Harry and I standing on the north and south continents
Hot springs in Papallate
Cotopaxi volcano
Taungurahua at sunset - the caldera was emitting steam the next morning
Pato (guide) and myself
Market place Pelileo (some indigenous people believe if you photograph them it steals their soul so had to do when she was not looking at us)
Typical scenery (sigh...)
Start of the Amazon rain forest
Rain forest floor 
Plaintains being washed for transport
Ready to hike the rain forest
Casa Suiza in Amazon
Visited musicians home
Guinea pigs roasting for dinnerWe just returned from a trip to Ecuador that far exceeded my expectations. We went on a tour, and I have hesitated in the past to do a group type trip on a tour bus. It was wonderful! We stayed in interesting locations and traveled with a group of fun and enthusiastic people. Our guide, Patricio Pugo, was knowledgeable about Ecuador, the history of South America and imparted his beautiful attitude and love of Pachamama (Mother Earth or nature in the Ecuadorian indigenous language) to us. He had such strong beliefs that the world is one people, that there should be no divisions among them, and that we can make our own happiness. He could bring tears to my eyes when he spoke.
The trip started in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and made a loop through the country which is the size of Colorado. The first adjustment upon arrival was getting used to the high altitudes in the Andes Mts. Some in the group got nauseated but most just had a minor headache and the obvious shortness of breath upon exertions. But after time, we adjusted. After a tour of some highlights in Quito, including the most breathtaking Jesuit church decorated with some of the 900 kilos of gold that resides in Ecuadorian churches, our first day took us to the "0" latitude between North and South America, to an indigenous craft market and an overnight on a lake near Otavalo.
Everyday we had views of volcanoes lining the "Avenue of Volcanoes" in Ecuador and the weather was unusually clear for viewing. The landscape was breathtaking - from high Mountain tops to low valleys lush with farming, waterfalls, rivers and everywhere - the most amazing vistas. Some roads were terrifying. No guard rails, and twists and turns with sheer drops. In fact, I saw a painting in one church with a scene of the Virgin Mary looking down to bless the cars falling off the side of a mountain road. Really reassuring when the afternoon after I viewed that, we climbed a road that turned into a dirt road with drop-offs that had my hands sweating like mad! But, the lodge at the end of the road overlooking the active volcano Tunguraua was so worth the scare.
We traveled through cloud forests, and down to the Amazon rain forest. The Amazon had to be my favorite experience. We traveled by canoe down the Napo river to our lodge. Our room had a balcony overlooking the rain forest. It was hot and very humid and a bit like camping with screens on the windows to hear the sounds of the jungle. We had a frog in our bathroom upon arrival, and many tiny insects that squeezed through our screens climbing up and down the walls to get used to. I chose to not look closely. We visited indigenous people, saw how they lived, how they made chicha (an alcoholic drink made with manioc, sweet potato and a bit of spit - they assured us there was no spit in the bowl we passed to drink other than our own), had cacao bean spitting contests, and tried to hit a wooden monkey with blow darts. Maybe a bit staged for the tourists, but still, fun. I got to hike the rain forest in a preserve. Magical. So humid that you are drenched with sweat and there is no relief. Even with my intense fear of heights, I traversed small gorges on suspension bridges and even sat in a basket chair to zipline across a deeper valley. Everywhere we were surrounded with a constant drone of insects. The guide pointed out a tarantula, and healing plants. Large exotic colored butterflies drifted about but never settled for us to photograph them. The lush foliage and magical opportunistic plants climbing everywhere were heaven to me. After hiking, we canoed to a river bank where we were supposed to create our own balsa wood rafts, but because one of our group experienced some heat exhaustion, we were delayed and they were already put together. Logs lashed together with one stick in front and one in back and some of us (me included) rafted back to camp. What a total hoot!!
We also stayed in a lodge next to natural hot springs where we soaked while the rain pelted down on us. In the morning, the volcano Antisana was clearly visible above us. And, our last day we spent visiting the largest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi, who's altitude is 19,347 feet. We drank Cacao leave tea to help us with the altitude adjustment. Above the treeline, it was eerily like a tundra you would imagine on a dead planet in outer space. And, looming above, the ice covered volcano that reminded me of why people have worshipped and feared the obvious presence in their world that controls their destiny.
I could go on and on with details of the people who were descendants of the Incas and then their Spanish conquerors, and their habits and costumes that we observed. Or of the dramatically prehistoric looking landscapes of their world. Or the rich and fertile lands that produces the most amazing variety of fruits and vegetables. But my very most favorite minute, was when we joined hands in a circle before entering the rain forest hike, and were told to close our eyes and listen to the sounds of Pachamamma, Mother Earth, and to thank her for our blessings. Amen to that.
The trip started in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and made a loop through the country which is the size of Colorado. The first adjustment upon arrival was getting used to the high altitudes in the Andes Mts. Some in the group got nauseated but most just had a minor headache and the obvious shortness of breath upon exertions. But after time, we adjusted. After a tour of some highlights in Quito, including the most breathtaking Jesuit church decorated with some of the 900 kilos of gold that resides in Ecuadorian churches, our first day took us to the "0" latitude between North and South America, to an indigenous craft market and an overnight on a lake near Otavalo.
Everyday we had views of volcanoes lining the "Avenue of Volcanoes" in Ecuador and the weather was unusually clear for viewing. The landscape was breathtaking - from high Mountain tops to low valleys lush with farming, waterfalls, rivers and everywhere - the most amazing vistas. Some roads were terrifying. No guard rails, and twists and turns with sheer drops. In fact, I saw a painting in one church with a scene of the Virgin Mary looking down to bless the cars falling off the side of a mountain road. Really reassuring when the afternoon after I viewed that, we climbed a road that turned into a dirt road with drop-offs that had my hands sweating like mad! But, the lodge at the end of the road overlooking the active volcano Tunguraua was so worth the scare.
We traveled through cloud forests, and down to the Amazon rain forest. The Amazon had to be my favorite experience. We traveled by canoe down the Napo river to our lodge. Our room had a balcony overlooking the rain forest. It was hot and very humid and a bit like camping with screens on the windows to hear the sounds of the jungle. We had a frog in our bathroom upon arrival, and many tiny insects that squeezed through our screens climbing up and down the walls to get used to. I chose to not look closely. We visited indigenous people, saw how they lived, how they made chicha (an alcoholic drink made with manioc, sweet potato and a bit of spit - they assured us there was no spit in the bowl we passed to drink other than our own), had cacao bean spitting contests, and tried to hit a wooden monkey with blow darts. Maybe a bit staged for the tourists, but still, fun. I got to hike the rain forest in a preserve. Magical. So humid that you are drenched with sweat and there is no relief. Even with my intense fear of heights, I traversed small gorges on suspension bridges and even sat in a basket chair to zipline across a deeper valley. Everywhere we were surrounded with a constant drone of insects. The guide pointed out a tarantula, and healing plants. Large exotic colored butterflies drifted about but never settled for us to photograph them. The lush foliage and magical opportunistic plants climbing everywhere were heaven to me. After hiking, we canoed to a river bank where we were supposed to create our own balsa wood rafts, but because one of our group experienced some heat exhaustion, we were delayed and they were already put together. Logs lashed together with one stick in front and one in back and some of us (me included) rafted back to camp. What a total hoot!!
We also stayed in a lodge next to natural hot springs where we soaked while the rain pelted down on us. In the morning, the volcano Antisana was clearly visible above us. And, our last day we spent visiting the largest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi, who's altitude is 19,347 feet. We drank Cacao leave tea to help us with the altitude adjustment. Above the treeline, it was eerily like a tundra you would imagine on a dead planet in outer space. And, looming above, the ice covered volcano that reminded me of why people have worshipped and feared the obvious presence in their world that controls their destiny.
I could go on and on with details of the people who were descendants of the Incas and then their Spanish conquerors, and their habits and costumes that we observed. Or of the dramatically prehistoric looking landscapes of their world. Or the rich and fertile lands that produces the most amazing variety of fruits and vegetables. But my very most favorite minute, was when we joined hands in a circle before entering the rain forest hike, and were told to close our eyes and listen to the sounds of Pachamamma, Mother Earth, and to thank her for our blessings. Amen to that.
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