone a lifetime! And what an absolutely amazing and priceless adventure!
Back to life, back to reality!
I want to thank everyone who took the time to look at the pictures, and for those who actually read (or are still reading) this, I truly appreciate your dedicated interest in my adventures. It was an incredible experience that I felt privileged and lucky to share with everyone, and am happy that many of you found it entertaining.
Muchisimas gracias a mi familia y mis amigos, viejos y nuevos!
Besitos y abrazitos,
Tere
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