La Ruta de Las Cascades

What a way to end my 17 days in Ecuador! The sky was blue, the sun was out, a perfect day for a morning of mountain biking to see waterfalls in the Pastaza River gorge. The road from Banos to Puyo has tons of falls and it was a great day to see them. it is called "la Ruta de las Cascades". One of the main reasons I came to Banos was to do this mountain bike ride to see the falls. Waterfalls always just make you happy and you feel as if you are in the presence of something great. The power and force of the water is tremendous, even on little falls, so to see big cascades of water always amazes me. I have hiked and swam in many different falls and after reading about this ride I figured it was definitely something that I wanted to do. I rented my mountain bike, checked o make sure that it was all in good repair, and set off downhill on this 20km journey. I had seen a couple of the falls yesterday, the jungle guide stopped to show us, but I wanted to get closer and see more. Basically, this road has a series of tunnels through the hills along a deep river gorge. The views mare breath-taking anywhere you look and although you aren't as high as in some other towns you know you are in the mountains. Since mountain biking this route is a popular activity, they built detours along the side of the cliffs so that bikes and ATVs can go down the road and not through the tunnels. The tunnels start at about 200m. And range in size up to one kilometer. When I got my bike the guy said that the first tunnel was short and only one way traffic and there wasn't a route around it. The second one was the long one and there had been a landslide and you had I ride through the tunnel. It doesn't seem like a big deal really, but remember that the drivers are a bit crazy here (buses and trucks and cars fly down these roads, passing on blind corners and generally being very aggressive.) I have had my fair share of run ins with drivers while on the countryoads of Suffield, but this is a whole different level. Making my way down the road, I am taking my time and enjoying the warmth, the sun, and the ride. It rearlly was picture perfect. Stopping here and there along the way, there are a lot of scenic viewpoints over the gorge. The second tunnel. What to do? I decided to try the route around the tunnel figuring the I was on a mountai. Bike and should be able to work my way through, and if not I would just back track. The thought of riding through a long tunnel was a bit scary. Of course the damage to the trail was minimal and I was able to continue downhill seeing different sights along the way. No stress on this ride. At each waterfall viewing point there is a bit of a scene. They all have some ramshackle little tiendas and restaurant, hawkers selling stuff, etc. All of this a bit enhanced seeing as it was a weekend as well. They also have these cable cars to take you across the gorge to get a closer look at the falls. The seem to have varying degrees of minimal safety, and while they seem popular, clearly there are no regulations regarding these "telefericos". I had taken one the previous day so I moved along. The mosta impressive waterfall is in the small town of Rio Verde (Green river). It is called the "pailon del Diablo"' the Devil's Cauldron. I is really impressive with a major drop but then a number of smaller drops from there. You hike into the gorge to get close, walk over a suspension bridge and get to the viewing areas. In fact you can crawl (literally crawl) to get up to the top and get behind the falls. I was very very wet! I spent quite a bit of time there as it was truly beautiful, and I was enjoying the day. I had wanted to move on the the next town for a three mile hike past a bunch of different things, but as always vacation was coming to an end a few hours short of what I really needed! At this point in the day, you a supposed to get a truck to take you back uphill to Banos. If not then buses supposedly will take you. Well the trucks didn't want to take me "Solito" and I neede to get back. So I figured the buses, woud be fine. Except they weren't so interested I taking me either. So I rode back. It was a beautiful day and this was actually a blessing. I got to spend more time on the river and enjoying the views! It was uphill, I was after all in the mountains. Remember that first tunnel I had to ride through? Well of the reverse side it is half a kilometer long and uphill! While I was a bit worried, only one car and I shared the tunnel. Someone was looking out for me! After working up a good sweat, i had about an hour before I needed to catch a bus to Quito. So an hour I the thermal baths was just what I needed to end my time in Banos. I jumped a bus for the three and half hour ride to Quito, got a cab to the airport. An expected harrowing ride through pouring down rain, it took about an hour to get to the airport. The charge was only $15, but I gave the guy a twenty. He had earned it! It seemed to make his day too! Now I am waiting for the plane. The funny thing is this delta flight is two hours later than any other flight fromquito airport tonight. What that means is nothing is open in the airport. Nothing. I figured I would get something to eat when I go here, but no luck. The empanada I had for lunch isn't holding me over. I settled for a chocolate bar and some crackers from duty free. Overall, a perfect ending to my trip.

Move over Tarzan, I am the King of the Jungle Now

If yesterday was a nearly perfect day, then today was a step above!  I had decided to do a one day jungle tour from Baños. I knew that I wouldn´t really get the jungle experience I would want, of spending a couple of days in the wilds of the the Amazon, but it would get me somewhere close and I had the time, so off I went.

We started off with a trip to a monkey reserve.  I have always like monkeys and today, it was really great.  These are really friendly guys and in fact if they know the people, they climb right up into their arms.  I would have loved to have a "monkey on my back" today, but no luck for me.  But what was amazing was being able to be so close.  Usually these creatures are behind screens, or windows, but today, we were ble to touch and pet them.  Maybe it is Ecuador and the Galapagos (and Charles Darwin on the brain), but clearly we are related somehow to the monkeys.  Evolution was proven clearly to me today.  Their hands, their faces, their emotions, so similar, so alike, so much like us.  Creationists, I am sorry.

From there we had lunch at a "jungle reserve". Basically, this was the start of learning about how the indigenous people used the stuff in the jungle.  Our lunches were steamed in a large green leaf (the native tin foil, we were told).  I stayed with the chicken, although some others ventured for the Tilapia.  From lunch we were moving onto a canoe ride down the Pastaza River.  I figured this would be a nice canoe ride where we paddle ourselves down the river.  Not so much.  Basically, we jumped in a wooden canoe, (the bottom filled with water), and off we went.  The river had some mild rapids, but with six of us in an unstable poorly constructed canoe, it was a blast.  Really a great, altough wet, time on the river.

From the river we climbed to a viewing area on the top of a hill overlooking the valley.  Gorgeous, beathtaking views.  The best part was the swing.  Just a rope hanging down, jump on and swing!  No nets, no safety equipment, no nothing but pure adrenaline and fun as you swing off a cliff several hundred feet in the air. Check out the video on facebook.  Yeah, I went three times.  And I did feel a bit like Tarzan.

Next up a hike along a path to a waterfall.  Our guide, Carlos, had us try tons of different leaves that all had some different medicinal purposes, or just plain tasted good.  While they all looked basically the same, the apparently had different purposes according the the indigenous peoples, we chewed them, ate them, smelled them, basically enjoyed the walk and info for an hour through a jungle path.  Our reward? Cascada Hola Vida.  A great waterfall at the top of the path.  While it was beautiful to see, swimming under it was even better.  After a long hot and humid hike, swimming under a waterfall puts a big smile on your face.  It couldn´t have been better.

Overall, with just a tiny taste of the jungle, I know I missed out by not having enough time there.  I would have loved to spend a few days enjoying the sun, the shade, the plants, the water.  I guess that will have to be another trip.  Today couldn´t have been better.

I am off tomorrow for either a hike or a long mountain bike in Baños before jumping on a bus to a taxi to the airport in Quito tomorrow night!

Baños: My kind of Town

Today was nearly perfect.  After the long ride yesterday, I was ready for a lazy day around town as I sorted out what my last three days in Ecuador would look like.  When I woke up this morning, while I couldn´t see outside, I didn´t need to. I cold hear the rain splashing on the roof outside my door.  I rolled over and figured a few more minutes of sleep wouldn´t hurt me if it was going to rain all day in Baños.  After a few more minutes (ok, an hour), I got up, took a shower and moved downstairs to have my breakfast (included with the room).  This is when the day started to brighten!  Yogurt homemade granola and fresh fruit.  Can´t go wrong with that.

The rain stopped and did a tour about town taking in the thermal baths, the water fall, and a neighborhood south of town.  With a quick decision, I hiked to see "The Virgin".  The town of Baños has a thing for the Virgin Mary.  Apparently some guy was falling to his death and prayed to her and lived.  From then on Baños has had a thing.  Baños is nestled (and I mean nestled) in a small valley.  It is surrounded by mountains.  Everywhere you look are mountains.  It is really gorgeous.  Someone decided to put a statue of Mary up on one of the mountains and it is a pretty popular, although difficult, climb out of town.  I went for it; while the statue itself is uninspired, the stairway up (with the Stations of the Cross cut into the rock) and the views from the top are remarkable.  Certainly worth the walk. 

I hiked back down, booked my jungle trip for tomorrow.  It is only a one day jungle trip and probably a bit contrived, but I will at least get to another part of the country.  I checked out the bus station to get a sense of times for buses to Quito on Saturday, and then took another hike down under a bridge to a river.  This is, again, a popular walk for locals and it was great and really beautiful.  I bought some taffy (area is known for sugar cane and taffy), and watched them pull it by hand.  Impressive to watch a taffy puller at work, I was just wishing their hands were a bit cleaner! After a quick lunch from a local street food vendor, I decided to end my day at the thermal baths, soaking in all the good minerals from the volcanically warmed water.  The baths are located directly under a waterfall which makes them nice to be at and some of the showers are fed by the cool waterfall water.  All in all a nice way to end the afternoon.

Since Baños is known for the healing thermal waters, spas have popped up all over the place!  Ending the day with a deep tissue massage seemed just perfect.  I found a spa, organized my 90 minute massage (for only $34) and was pretty psyched.  The massage therapist was a pro.  She was ready to dig in and really find those knots.  Let´s just say that she wasn´t shy and "draping" was more of a concept than a reality. Good thing I do not too embarass too easily; I was "exposed" for most of the time.  I am not sure there was any skin on my body that she didn´t touch.  If I could find someone like her in CT, and for the same price, I would be there every week.  She was great, if not a bit aggressive in her massage. So worth it!  Hoping I have time for another this week!

I took myself out for dinner and a good cup of coffee and I am ready for my jungle tour tomorrow.  Nearly a perfect day.  Nearly perfect, because the rain from the morning cleared up, the sun came out and it was some of the best best weather (besides the Galapagos), which only means that I got myself a bit sunburned.  I guess I will never learn!

Can´t Catch a Break Today

I got some bad advice today.  Having checked about the travel time to Banos from Cuenca, I was told it was about six hours.  And that buses go every hour.  Armed with that knowledge, I got up had a nice shower and then took myself out for breakfast next door to tmy hostel.  It was delicious.  Fresh fruit, yogurt, homemade granola, and coffee! 

From there I headed to the bus station.  Figuring I would catch and 11:00 bus and be in Banos by five!  perfect.  Unfortunately, upon arrival at the Cuenca bus station, I learned that my bus didn´t leave until 12:00 and then it went to Ambato.  I would have to switch buses.  Seems fine... I would arrive in Banos at 6:00. 

Unfortunately, the bus to Ambato is seven hours, followed by at least another hour bus to Banos. That was a surprise (until I read my Lonely Planet a bit more carefully).  With this new knowledge, I recalibrated! Here´s the thing, though.  Most intercity buses in Ecuador may originate at a station, bu they don´t go there to drop you off.  I am patiently sitting on my bus for seven hours (and I had to beg to use the bathroom on the bus), and at 7:05 they call "Ambato" and drop you on the side of the Panamericana, the major highway from Central America through South America.  Yup, dumped on the side of the road. No station, no nothing. 

After taking stock on my situation, I decided to cross the six lane highway (taking my life in my hands with the drivers here).  I found some other people gathering around some food stalls on the side of road and in my very broken Spanish, I asked for some guidance.  I found out that I was actually in the right place and just needed to hail the bus down and jump on and get to Banos!  A few minutes later the bus came, they never really come to a complete stop but I got my bag underneath and then jumped on board. 

The bus of course was full and I ended up standing most of the way.  But I made it.  I am in Banos, and I think that I will be looking to do some hiking tomorrow.  We shall see.  Sadly, while I was sequestered on the bus all day, it was the nicest day I have seen in the highlands.  10 hours or so in transit, and the sun is shining for most of it.  Here´s hoping that tomorrow will be a bit nicer.

Cuenca and Cajas

After leaving the Galapagos, I made a fairly easy move down to the southern part of the highlands to Cuenca.  Cuenca is a small city (still at an altitude) but has a great feel.  It is clearly a product of the Spanish settlers and you can see that through all the colonial architecture.  It is a comfortable place to spend a few nights!  I arrived on a Sunday.  And well everything was closed.  I didn't arrive until about six, but finding a restaurant to eat and then a "tienda" to buy some water was a bit of a challenge.  I was roaming the streets until about 10:00.  Monday's plan had been to wander the city and that is just what I did!

The city (or the interesting, touristy part) is small enough to be navigated by foot and I was able to see most of the sights I was interested in without too much trouble.  The main museum is a bit of a walk but it is well worth it (although a few more signs is English would have been great).  My favorite part of it was that behind the museum are the remnants of some Inca ruins which I could wander through.  They led me to a path to some botanical gardens that also had a mini bird-zoo.  It was good to spend the afternoon that way.  I also got to visit some of the other sights...mainly churches.  Cuenca has something like 52 churches in the old historic part of town.  (And they are all Catholic).

My main reason for coming to Cuenca though was to explore a bit of Cajas National Park.  I had wanted to do some hiking in the park and Cuenca is a perfect stopover for that.  Today, my hike was mostly over 4000m and it was spectacular.  Cajas is famous for having tons of water; it does.  There are thousands of lakes and ponds and water falls.  It was truly amazing to be this high in the mountains checking out the park and enjoying the scenery.  The guide was good, pointing out a bunch of different plants, etc.  The coolest part of the trip was being inside the "papertree forest".  These are trees who take a long time to grow and shed off layers of wood that are as thin as paper.  The forest we were in was about 500-600 years old and the trees are very cool.  It reminded me of Dagoba (the place where Luke Skywalker was trained by Yoda).  Pretty intense and pretty awesome.

I was once again reminded of why hiking is fun, although also reminded to take it slow!  Rushing at altitude does no one any good!  Once again though, the weather was not in my favor as we were hiking a bit through intermittant rains.  When the clouds did dissapate a bit, you were able to see the magic of the Andes.  Tomorrow, I think I am off to Banos.  Or Riobamba.  I can't decide just yet.  They are both about six hours by bus.

Hard to Describe the Galapagos Islands

I spent a good part of today trying to think of how to describe the Galapagos Islands in a way that would truly share the experience I had out in the middle of the Pacific. It was really a mix of expereinces and one I will not soon forget. Let's start with the trip itself. I knew that I wanted to go to the GI for a while. It was to be an important part of my ecuadrian adventure. Having done some research at home, I decided to wait until I got to Quito to try to book a trip to the islands. That, and I had waited until two days before leaving to buy my tickets.

The Hostel in Quito had a travel agency attached to it and they booked trips to the GI! Perfect! I had decided to do a boat cruise/tour as all sources said that it is better to do that than to be stuck on one island doing day torus and probably more economical. I thought I would like a 4-5 day tour and that would be perfect. Sitting with the travel agent we went through all different pricing. I had been warned not to go with the cheapest and that I should think of tourist class or better. I spent time reviewing itineraries and finally decided on a six day cruise. In the meantime, I had bumped into some Canadians who were going to do the same trip. Since we were three we got a discount! For all involved. next was plane tickets. I couldn't buy the tickets at the travel agency but made the reservationa nd then was sent to another place to purchase the tickets. It was a long process, seems Orbitz could have done it in a about two minutes, but...

The transportation was excellent, the ride to the airport, the checkin, the flight, the pickup at the airport, meeting the boat. It couldn't have been smoother. There are alot of restrictions entering the GI. No food is allowed and they do special screenings of your stuff. Funny though, I was able to bring water (through security on the plane and onto the islands).

 This is a place that is used to catering to tourists and wants you to feel special. The people were incredible. I finally make it onto the AIDA MARIA! This will be my home for the duration. I am sharing a cabin coincidentally with a guy that I shared a dorm room at the hostel with. A spanish guy named Ruben. With the size of the cabin, we became close in a matter of minutes. The AIDA MARIA has room for 16 passengers in 8 cabins. The cabins are tiny on this yacht, but who really wants to hang in the cabins while you are cruising through the Galapagos. Basically, three meals a day, snacks, water, and coffee/tea are provided. Drinks are extra. This is a crew that works hard to make sure that you have a good expereince. They are friendly, hardworking, and committed to your vacation. The AIDA MARIA ran on a schedule, and they were prompt. They rang a bell to remind you of meal times, excursion times, etc. They are working for their tips!

 Our naturalist guide was Eduardo. He is a guy of 22 who is at school on the mainland but was born in the GI. He is studying Naval Engineering, and works on his off time as a guide as it is a great job. After undergoing an intensive course, he started guiding several years ago. Basically each day had a series of outings. We recieved a breifing the night before of where we were going, what we would see and some basic facts. We were both walking and swimming each day and was amazing. We hiked to the highest peak in the GI and looked at the craters caused by volcanos. We followed nature paths to see animals, we swam at the beach and off the back of the boat, we snorkeled looking for sea creatures. We did it all!

 Animals: It is hard to describe how it worked. It was sort of like an African safari. We learned about which animals were on the islands (or section of island) where we were, and then we went to look for them. Some perennial favorites: sea lions, giant tortoises, iguanas were plentiful. Penguins and Blue Footed Boobies were also a regular sight, but we also got to see hawks, flamingos, sea turles, sharks, finshes, rays, flightless cormorants, and tons of other birds. These animals were not bothered by human presence. Not in the least. They didn't worry about us, they weren't scared of us, it was like being in the Kruger National Park but better, because you were out of the car and walking.

 One highlight was swimming. Gettng to snorkel around the GI was great, but one reason it was so awesome was that you could swim with the sea lions. They were always around and they liked to swim with you. They would swim within inches of your face, or body and quickly turn. if you dove down and swam under water for a while, they would too. They were all about having a good time and it was truly an amazing experience. To add to that, the sea turtles would swim by, and sometimes right up to you. They would look in your mask and then pick their heads of to breathe. Again, so close you could grab them. (of course you don't). The sharks slithered below us and then giant manta rays flapped their wings. The penguins swam by, the figates were fishing. It was pretty ideal.

Giant tortoises are pretty cool. They are slow moving but so cool. We saw a bunches of them and also visited a breeding farm. Some of the introduced animals are predators for the tortoises so they have some breeding famrs to make sure the popluations continue to survive. We were looking enough to see a mating pair as well! 500 pounds of turtle mounting a much smaller female. You should have heard the grunts. Apparently, it is the only sound they make.... We were fortunate to see a few breeding pairs of birds, sea lions (and a mother feeding a baby), breeding pairs of iguanas. Spring is a time of love even in the GI.

Some of the most stark areas of the islands were lava flows. in fact most of the islands are made up of lava flows, so you spend a lot of time walking on them. The black of the lava attracts the sun and it gets hot! We are on the equator after all. i learned that I didn't really need a back pack, that I could travel pretty light for an hour or so and sunscreen is important. I survived without being burned too badly, although my shipmates didn't fare so well! After spending several hours a day walking and swimming, we had a great dinner and briefing, followed by some card games, reading, charades, chatting. With only 16 total people, you get to know everyone really well. Having been on trips like this before, we were very fortunate to have friendly people, no complainers, and people who just wanted to expereince what the islands had to offer. I felt very lucky to share my time with this group.

 I had been worried about a bit of sea sickness as well. Proud to say that I made it through unscathed. although the ship got pretty rocky at times (again it is just a yacht really) i managed to keep my stomache in check. The food was pretty good for a small ship, and there was plenty of it. This was really a great six days of my trip. Organized, and well run, great people. What could be better? Oh yeah, learning that I paid about half of what the people who purchased from home paid. That made it even sweeter. So worth the money, time, and energy. This is a must see for everyone.

Sad to Leave the Galapagos

Just a short post form the airport in the Galapagos. Amazing trip. Great people, great crew, great animals. This is a not to be missed destination that needs to be on everyone's bucket list. I will write more about this trip in the coming days; it was worth every penny to get all the way out here. Next up: flight to Guayaquil and then a long bus ride to Cuenca, where I will hopefully rest my head tonight.

Galapagos Islands

Just a short post today. I made it safely to the Galapagos. On the first outing today, I have already seen many Galapagos Giant Tortoises, even a mating pair. (that is a 500lb male mounting a much smalle female, which is this case ws trying to run away.) So far so good. Tomorrow we will be sailing to another island! The "ship" is really a yacht and my "stateroom" has bunk beds and is quite small. I am getting to know my roommate well. But we have nice people so far! I will update when I can.

Volcan Cotopaxi is Unforgiving

One of the highlights of my trip to Ecuador was going to be spending some time hiking on Volcan Cotopaxi. It is described as a sleepy volcano, that occasionally spits gases and smoke, last erupted in the 1870s and is very close to downtown Quito. At almost 6000m high, this is no slouch of a mountain. You have to be good and ready to take it on. I was. After much deliberation, I decide that I would do a day trip to the mountain and hike to the refuge at 4800m. Very close to the glacier that sits atop. Somehow there was confusion and I ended up booking on a mountain biking tour. Cotopaxi 1, Greg 0. Once I managed to take a deep breath and get excited about the mountain biking trip i was on my way. I have previously described the Quito weather, and although they claim you can see Cotopaxi from the city, she has always been shrouded in clouds. I mean, so have all the mountains. Word on the street, however, was that the refuge and parking area are in the other side of the mountain and it is sunny there. We will see. So we drive. When you get to the turn off for the national park, you must take a local guide with you who is required to drive your vehicle. While this may seem a bit strange, it isn't really, and it helps the local economy. According my my guide from Quito, the president declared that all national parks should be free for everyone recently, as he felt the prices were keeping the ecuadorians from enjoying their national parks. Great news! No fees! (The exception is the Galapagos, at a hundred bucks). There has been a lot of rain in the area recently and the rains running down the mountains have really destroyed the quality of the road. It is a dirt/gravel road anyway, but the rain did a number on it. It was repaired but it rained again last night. We drove through a river, the bridge was out, around the road that had been ripped apart by water rushing down for the mountains, and then we got stopped for about 40 minutes, while men with axes and shovels worked to repair the road so traffic could flow. By traffic we are talking about five cars or so. Another one for the volcano. Road fixed, we journey on. Up and up and up. The sun starts to shine, we get to a beautiful spot for take pictures of the mountains to see the summit, still cloudy. We continue. All the way to the parking area at 4500m. I have never been that high while on the ground before. Since this is over 10,000feet, I kept thinking that I was now permitted to use approved portable electronic devices! When we arrive to the parking lot, the clouds are in full force. When inside these clouds, they are pelting you with water that feels like little ice particles (probably were), it is blustery, and very very cold. Four layers, a hat, two pairs of gloves, sunglasses cold. That's a W for the volcano. We soon start our descent. I am on a trek mountain bike that is sized pretty well and shifts! We ride seven km down the side of a volcano. Pretty awesome really. Rocks, grass, mud,sand, it was great. We meet up at 3800m to regroup, and get our plan for the day. Another ten km of riding and some lunch on the schedule. No problem I think, ten k? That is only six miles! Let's just say that ten k at 3800m is different than in Suffield. And mountain biking is not racing. It was great. We were all over the national park and I was loving it. I couldnt really breathe, though (Serious lack of oxygen at that high when you are not used to it). I feel like I am in decent shape but the mountain was kicking my butt. (I was still ahead of the others on the tour so I was ok.) Then Cotopaxi brought out her big guns, the wind and the rain. While we are riding, it starts to rain. A lot. And the wind picks up. And the clouds roll in. It gets really tough now. Find that resolve to push through up hills and downhills, over rocks, grass, and mud. We finally get to where we are planning to have lunch. Mercifully we eat in a hovel, but the rain stops and it looks like we will finish the day with the sun shining. Moods improve and everyone is happy. The clouds seem to be disappearing and we cautiously hope for a peek at the summit. We eat, drink some ginger tea (supposed to help with altitude), and our about to get on our way and she brings back the rain to travel with us! We are now riding through some little streams as well. Oh Cotopaxi, you teased us! Finally the ride comes to an end and we are caught in a bit of a downpour as we re rack the bikes and climb in the van, just as the sun starts to shine again. I ripped my pants at some point too! We head to see a glacier made lake, and the sun is warming our faces. We rest for ten minutes enjoying a bit of warmth. The clouds seems almost ready, again, to show us the mountain. But they dont and we are forced to head home with only a tease of the beauty of the place. . I came away with having really enjoyed the day. I like mountain biking and this reminded me of that. I loved being in the park. It was beautiful. I can only imagine what it could be like if it was warm and sunny. It falls in line with a number of my hikes which lead to wonderful views of clouds. And just as I was reveling in the greatness of the day, Cotopaxi played her final hand. My face, the only part that was exposed today, SUNBURNED. With all the rain and clouds. Amazing. Well played, Cotopaxi, well played. For all you blog watchers out there, I am leaving early in the morning for six days on a boat in the Galapagos islands. I am not sure if I will have any Internet connection. Check back but expect much until the 18th-19th.

Slowing down with the Cyclopaseo

Sunday is a day of rest, right? So I decided to relax today. Got up and had a nice breakfast, and decided to take a wander through the "new town". I haven't spent much time there since I have been in Quito and decided that it would be good today. What a great choice I made! I started by walking up from my hostel north. As I have mentioned before Quito is in a valley, between several mountains and volcanoes. Since I have been here, there hasnt been a sunny day and today was no exception. It was cloudy, making those beautiful mountains hard to see, and the views a bit hard to take in. That said there has been little actual rain until today! There wasn't a heavy rain but a general spitting for awhile throughout the day. I imagine into be what the people of Seattle or Ireland face. Just annoying and enough to leave you a bit damp. The Quitenos seemed to just ignore it and keep moving on the with their day. Me? I was standing under trees! The city parks were full of people. Families enjoying the day, kids playing soccer, hawkers selling food, ice cream, juice, crafts, pretty much anything. So nice to see the it at slower pace and with a gentler outlook. It kind of reminded me on the famous painting by George Seurat. The best thing about Sundays in Quito, however, though is the Cyclopaseo. They basically close down some of the main north south arteries of the city (about 40 km) and people ride bikes on Sunday mornings. There were people biking, running, skateboarding, rollerblading. People with families wih kids with training wheels riding down these main roads. I had to be a part of it. I rented a bike (this certainly wasnt my Felt from home) and joined right in. The bike was a mountain bike as most are, the roads can be rough, and was much too small for me, but it was great to get out and see the city in a new way. I got to see sections I never would have journeyed to on my own. I rode for about two hours and enjoyed every minute of it. Who says you can't get a workout in while traveling? The organization who sponsros this gives out water at various points along the route, and there are various stands dotting the route addressing different social concerns. They also sponsor different events in the parks along theway. In looking back over the day, I am glad that the bike couldnt change gears, and was poorly fit to me. It made me really slow down and enjoy what I was seeing. I noticed yesterday as well that there were people out early in the morning running along the dedicated bus routes in the city. These are lanes that cars can't drive in, only specialized buses. But there were groups of people, who were running in them before things got busy. It seems the Quitenos have figured out a way to fit in there own training;it must be hard in a busy, crowded city! Quito is a big city with a lot of cars and feels very smoggy at times. But today, it felt almost fresh, perhaps it was the lower amount traffic on a Sunday, perhaps it was the rain keeping down the pollution, whatever it was, the city felt fresh, spring-like, and really helped me to relax. Later in the afternoon, it didn't become sunny, but most of the low clouds moved out and for the first time I could really see the beauty in the mountains that surround the city. Sunday in Quito, just the right kind of lazy.

Markets and Waterfalls

Saturday. The day of the (arguably biggest and best) market in Ecuador in Otovalo. Otovalo is in the others highlands, a couple of hours ride from Quito. Instead of staying in some of the sleepy towns north, I decided to make my home base Quito until I head out to the Galapagos. I got up early and was out the door by by 6:30. It can be a hecti trip to getup to this little town. Arrived relatively in tact, much like with Colombia, any trip from Quito leaves you winding and wandering through the Andes! I was happy to be on the Panamericana, the major highway through central and south America! It seems I have spent tie on this road in so many countries, it is always seems to be under construction. The were widening the road and is left the buses driving right on the edge of the cliff. At least in Ecuador they have guardrails. The first stop for me was the animal market. This is a local market for theoeiple of the region. No touristy stuff here. But if you want a cow, or some piglets, or hens and roosters (or chicks), this is the place to go. I am not sure the PETA people ( or my sister and several friends) would be happy with how the animals were treated. These are definitely not pets! Weirdly, they were selling puppies too. I was hoping that these would be used for pets and not food, but they do eat guinea pigs in this country! The next market was the touristy market. Lots of beautiful stuff there on sale. Llama and alpaca wool, sweaters, blankets, scarves, etc. any thing you can make out of wool. I looked for quite a while, but sorry folks, wasn't going to be lugging extra blankets and sweaters for the next two weeks! I will take orders if you want... What was really amazing to me we're the prices. Very very inexpensive for what appears to be some high quality stuff. If only I needed more clothes, more blankets, or a scarf! I journeyed from there to another town famous for its leather production! Cotacachi. You drive into the town and you can smell the leather. I was really great. They leather was soft, supple even, and they made pretty much anything they could from it. The usual bags, wallets, and jackets, but also ponchos, shawls, scarves. So different than anything I had seen before! I finished the day with a wander to a nearby waterfall. It is always good to end a long day with the mist of a waterfall splashing you i your face. Tomorrow looks like it will be a lazy day around Quito. Looking forward to drinking some coffee and relaxing in the new town.

Journey to the center of the Earth...

....or at least the middle. I spent this morning finishing up an exploration of Quito's old town. While it is billed to be a quaint old town with cobblestone streets, think more a bustling active area with lots of people working and going about their life. What is striking about the old town (although not necessarily unique) is the number of churches. These are big churches. Gothic. Baroque. Older. Newer. Colonial. Ornate. There are so many churches and chapels in such a small part of the world. It is truly amazing. While the number of churches in the little old town maybe impressive, what is even more striking to me is the amount of art work (paintings, sculptures, etc.) that are dedicated to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Every city in Latin and South America I have been to has had multiple museums dedicated to religious artwork. These museums have hundreds of pieces of religious art. And this is only the stuff that has survived over the centuries. Clearly the Catholic church had a major impact on the word of art. And on the people of the world. After hitting the old town for a while, I decided to make my way to the center (or middle) of the earth. La Mitad del Mundo! The Equator! It is only about 22km (or 13 miles) from Quito, but the journey is not short. Starts with finding the right bus stop, followed by about an hour bus ride to the end of the line. Once you arrive at Ofelia Station, switch buses and ride another 30-40 minutes to the monument. Mercifully, the bus lets you off right in front of the park and it is only a short walk up to the "official" equator. Only it isn't. Apparently in the eighteenth century soe french guys did all sorts of calculations and set the line. (Ecuador and Quito are actually named for the equator.) Everyone believed this to be right until the advent of GPS technology. Apparently the equator (according to the GPS) is actually 250 meters more north. Imagine the luck of the local Quito family who went to bed with a huge monument to the equator out their window, only to wake up with the equator actually in their backyard! This family has actually created their own museum to the indigenous people of the area. Small but interesting, especially knowing that this tribe remains living in the jungle with very little contact with "modern" people. One crazy fact about them though (and this is nt for the squeamish): due to the fact that they live the Amazon jungle in and out of the water, and due to the fact that there is a water borne parasite that swims up a man's penis and urethra, these indigenous men use jungle vines tied around their waists to tie the foreskins up so their junk points up to the sky. No pesky parasites that way. But I digress. This little museum (on actual site of the equator), takes you through all sorts of demonstrations to prove that they are actually the right line. There is a water test, balancing a n egg of a nail, shadow test, walkings a straight line, etc. Very fun. Just to be safe I got pictures at both sites. Standing in both hemispheres. Both claiming to be 0 latitude. Rather be safe than sorry.

Quito: Second Highest World Capital

I arrived safely in Quito! I was an uneventful flight and an uneventful trip to the hostel.

Seeing as it was my first day of spring break, I decided to take a sleep in. Figured that I deserved some time lounging around. Note to self (and others choosingntonstafy I hostels with shared rooms), just because you want a sleep in doesnt mean the other people in your room are on your same schedule. Needless to say, I was hoping to sleep late. I managed to lie I bed late instead!

Knowing that I needed to book my trip to the galapagos islands right away, I went to see a travel agent mid morning. Supposedly they know best. I spent quite a bit of time researching different cruises and boats, and decided on a tourist class, six day cruise in the islands! This cruise should have island visits as well as snorkeling advetures in the islands. I am pretty excited about the trip. This of course meant I needed plane tickets to the islands as well. Working with this travel agent, I thought would be easy. Wow. What a process!

Sitting in her office we were able to make the reservations, but a thirty minute taxi ride later we were buying the tickets. I don't think that I have ever been to a travel agent who made me take a six with the to a mother placebo buy my tickets. The guy that the new palace was slow. I kept wondering if I should have just tried to book on orbitz! It took about 40 minutes to buy two tickets! Nerver the less,Galapagos booked. Show me the turtles, finches, and blue footed boobies!

I seem to hi cities when there is a bit of civil unrest. There were protest marches today I. Quito. Fit. Down the cEnter to the city. The hostel said to stay away from the old town. I didn't for mos t of the day! I am still not sure what they were protesting, bu they seemed motivated for change. I wandered through the old city for a while, and took in some sites in the late afternoon. Planning o finish my old. It's wandering tomorrow!

Some quick observations about Quioto: it is nice that they use dollars. Easy!
Quito at first glance is similar to other large Latin American cities, big, loud, polluted, and full of people!
Ecuador seems very friendly so far
The US couldnt get behind th sacagawea dollar coin. It is very much in use in Quito!!
You would think that it would be hot at the equator.
Quito is the second highest world capital. Kind of excited I have been to two of the top three! But only five of the top thirteen. :-(
Beer is cheap!

Tomorrow should take through the rest of the old city and then perhaps some other adventures...my trip to the Galapagos altered y itinerary a bit, itching to figure out what makes the most sense!