Hey, Darwin

We left Montanita at 6pm to Sta Helena for a connection to Guayaquil. In Guayaquil, we took the overnight bus back to Quito once again.

We arrived in Quito earlier than expected at 6am and took our time getting to the airport for our departure to the Galapagos. Not originally part of our trip, when we found round trip flights for under 180 we jumped at the opportunity.

I love South America's airlines! No matter how long your flight time, you're sure to get food.

In 1832 Ecuador laid claim to the treasure of the Galapagos when no other country wanted them. Charles Darwin came to the island three years later and made the islands famous and suddenly sought after in territorial disputes. Nevertheless the islands remain Ecuadorian despite their position in a different timezone and 600 miles out to sea.

I was impressed the level of biological  security the government imposes upon airlines. Our bags were xrayed three times and the overhead compartments were fumigated mid-flight. 

A fifteen minute bus from the terminal where we had a lively boatride to Santa Cruz island. We expected a bus,but found out the last bus stops at 10am and we would be taking a cab at 5 bucks per person.

Isla Santa Cruz  is the most populated islands of the Galapagos, however, it feels really small and unfortunately very touristy. The upside of the island is everything else. The flora consists of cactus trees, bushes and mangroves.

The first night we went to the marina which has a pier lighted underneath. After  Rob was scolded for taking pictures with a flash, we saw manta rays, stingrays, small sharks, sea lions, crabs, turtles, and batefish all from the comforts of the dock. We were dumbstruck with the variety of animals already.

We woke early the next day to catch a cab to the Highlands to a sanctuary we had heard about containing some senior citizens.

The galapagos tortoise roams the hils beneith a gigantic shell and tops 600 pounds. They have been recorded to have lived for a record 200 years and the ones today nearly survived extinction. Today they roam a mowed yard and eat mangos that fall from the trees while enjoying the option to come and go as they please.

El Chato reserve hosts these magnificent creatures on their ranch and charges a mere 3 bucks for entry. An extra bonus of the reserve are the lava tunnels twenty feet high and twenty feet wide that speckle the property. 

The day continued after three hours  exploring  the ranch, spelunking, trying on turtle shells,  blushing while turtles--we'll just say be turtles.

The day hardly was over there. We at once suited up for the beach. One and a half miles from town is a beach called Tortuga bay. Simple said, wow. If I discribed walking next to a pool on baking flour, I'd be describing the fine white sand of the beach and the crystal blue water of the seemingly endless beach. Easily the most beautiful beach I've ever seen.

Hey, What's in my Pants?

¡Hola familia y amigos!

Phew, what a trip to get to Montañita! What should have been a seven-hour trip ended up closer to seventeen! By the time we got to the surf town, we were in definite need of some beach time.

Our stay at Montañita was wonderful. Both days we all slept in, then spent the rest of the day jumping from the pool to the beach, with the occasional drink (or two) as we relaxed in the sun. Montañita itself isn't very big, but it has a strong beach/hippie vibe that encouraged the laid backed theme of our stay.

On our second night in town, we decided to enjoy the nightlife. Montañita is a sleepy beach town by day, but at night it comes alive as clubs blare music, "cocktail alley" has dozens of vendors offering drink specials, and locals go to the beach to dance, sing, and drink.

While sipping a mojito in cocktail alley, I felt a bug on my thigh. Bugs are everywhere, so I swat at my pants and continue our conversation. Seconds later I feel the bug again, but crawling towards my crotch! Frantically I try to squish the insect, which is INSIDE MY PANT LEG, against my skin. I feel a crunch, and stand up to shake it out. I shake and shake and shake, but nothing falls out. We had been drinking, but I not drunk enough to have imagined

Hey, The beach is eroding

We made it to the coast. We spent a few days in the northern city of Atacambes at Hotel la Barca. The rooftop pool and location on the malecon made it a perfect  place to relax in the sun.

We continue to be perplexed that Ecuador and Colombia do not have very good food. The markets are packed with wonderful vegetables and new fruits, but the typical plate consists of chicken or fish or steak, fries, and iceberg lettuce. If they really want to mix it up, they fry the protein.

Jess' vegetarian diet baffles the restaurant owners who proceed to ask, "what about chicken, fish?" We found Domingos restaurant on the malecon the exception. The owner went to his fridge and whipped together a rat-tat-touli consisting of a huge delight of vegetables and rice.

We waited in the shadow of a huge KFC for the bus that the guy who sells hard-boiled quail eggs said would be coming.  He's quite a legend in these parts, known for his extensive  knowledge of the buses and timetables. Thank God for him because beforehand had to run to each bus inquire where they're going and sulk back having our  heart sink again and again because it was the wrong bus. To top ot all off was the extreme heat of nearly 100 degrees with 95 percent  humidity.

Without concern for how haggard we looked, we took turns running across the street to the supermarket to stand in front of their fan displays to cool down a bit. Finally, the coastal bus arrived after two hours of waiting. The egg guy was equally excited as we were as he rushed from behind his stand to make sure we got on.

We rambled three hours down the coast with the usual vendors, musicians and beggars coming on at each stop. We finally reached Mompiche. My first thought was how closely it resembles the North Shore of Hawaii with its hippie surfer vibe.

We found the Oasis Colibiri one block off of the coast. The sand floor was such a cool touch.

After  settling in we hit the beaches. Twenty minutes outside the city and a short boat ride to enjoy the island Purrte. Right in the middle of the delta of a river lays a black sand island which is part fancy hotel, part private and part public. Much like the town, the beachfront of the island is quickly going away as the sea reclaims it. 

The town's seawall is smashed to bits due to the rising tides. 4-meter waves have proved the wall inadequate and poorly built. Everyday the tides retreat 100 yards revealing a huge beach and come back to batter the wall again. 

The island too is losing ground as El Nino releases its wrath. The locals have installed tarp cloth on the banks so the water takes less of it away. Sand bags and pylons are placed  on the break lines so the water hits the beach  gently.

Our  goal was to take the coast from top to bottom. Unfortunately, between Mompiche and Manta or Canoa you must hire a transfer company  (30.00pp 8hrs) or transfer multiple times on the buses (4 buses and 10-12hours).We chose a transfer  service that would drive us through the night so we'd wake up in Montanita. He tried to make us pay an extra 30.00 to keep the trip told us we could take a very round-a-bout route that would be particularly tedious. We canceled our ride and told us we'd be able to go in the morning. Rather than kill a day on the bus through transfers or a direct daylight route. we went back to Esmareldes for a night bus south. Ten min into the trip the bus broke with a radiator problem.

Hey, Jessica!

Once again we find ourselves in Quito, because all roads in this country lead to Quito, for the arrival of our friend Jessica. We arrived a day early and stayed at Hostal Chicago. Located between  the historic district and la Mariscal, the hostel boasts a roof terrace with a commanding view of the city, rooms with private bathrooms, and a pool table in the lobby. We were excited about the hostel until they hit us up with a 22% tax/service fee. We vacated back to the comforts of Posada del Maple in the Mariscal.

Jess didn't get in until midnight so the plan was to bus there to greet her. We were told that the Airport bus departs from Rio Coca for 2 bucks, but they failed to mention that the last bus of the night was 9 pm. We arrived at 920pm to find the only option available  for us was to take a green bus to Pifo (.50) and hail a cab the rest of the way ($8.00) or to take a cab from the station for a ghastly $25.00.

We took the very full bus about an hour to Pifo where they dropped us at the side of the road in what was probably not the best part of town. We waved at every car approaching because taxis do not have the roof light we're accustomed to in the states. Finally, one stopped and took us the remaining fifteen minutes to the airport.

Security regulations prevented our greeting with Carnaval spray foam as she exited from customs. Per usual United had decided that Jessica and many other passengers did not require their baggage at the final destination. We'd have to make the two-hour trip again to return the following day.

We hit the town for some sightseeing. The highlight of the day was the statue of the Virgin Mary on a hill located in the center of Quito. Completed in the 1970s, the Paneciello Virgen watches over Quito standing on a chained serpent. The Virgen  is special because she is one of the only depictions of her with wings.

We took a cab up to the statue because  guidebooks say the neighborhood on the way up was unsafe, however, we took the stairs back down through what appeared to be an unremarkable, same as anywhere, town. The stairs would be difficult to find if you chose to walk up. They are actually a number of staircases and paths winding through parks and past the beautiful technology college.

QUITO TRANSPORT NOTES:

The airport  is 35 km outside of Quito and takes a very long time to get to no matter how you travel. Cabs are 25.00 to and from the airport from La Mariscal or the historical center. The cabs take about 45min without traffic.

For the bus, exit the Rio Coca station to the east. (Not the main exit). Buy airport tickets at silver ticket booth at the end of the platform.The buses are green. After 9pm take bus to Pifo (.50) and hale a cab the rest of the way (8.00).

There are three major terminals in the north and one in the south.

Rio Coca only serves the Quito region.

Terminal Terrestre (north Quito) services most of the northern routes including arrival and departure to Colombia.

Quitombe (south Quito) is the biggest, most modern and best terminal in Quito. It services all of south Ecuador and also has limited routes going north to major destinations.

Hey, That's not Spanish!

¡Hola familia y amigos!

After an adventurous, yet soggy, stay in Baños, we decided to move to a drier climate and hike the Quilotoa Loop.

The Quilotoa Loop is in the central highlands of Ecuador. A dry, windy climate with towns upwards of 13,000 feet! Many backpackers make this two-day trek to enjoy the picturesque landscape, visit a crater lake, and peruse the various art galleries that showcase a style of art unique to this region.

The jumping off point for the loop is a medium-sized town called Latacunga. The backdrop if this city is the massive Cotopaxi. This snow-capped volcano towers over city, and on clear days you are able to see the peak. Aside from Cotopaxi, Latacunga doesn't really offer much else for travelers. After a quick pit stop, Brandt and I woke up fresh and ready to tackle the Quilotoa Loop!

While using any sort of moving vehicle is an experience unto itself, I found the taxi ride to the main bus terminal particularly puzzling.

I literally could not understand the taxi driver. Now, my spanish is still fairly terrible, however I can usually glean any where from 20-50% of what is being said to me. On good days, when the speaker is feeling more sympathetic to lost Americans, I can catch about 80%.

With this driver I caught nothing.

The words he was using not only had a different inflection, but most were not even clearly spanish. This was our first encounter with Kichwa, an indigenous language for the native people of Ecuador.

Confusion caused by Kichwa, or the blending of spanish words with it, would prove to be a theme of our trip. I consider myself a decently intelligent person, but the only mystery I uncovered about this dialect of spanish is that the 'll' sound like a drawled 'j', instead of a 'y'. I have a sinking suspicion that this 'discovery' of mine to crack the Kichwa code isn't even that brilliant...I have decided to stick with one language that I butcher on a daily basis, and leave Kichwa for another trip.

After using taxis, buses, and a pickup truck, we arrive in Quilotoa, the heart of the Loop. Quilotoa is an artesian hub. Masks, paintings, woven scarfs, jackets of Alpaca, and other trinkets dot every corner. Of course, everything is hand-made.

After finding a deal on a hostel (this would prove mildly disastrous later in the evening) we quickly went to the town's main attraction, the crater lake.

Laguna Quilotoa is a clear blue, alkaline lake. And it is a steep hike down to get to the sandy playa below. Most hikers make the 1,000 foot descent themselves, and then take a convenient burro ride back up.

We thoroughly enjoyed the hike. Taking pictures like the other tourists, using a swing that dangles over the edge of a cliff, and hanging out on the playa. When it came time to hike up,  however, there were no more burros available...

So we made the trek up the sandy trail on foot. We have no pictures of our ascent as most of our free time was spent gasping for air and giving envious glares to the people who snagged our burros.

The rest of the evening was uneventful, aside from the freezing wind that howled through the village. After dinner we swiftly retreated into our hostel, hoping for a reprieve from the weather. Unfortunately it turns out that our room was open air, and the joints that should connect the roof and the walls was not present throughout the entire structure. Our room was an icebox. Like, put on as many layers as we could on, huddle under blankets, and still chatter our teeth. Luckily for me, I had some booze on me. The addition of a whiskey coat proved my saving grace. Brandt, who is nursing a cough, did not partake.

Come the following morning, after realizing that none of the water worked (sink, shower, toilet) we came to the decision that taking the entire loop may be overrated. So, having seen Quilotoa, we are heading back to lower elevations in search of warmth and a break from the icy gales on the mountain tops.

-Rob

Hey, Northern Hemisphere and Mindo

Once again we headed north of Quito to a magical cloud forest called Mindo. Along the way we passed La Mitad del Mundo. A very large complex celebrates the equator, although they missed the mark by 240m to the South.

We found the weather in Mindo quite enjoyable compared to Baños because each morning was beautiful and dry.  Getting here turned out rather easy. Multiple people and our guidebook said we had to take a city bus across Quito from the South terminal to the North. This transfer takes over an hour without traffic. We were looking for a map in the tourist info area of the south terminal to plan our trip across the sprawling city of Quito and the guy posted there told us there is now a direct bus from the south terminal to Mindo(actually several each day).

The two hour bus dropped us off on the side of the road in the rain. Another enterprising man offered a ride into town (7km) in his truck for a price of 1.50 for both of us. The town is tiny and quaint. One ATM, one pharmacy, one bakery etc.

While technically a cloud forest, the area in all appearances resembles everything I remember of the Amazon jungle. The accommodations though, are much more developed with wonderful ecolodges. We chose La Casa de Cecilia located three blocks outside of the town. There are multiple buildings with a tree fort feeling, inviting hammocks, and garden terraces next to the river.

Our first day we hiked 7km up hill to the sky tram. Surprisingly Rob showed little of this fear of heights while it zoomed us across the canopy of a spectacular forest below. We hiked down into the forest for an hour passing multiple beautiful waterfalls with big pools to swim in. We waited until our return trip to get in at the nambillo falls. Sadly we found the fall was closed to bathers due to a stair collapse, but that failed to stop us.  We scaled the wall using ropes like cliffhanger and made it to the top of the falls.

The area was abandoned, but you could tell that several others had recently camped there. It was once an impressive facility with multiple pools, a waterslide that plunges into the river, a couple of cabanas, and beach type area. We jumped right in.