Ecuador - The Final Leg

Leaving the jungle we caught a bus from right outside our jungle lodge. The bus conductor promised that he knew where we wanted to get off but unfortunately he woke us too late so we took the bus into the town called Banos and another back out to our home for the next 3 nights. We were greeted by the owner of Pequeno Paraiso, Rich, an ex-overland truck driver from Scotland who created the place with his French wife Bee. We were shown to our rooms and chilled out a little before receiving a briefing on the optional excursions available to us. Having come from the jungle none of us were interested in the excursions and instead chose to do a few hikes to waterfalls over the next couple of days. Bee cooked dinner for everyone and we had a few drinks after and a few of us went out for a bit. A mixture of buses not stopping and not being able to find a bar locally meant it was an earlier night than anticipated but fun none the less.

The following morning we got up for breakfast and afterwards headed on a hike to 5 waterfalls that was advertised to us as good practice for the Inca Trail due to the uphill sections of it. It had been raining so the trail was quite muddy. The first waterfall was non-existant but the second one was much better. I had a bit of a tummy bug so I stayed here and took some photos and headed back while the others went ahead. I spent so long taking photos that I ended up getting back to the hostal after the others as they got sick of walking through the mud and turned around. After a while we headed into the main town of Banos for lunch and to have a look around. We met up with Heidi, our tour leader, to go and get lunch and then we headed around the town on our own to have a look around. We went to the market, saw Guinea pigs being BBQ'd (a specialty here) and also went to the supermarket. I offered to cook a bolognese for the group for lunch and people were happy with that idea so we picked up supplies and headed back to the hostel. Bee again cooked dinner and we had it in front of a roaring log fire and then watched a film before bed.

The following day was the main hiking day for the group. In the morning we all headed off to visit Pailion del Diablo which is one of the top 10 waterfalls in the world. We walked to Rio Verde and headed downhill to the entrance for the waterfall. We paid our $1 entrance fee and went out to the 4 viewing platforms. I looked from one but was more interested in the tunnel through the rock which brought you to steps which led up to the waterfall and allowed you to stand behind the falling water. It was amazing to stand there and see the tons and tons of water falling every second. We then headed back and out onto the bridge downriver to see a wide view of the waterfall where we could appreciate it without getting soaked. When all the photos were taken we headed back to the hostel where we got to work on lunch. We worked as a team and cooked up a bolognese on an industrial cooker that went down really well with everyone which we were delighted with.

After lunch alot of people decided to take it easy and sit around the hostal for the afternoon but myself and Emer headed off to get the cable car across the valley and have a bit of a walk. It was a fair old distance to the cable car so we stood by the side of the road with our thumbs out and soon enough a pickup stopped. We hopped in the back and off we went - when we got to where we wanted to go we knocked on the roof, threw the driver a dollar and hopped out. The cable car was gas - it's gravity fed for the first section so you get into the basket which is open and only has a low gate to stop you falling out. They release the brake and the car heads over the valley quite quickly. In the middle of the sag of the cable you go forwards and backwards a bit before they engatge the motor and bring you over to the other side. We hopped out here and walked along the valley through fish farms, agricultural lands and past a few waterfalls. One of them had a rope which allowed you to climb down beside it to a lower level. Naturally I climbed down but Emer declined. I took some photos, admired the view and climbed back up before continuing along the valley to the other cable car. We found a swing chair which I also had a go of and then we got the cable car back across the valley, got another lift back in the pickup and chatted with the lazy heads before dinner.

After dinner we all headed to the hot baths in Banos which is what the town is named after. They pipe hot volcanic water in from the local volcano into various outdoor pools of differing temperatures. We chose the hottest one and got in - right beside it was a plunge poool which was really cold so we spent the next couple of hours getting in and out of the two which really got the blood flowing and eased aching muscles after the previous active week. We all hopped back into the back of the truck which brought us back via a quick stop the driver made to deliver some goods to a local shop on the way. Our tour leader told us that is how things happen out here as there are so few delivery trucks. We settled our tabs and packed for the early departure the following morning before heading off to bed.

The following morning we had an early breakfast and hopped in the back of the truck to go into Banos for the final time. Our next destination was to be our last in Ecuador - a town by the name of Cuenca which is famous as it is the place they make Panama Hats (more on this in a bit). The first bus was about two hours long and passed by a load of volcanoes so I spent the majority of this hanging out the window taking photos. We arrived in Rio Bamba exactly when our connecting bus was due to leave but they delayed it ten minutes to allow us go to the toilet and getsome snacks which was very much appreciated. This bus took about 6 hours and passed through a good few small towns whcih was nice as we got a good view of rural life in Ecuador along the way. Upon arrival at Cuenca we got taxis to the hotel and relaxed before having a briefing with Heidi. We then sought an internet cafe as the hotels internet was painfullly slow. We met up that evening and went for dinner as a group which was quite nice and then headed back for a good nights sleep.

The following morning brought a visit to the Panama hat factory in Cuenca. Despite the name of the hats, they are actually made in Ecuador - they used to be shipped out of Panama hence the confusion. We were shown around the factory and saw how they were made from receiving the fibres from the local farmers to shaping the hats and finishing off with the ribbon around the outer rim. A couple of the group bought hats and after that we split up and headed our seperate ways - we headed across the road to a local market which was great to see. There were vendors selling all kinds of meat, fruits and vegetables, flowers, juices and all kinds of things in between. We then headed to the internet cafe again to catchup on all our computer chores for the afternoon. We walked around the city a bit in the afternoon and saw some of the cathedrals and squares before heading back for showers and the meeting about Peru as we were crossing the border the following morning. We had mistakingly thrown out our immigration slip so we'll have to see what happens at the border. We headed out for dinner next door before retiring to our room for the night. We packed and I watched Match of the Day before heading off to sleep.

We had another early breakfast ahead of our long travel day and border crossing and caught taxis to the bus station. Our bus was to bring us to the immigration office on the Ecuador side of the international border and was about 4 and a half hours long. The office was about three miles from the actual border and there was a really built up area effectively in no mans land between the office and the physical border which is a river. Immigration turned out to be a piece of cake as the officer just gave us a new form to fill out and then we had our passport stamped with an exit stamp. The bus brought us right into the city in no mans land and we ended up walking the last few blocks to the bridge where we crossed into Peru.

In The Jungle Baby!!!

After loading our bags into the pickup we hopped into the back of another slightly modified pickup. I say slightly modified as it had some wooden benches, a roll cage and a tarp over the top which was really needed as it was bucketing down with rain as we left. We made the short journey along the road to the jungle lodge. We were told that the road we travelled didn't exist a year ago and was only built for the Ecuadorian president, much to the annoyance of the locals who opposed it. We arrived after our bags and lifted them off the truck and onto a metal basket on a rope system. The were lowered down to the actual lodge while we took the steps. The steps that we were going to grow to hate over the next few days. We were shown to our rooms which were very nice - they had locks which were a bit pointless as none of the windows had glass, only mosquito nets. We settled in and relaxed on the hammocks overlooking the river 100 or so metres below before dinner. Afterwards we played some cards and took it easy ahead of our first hike in the morning.

Alarms went off at 8 to get us up for breakfast and we met in the bar as a group before heading out on our hike. Alex was to be our leader and led us up the steps, across the road and down a steep trail for about 10 minutes where we met a river. Thankfully the river wasn't too full as we spent the majority of the trail hiking through it. It was an amazing hike filled with stunning scenery, massive spiders, frogs, bats and learned about the various uses for different plants in the jungle. We even had an opportunity to swing from the trees just like Tarzan which was great craic!!!To get back up to the lodge we had to do a bit of canyoning which was amazing. It involved squeezing through canyons, climbing up waterfalls and even doing a spiderman - imagine a narrow steep canyon with running water and you have to lean on your hands and feet and slowly edge your way up. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the morning hike and we returned to the lodge soaked from the excursion so we grabbed showers before lunch and then chilled out.

The afternoon was our river ubing trip which was just as much fun as our morning excursion. We loaded the tubes and ourselves into two pickup trucks and headed on our merry ways. We were driven upriver a bit where we all unloaded. 4 tubes were tied together to create a "raft" and the other 5 created the other "raft". 4 of us and our captain boarded the smaller raft and we headed on our merry ways. The current took us downriver lazily at times and quicker in other parts. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon after the morning hike and after a while we docked by some rocks. Here we strolled for a small distance to a small jungle village which was an absolute incredible experience.

The first sign of civilization we met was the local school. It was a very primitive building which only received electricity 6 months ago. As we approached the village there were little kids lining up for a race. They waited until we were on the "track" (it was a loose dirt path with rocks everywhere) and then the race kicked off. They ran in their bare feet between and around us and loved all the attention as we entered the village. In the main square there was a soccer game going on - it seemed to be quite a serious one as there was a big crowd of locals watching it in the shade. There were no nets on the posts, no grass on the pitch, the corner flags were branches and the ball wasn't completely round. Some players were even playing in their bare feet but it didn't stop them ploughing into tackles. Seeing how important it was to them and what they were completely satisfied with really showed us how lucky we were. We were invited into the house of the villages president which was another incredible and humbling experience.

We came in and sat down on the wooden benches around the wall. The house was built completely from split tree trunks as was pretty much all the furniture. We were in the main room which had a fire in one corner where the cooking takes place, the benches we were sitting on in another corner and alot of open space. There were kids coming and going the whole time we were there but we never met the president. The president and his wife (who we met briefly) had 16 kids and are now great grandparents. As a result they have tremondous respect in the community and they are pretty much responsible for the villages existince. We met the youngest daughter who offered us various foods and drinks as Alex explained all about the lives of the Quechuan people.

The daughter starting preparing Gussanos when we arrived which were grubs/worms that Alex had brought with them and are a main part of the peoples diet as meat is so hard to come by. She added salt to them and wrapped them with leaves and put them into the fire to cook for a while. She then brought us some tea which is put on every morning around 4am and stays over the fire for the day. It had quite a smokey taste but was quite good. Next we were given some Chica which takes on various forms depending how long it is left to ferment. First up wa the stuff that had only been prepared less that a week previously. It has quite a creamy and rootey texture. There was a big bucket of it so we dipped our fingers in and had a taste - it was quite sour to taste but it a very important part of their daily diet. Next we tried the drink which is drunk by everyone, yound and old, in the community. It had a similar sour taste but was not as strong as the first stuff. For big parties we were told that they will ferment it for months and make a strong liquor out of it and it also wards off prostate problems. The village was to celebrate it's anniversary in three days so Alex told us there was loads of it knocking around at the moment. The time came and the bugs were ready - the leaves were opened and they were placed in front of us. It being an adventure holiday I decided to go for it and had a bit. They were quite salty and very chewy but nowhere near as bad as I thought they would be. We had a quick look at the various bits of jewellery made by local children on display and some of us bought some before heading out and having a quick stroll around the village.

As with everything else we did in the village, the walk around was incredible. There was a new game of soccer starting and I walked to the other part of the pitch. There were small wooden houses dotted around the place with dried palm trees as roofs. Every house had a big garden where there were plenty of different fruits and vegetables growing. I got chatting (sort of anyway, the majority don't speak Spanish but Quechuan) to two old fellas sitting in the shade watching the match and shared a drink with them. The second the shot hit the back of my throat I knew it was the fermented drink we had been talking about. By the looks of them they reckoned the big party had started that morning. We walked back to the house where we spotted a parrot and a dog who were the best of buddies. It was gas to watch them interact and after that we had to head back to the tubes unfortunately. We took the tubes the rest of the way down the river to the bottom of our lodge and carried them up the 400 or so steps as the sun set over the mountains behind us. We relaxed for the evening on the hammocks and in the bar and chatted about the amazing day we just had.

The following day was no less exceptional. We arrived at the breakfast table as Alex was blowing the shell/horn over the valley to signify food was ready. We had food and then hopped in the jeeps for about half an hour up river again where be boarded a canoe for another, but altogether different, river journey. Myself and Emer boarded the back of the long thin canoe and once everyone else was on board the engine started up and we headed off. We were incredibly close to the water - you could reach out and touch the water no problem. Despite it being really rocky it was incredibly enjoyable and after a bit downriver we docked and went into a different small local village.

Here our guide, Alex, showed us the various traps the local people use to trap and kill animals to eat. We then had some tea prepared by a really young girl tending to a fire and we headed out into the sunshine to do what I had been looking forward to - fire a blowdart gun. Alex got the gun and the darts and showed us how it was done. We all had a few goes before we had to leave. On the way back to the canoe we found a shell hanging up which a few of us attempted to blow through to get the noise - some were more succesful than others. We hopped into the canoe and continued downriver to an animal rescue centre.

Here we were shown around by a German volunteer with really good English (unsurprisingly, I don't think I have ever met a German who couldn't speak English). She showed us around the various pens where animals have been taken from abusive owners (in the majority of cases) and housed in the sanctuary. Their intention is to release all the animals into the wild but it's just not possible with some as they are too used to humans or have never learned how to hunt. We then went to the gift shop where I was able to purchase a blowdart gun which I was very happy about. The Australians in the group pointed out that I will not be able to get it into the country so it is going to have to be sent home at some stage.

We went back to the canoes and travelled back upriver to where we started the trip. Going against the current was obviously slower but it was great to see how the locals interacted and used the river in theor daily lives. Back at the beginning we had some lunch before hopping into the jeeps and returning to the lodge for a lazy afternoon in the hammocks. Dinner, cards, sunsets and alot of music, chatting and joking brought the evening to an end. We were warned that we would need alot of energy for the following day's hike so we all heeded the warning and headed to bed at a decent hour.

And so it proved to be. We had breakfast a half an hour earlier and headed off in the back of the pickup for about 45 minutes. Upon arrival, we met our new guide for the day and headed into the jungle. The first part of the day was to involve hiking and climbing waterfalls which we were quite excited about. We walked downhill to a stream and paused for a while to have our faces painted with the natural paints the locals use in the jungle. We were all painted up, posed for photos and then started hiking through the stream (which was a river in places) to the first waterfall. We didn't actually climb the first waterfall as it was massive but we all took a quick shower under it and got well and truly soaked before climbing and scrambling up a rock face to the next waterfall, or set of waterfalls, which we certainly did climb.

Our guide climbed ahead and secured a rope for us and we climbed it one by one. It was really good and everyones wellies were full of water but everyone was smiling at the end of it. At the top we continued upstream a I fell a little behind taking photos of the running water but the dog always hung around to make sure I didn't injure myself or what not. We reached another waterfall where we all hopped under for another shower and took some photos. We relaxed a bit, had a small snack and began the hike back for lunch. It was a very strenuous hike through primary rainforest but both of us really enjoyed it. Along the way we stopped at a tree with a really thich trunk which the Quechuans use incase they get seperated. A person hits the trunk with a big branch and the resulting thud can be heard for miles. Depending on the number and frequency of blows, people can tell each other whether they are waiting for someone to come to them or they will go find someone.

Back at the start we were tired and hungry but were given a massive feed which was very welcome. We relaxed for a while before most of the group made the 45 minute walk to the lagoon for a swim. It was an easy walk on the local dirt road and was completely worth it. The river roars down and gets caught in a lagoon surrounded by rock faces. We jumped off and dove in, swam around a bit to ease our aching limbs and just enjoyed the afternoon and stunning location before heading back and getting the pick-up's back to the lodge. We had showers, dinner and chatted about the amazing day we all had before retitring to bed to rest our weary bodies.

The next day we had the option to go white water rafting which all of us but one chose to do (much like the lagoon yesterday). The rafting started along the road we took to the lagoon and after a bit of a safety talk we were kitted out and in the rafts. We practiced a few things in the slow moving river before taking on the first rapids. Myself and Emer got the front of the raft for the first section of the river which we were quite happy about - we were split into two boats as there were so many of us. We had the first faller in our raft - Ruth fell in during the second set of rapids but was rescued easily enough.

I, however, didn;t fare so well. After giving Ruth a bit of stick and laughing at her I promptly fell in not too long after. I got stuck under the boat for a few (it certainly felt alot longer) seconds before moving myself around to one of the sides. I din't open my eyes quick enough and missed them trying to save me so I had to grab onto the safety kayak and was reacquainted with my crew in the slow section. I fell in another couple of times and was taken out by my own crew on one occasion.

The rafting itself was amazing. Some of the rapids pushed on level 4, we did a bit of "surfing" where you row upstream into a section churning over a rock and you can sucked in for a bit as water pours into the boat, we went into a washing machine eddy and even got some air (the other boat attempted the same thing and only succeeded in flipping their raft). Ther was an awfual lot of banter between the two boats as well - people tried to steal oars, opposition boats were deflated, people hopped ships to try and push people out and there was even a time that our own crew were being pushed in as they tried to rescue each other. All in good nature and all hilarious!!! We stopped for lunch at the shore where some of us stood up rocks (if it doesn't make sense, have a look at what I created here) while food was being prepared. We had chicken wraps, cake, biscuits and loads of fresh fruit. There were some local kids looking after the rafts and when we were all full we gave them all the remaining food. It was amazing to see them all share it equally and the bigger kids made sure the smaller kids received their fair share too. A really nice touch. We continued downstream with the same shenanigans and arrived back at the nearest village to our lodge where we all had a beer or coke and then headed back to the lodge for showers and dinner. The girls went out dancing while the lads stayed and played poker - both felt they made the right choice the follwoing morning.

The following morning was our last in Shangra-La and there was a genuine sadness in the air as everyone had such an amazing time in the jungle. We packed our bags after breakfast and left them at the cage to be lifted up - I was a little late and left it beside the cage but it was never loaded. I had to run down and run back up the 200 or so steps with the bag on my back as I didn't want to be the late one who caused hassle with the bus. I was wrecked after it and then when the bus came some fella wouldn't get out of my seat which he had been told were booked when he boarded (we got the bus from right outside the lodge as it started in the local town and passed right by us). There was a bit of a scene but he ended up staying in the seat and got off about half an hour later - the bus was absolutly packed so Emer sat on my lap while he was still on the bus. We continued our bus journey southwards towards Banos.

Finally Leaving Quito - Making New Friends and Heading South

We arrived at the hotel specified bang on 6pm for the pre-departure meeting before our trip south out of Quito. When we arrived we discovered that the meeting had been moved to a hotel a few blocks away. We got directions and hurried off to our new destination and struggled to find the room the meeting was supposed to be in. We sat down, made our apologies and were relieved to find out we weren't last there. 3 more people were missing and only one of them showed up. We went through some paperwork and the plan for the first leg of the trip - our 56 day trip is broken into three legs: Quito to Lima, Lima to La Paz and La Paz to Santiago. There are 8 people on this leg, 16 on the second leg down to 10 for the final leg. We all introduced ourselves and we headed off after back to our hotel to relax for the evening.

The first day with the group was a free day in Quito so we used the free internet in the room as long as we could before leaving to move into the hotel booked for the group where the meeting was last night. Our plan was to go and visit the middle of the world monument in the afternoon but unfortunately washing clothes and other boring chores were required so we didn't have time. We met up as a group in the evening, had a brief meeting about the following day and then headed out for dinner to an Argentinian Steak House where we had a few drinks, really nice steaks and got to know the people we would be living with for the next few weeks. Most of us decided to head home after the meal as we were up early to go to Otavalo the following day but Ruth and Sharon persuaded Heidi, our tour leader, to go out with them.

The following morning we all met in reception bright and early to get breakfast and then get a bus north to Otavalo. Heidi looked quite tired and when the girls never showed up we discovered that they didn't get in until 6am and wouldn't be coming with us. It being a Sunday all the breakfast places were closed so we picked up some snacks and headed to the bus station.

Local buses in Ecuador that travel between cities are every bit as mental as the ones we had been taking in Quito for the past while. You can buy seats for an extra little cost or else take the chance and hope that there are some spare seats and as with the city buses you can board and leave the bus wherever you please. Thankfully, buses are included as part of the trip so we had assigned seats and took them before the bus embarked on it's 3 or so hour journey. We travelled through the mountains, tried not to look when the driver took on quite dangerous overtaking manouveres on blind corners - the method here seems to be to beep your horn a couple of times as you are overtaking and everything will be alright. As said, we still haven't seen any accidents so it's a system that seems to work.

We arrived in the town of Otavalo late in the morning and walked around a bit looking for the market. Heidi asked a couple of people who had conflicting opinions on where the market was but we eventually found it and split up for a couple of hours, agreeing a meeting spot so we could all go for lunch together. Myself and Emer headed off and were quite disappointed with it as we were expecting the best textile market in Ecuador as that is what we had been told it was and read about it. All we could find were meat stalls and counterfit DVD's. We bumped into Heidi who said that the part we were looking for was a few blocks away so we followed her and were delighted by what we found. The market took over a block and was full of amazingly colourful jumpers, trousers, hammocks, rugs, jewellery and all kinds of wooden artefacts. We had great fun buying some things and haggling with the various vendors - having the small bit of Spanish made it better and more interactive as you could have a bit of banter with them. The age old start to walk away trick was used a couple of times to great effect and we were completely satisfied with all the purchases and prices. After a while we had bought enough and headed back to our pre-arranged meeting spot to go for some food.

We got there a little early and as we were waiting a crowd of indigenous people started to form outside a government building on the same corner as we were waiting. I was very curious as to what was going on and suddenly a large fracas kicked off. Police were running around the place and loaded a couple of young people into a police jeep and sped off at distance as loads of people were throwing all manner of things at them like bread, sugar cane and anything they could get their hands on it seemed. We discovered that the two people who were brought away had been done so for their own safety - they shot an indigenous person during a robbery and when things like this happen they take justice into their own hands and often kill people like that. Heidi was quite uncomfortable with us being there as things like that can really kick off and we might get caught up in the middle of it. We headed off and found a really nice local place to have lunch. We both had chicken and rice and one of the little girls running around became very fond of Emer - they had a great little conversation and played with some toys before we had to head off again. Some of the girls were humming and hawing about buying a fleecey jacket and ended up going back and buying one each (including Emer). After this final purchase we all headed back to the bus terminal and took a bus back to Quito. We had dinner and took it easy for the evening before heading to bed.

The following morning we finally left Quito for the final time and headed south towards Tena which was our gateway to the jungle. We took taxis to the main bus station and got our tickets. Again we had booked seats which was completely necessary as it was a 6 hour journey and quite a busy route - there were constantly people standing the whole way along the route. We had the front block of seats and we chose the ones by the door for the extra legroom which didn't turn out to be as great as I expected. It was quite a narrow gap between my seat and the exit so loads of people were bashing into me as they got on and left but if that's the worst thing that happens on this trip I will be very happy. Also, we could see right out the front window which was interesting as this driver was also a bit of a lunatic - they hate braking or slowing down at all and will regularly take corners in the opposite lane to carry more speed through the corners. Also, buses are pretty much the fastest vehicles on the roads so are constantly overtaking but as most of the route was through the mountains it meant lots of dodgy overtaking manouveres. Once again though we arrived in one piece. The scenery along the route was stunning and we saw loads of amazing valleys, waterfalls and drops all around us.

Upon arrival in Tena we got two pickup taxis to take the 9 of us and large rucksacks to the office of the travel operator for the jungle trip. There were only 8 seats in the two of them so I offered to take a seat in the boot of the pickup which was quite a fun journey. We had a room to put all of our bags in and we went for lunch before we had a couple of hours before our meeting. We chose to go to a zoo island which was accessed over a really bouncy suspension bridge. It was a really good "zoo" as there were loads of animals wandering around freely and there were some really exotic animals in cages. We wandered around here a bit until we had to go back for our meeting. In the meeting we went through the itinerary for the following 5 night stay in the Shangra-La jungle lodge, were fitted with wellies and loaded our bags into a waterproof bag in a pickup and then headed to our home for the next 5 nights.

Bellavista Cloudforest

We finished the Spanish School on Monday afternoon and weren't due to be picked up until Wednesday morning so we were in the hotel for two nights. During this time we did some downloading (including Match of the Day!!!) and chilled out while getting errands done. Last time we were in room 705 which had free internet but that room was taken so we were across the hall in 706 - we had to leave the laptop right by the door and it was quite patchy and dropped alot. We watched some films in English, did some shopping and before we knew it it was Wednesday morning. A minibus collected us at 8.30 and picked up one more couple (an American couple from Seattle on their honeymoon) before making the two hour drive north out of Quito and into the rainforest. The final 12kms of the drive was on a dirt road and by the time we arrived we were all happy that the bumping and bouncing was over. We got out of the minibus and the first thing that we noticed was the incredible views of the valleys all around.

Our room wasn't ready when we arrived so we had to leave our bags in the office. We filled in some forms and were recommended an easy trail before lunch. As we were getting ready outside the office we noticed all the hummingbirds bombing around outside feeding from the various nectar pots dotted around the yard. We watched and took pictures of these for a bit before heading off on the short trail which was a bit steep but quite nice. Having never gone bird watching before we weren't exactly looking out for birds but it was a nice walk to get a feel for the cloud forest. About an hour or so later we were back at the reserve but unfortunately the people in our room still hadn't left so we couldn't have a shower before lunch. We went in and sat with our new American friends, James and Rebecca, for lunch.

After lunch we sat outside the office waiting for our room to be ready. Two British sisters were ambling around and settling their bill and doing anything but packing and it turned out later that it was them preventing us having a place to relax. We had our suspicions but it wasn't confirmed until after they left so we couldn't say something to them even though both of us really wanted to. We watched the hummingbirds for a while until they finally got their stuff out and let us unpack a bit and chill out for a while before going on the afternoon hike. This one was guide led and it was only the 3 of us who went on it (the other 1 being Rebecca as James had gone for a siesta). It was good because our gide had great knowledge of the various plants in the forest and was able to tell the various medicinal uses for them. One looked like clover and was a natural aspirin - eating 15-20 was the same as taking a tablet. They were quite citrusey to taste and were actually nice. We also got to do some birdwatching as she had binoculars which she shared with so we got to see some birds whose names I can't remember.

We got back and had showers before dinner. It was getting quite chilly as the clouds had come in so we left the heater on while we went in for dinner. It was a packed dining room in the dome for lunch but nearly everyone had left so there were only two tables set for dinner. Again we sat with James and Rebecca (as we did for the whole time we were there) and had a really nice dinner and chatted a good bit. They play Ultimate Frisbee in Seattle and know quite alot of the Seattle Sockeye players who lost in the final of the World Championships to Canada last year. After dinner and a good long chat we headed off to bed in preperation for the early start in the morning.

Alot of people come to Bellavista to go bird watching so we decided to dive in and go for it. The alarm had us up at 6am and we joined the other lunatics out in the yard. The lights that are left on all night attract loads and loads of moths and the birds of the area know this so they hang around and have their breakfast. We strolled around with the guide and saw a good few birds feeding which was enjoyable. As we were walking around the dome (which is where we eat and has a lot of glass) a hummingbird flew into the glass and knocked itself out. As I was taking a photo of it it woke up and flew away. This happened at hummingbird pace and gave me quite a fright. As I mentioned we saw a good few birds but I don't know the names of them so have a look at them here, here and here.

After the walk we had breakfast with our new friends and got ready for the morning hike. There were an awful lot of daytrippers down from Quito so there were two seperate hikes, both of them to waterfalls. One was an easier walk to a smaller waterfall and the second was a tougher hike to a waterfall further away which involved walking through a river and climbing and scrambling over rocks using ropes and ladders. The older people in the group ran straight for the easier hike but both of us were happy to do the tougher hike to the better waterfall. We set off with the day trippers in tow and almost immediately we were climbing quite a steep hill through a bamboo forest. After a while we finished with the uphill and the trail started downhill slightly. We came out of the bammboo section of forest and joined the local dirt road for a short distance until we reached the trail that would bring us all the way down to the river. This trail descended through dense secondary forest all the way to the river but we stopped a few times - once to look at some parrots in the trees and a few times to learn about the medicinal uses of various plants and trees in the forest.

When we reached the river the fun really began and the wellies we were wearing instead of hiking boots made perfect sense. It was more like a stream as the water wasn't very deep but if it was any higher in some sections it definitely would have gotten into our boots. I ended up at the back as I stopped to take photos and as I did I fell further behind as I was waiting for people to get out of shot. Everyone was waiting for me at the first of the rope sections by a waterfall about 4 or 5 metres high. To the right of the waterfall was a ladder and then a rope at the top which we used to climb up the rock and then scramble across before continuing up river. We met some more small fast water flows and had another rope section to climb a rock face before reaching the end of the hike - the waterfall. It really was a hidden waterfall and was quite beautiful. It was about 10 metres high and fell into it's own little pool before flowing off. We hiked in our swimming gear so we got out of our boots and climbed under which nobody else did. The water was really cold and it was quite difficult to breathe when you were under it but it was incredibly refreshing and felt great afterwards - especially after the long hike. We took some photos and then dried off slightly before hiking back for lunch. We continued on our trail which turned steeply uphill right by the waterfall through the secondary forest. By the time we reached the local dirt road it was close to lunchtime so we continued along the road instead of taking a trail back which I think everyone was happy about.

Back at lunch we chatted with our American friends and told them about the waterfall which they got quite interested about. We showed them the route and told them to go for it as it was well worth it - they decided to go for a nap after the really early start this morning and missed out on the hike so did it themselves after lunch. Our early start and long morning hike caught up with us after lunch so we decided to relax for the afternoon - Emer napped and I did some computer and photo stuff until it turned dark and it was time for dinner. All the day trippers had gone back to Quito so we had another peaceful dinner before having a game of cards and heading off to bed after a long day.

We skipped the early morning hike to save energy for our final activity before leaving the cloudforest - ziplining. We were collected about an hour after breakfast so we packed before that and left all our stuff in the office before getting our lift to Mindo, the town where the ziplining takes place. Our lift was in an old Chevy Pickup with over 300,000 on the clock. Our driver had absolutely no English but our class combined with a few hand signals and poor grammer on our part meant we could hold some short conversations which was great. The drive took over 45 minutes, the majority of which was on dirt roads. We even stopped along the way to collect a family and bring them into Mindo on our way - they sat in the back of the pickup the whole way. The last section to Mindo was on tarmacadam but once in Mindo we rejoined a dirt road and continued uphill, over some dodgy looking bridges to the centre.

When we arrived there was a family of 4 and a Korean girl being fitted with harnesses. We got ours and then they gave us helmets - it took a few attempts to get one to fit my massive head but once they went in to get the special massive one we were good to go. We went up the wooden stairs right beside us, went through some safety stuff and then got ready to go. The 2 young kids of the family could not get over how tall myself and Emer are which was quite a novelty - they all had to be lifted or needed to jump to get attached to the wire but I could do it standing and EMer on her tippy toes. The ziplining itself was incredible - the wire spanned across the valley and back and were always above the canopy of the cloudforest so when you were pushed out you had an incredible view all around and below of the valleys and the top of the trees. Some of the lines were a few hundred metres long and were sometimes over 100 metres or more above the top of the canopy. The last one in particular was incredibly high and gave a stunning view of te town below and the surrounding mountains. Pretty much each line required an uphill walk to reach the beginning of the next line as you finished exactly where you started so we were quite warm by the end of it. Our driver was ready for us when we were finished and brought us back for lunch after an incredibly fun morning.

Back at the lodge we had our final meal and chilled out a bit before getting our minibus back to Quito with the American honeymooners. We got back into Quito around 5 in the evening and had showers and a quick bite to eat before heading to the hostel for our pre-departure meeting for the final leg of this wonderful adventure - the 56 day local transport tour south to Santiago in Chile.

Up High In Quito

Upon returning from the Galapagos Islands we checked into the hotel booked by USIT for us at hostel prices - Chalet Suisse. We got a taxi with one of our crew mates so it was nice and cheap and then we checked into our room. We had free Wi-Fi which we were very happy about so we chilled out a bit before our rumbling bellies made us get up and go get some food. We were in the mood for Italian as we wanted a change from rice after 14 of our last 16 main meals (not including breakfast) contained rice. The hotel receptionist pointed us in the right direction and we headed on our hungry ways. Emer got a really good bolognese and I got a pizza and we were both completely satisfied at the end of. We headed back to the room and took it easy before heading to bed after the really long day.

After doing so much for the past week and never actually being able to relax in the RV as it was too hot anytime we were in an RV park or what not so it was so good to have a lazy, lie in front of the tv, catch up online day which is exactly what we did. We got up for our free breakfast after which I went to the supermarket to get some supplies while Emer chatted online and sent e-mails and what not. The altitude didn't seem to be affecting us this time but you still can't drink the tap water so I picked up 5 litres of water which only cost a dollar!!! I also went to the Travel Agency who organised our Galapagos trip as I had left a pair of shorts on the drying line after our room got soaked on the last nights sail. They were going to make a few calls for me to see about getting them back. We spent the afternoon chilling out and headed for dinner in the the centre of the new city, or La Marscala as it is known. We got a combo platter and headed back afterwards where we discovered the English language movie channel so watched a couple of films before bed.

The next morning we were to begin our new adventure - attempting to learn Spanish. While we are attempting this we are staying with a local family so we had to check out of the hotel. Class began at 8 so we hopped into a taxi so we didn't have to carry our pretty heavy bags around blindly. We got to the school with no real problems and started learning Spanish. They are one on one lessons from 8.30 to 10.30, a 30 minute break and then class again until 12.30. At this stage we met the father of the house and we headed out to the house. It was an apartment on Avenida de America which is quite elevated in the city and our bedroom had a great view of the city. We settled in and did some study and chilled out until dinner which was quite an experience. They don't have a word of English and after only one day we basically had no Spanish so there was alot of hand signals and stuff but we got through it.

The following 3 days were similar as we increased our grasp of Spanish. The days followed a similar routine: up and have breakfast and then get the bus to school. The bus is quite an experience - there don't seem to be any bus stops. You stand on a corner and wait until the bus you need comes along. Generally there is a "conductor" hanging out the door shouting the route but I use the word conductor loosely - it's usually a young fella in casual clothes. You get on the bus and when you are ready to get off you give the "conductor" the 25c for the trip and then hop off whenever the bus stops. The bus went from right outside the apartment to within 5 blocks of the school which was ideal. We usually arrived at the school a few minutes before classes started so we could stock up on free water and relax before the bombardment of vocabulary, verbs and grammer.

The first class is from 8.30 to 10.30, a half hour break and then class from 11 until 12.30. Classes were one on one so there is no hiding down the back which I was a fan of. Classes became tiring as the day wore on due to the amount of new information we were receiving. After class we headed down to La Marscala where we would get lunch and do any errands we needed to do. After that we would head back to "La Casa" to study the days lessons and relax to give our heads a break. Dinner in the evening was typical Ecuadorian fare so rice, meat and usually some kind of fried banana. It was good living with a Spanish family as you had to talk, listen and think in Spanish pretty much all day so in those first 4 days our Spanish improved considerably.

The weekend we decided to take a break from studying and go and see the city we have started to call home. It was also the first time since March that we fully experienced a weekend day as we didn't have to get up for class. We had a late breakfast and then caught a bus to our usual stop for school. We headed in the complete opposite direction and walked to the old city. Along the way we passed a series of artists selling their work outside a park very similar to Merrion Square in Dublin. We walked up the hill and back down and reached the park on the edge of the old city. Running through the park is an artifical river where you can rent row and paddle boats. People are relaxing in the shade, juggling and generally just enjoying their day off.

The old city of Quito is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is an attack on the senses walking through the steep cobble stoned streets with dogs barking, buskers playing music, smells coming from everywhere and the colours of the walls all around you. Our first port of call on Saturday was Basilica del Voto National which is a dominating building on the Quito skyline as we got the bus to school every morning. We climbed the hill and the steps up to one of the entrances and went in. It is quite an impressive gothic structure, especially inside when you experience the rows of stain glassed windows up high adding colour to the grey rock walls. We walked around a bit admiring the craftsmanship of the building when Emer noticed a guy walking around with a hat on. It was bothering both but Emer had the balls to go up and ask him to take his hat off as it was disrespectful to the place. He was all apologetic and we ended up chatting to the whole family.

After admiring the inside we walked around the back to go and climb one of the towers. As we walked around we were stunned to see how the bottom level of the church at street level had been converted into shops - cheap tacky furniture and electronic shops at that. We went to the entrance to the towere, got our tickets and started climbing the stairs. The first opening brought us out on the organ level of the church up close to the roof. Here we could view the largest stain glassed window up close and view the main church hall from above. We continued up the stairs to the next level which contained a gift shop. We went through the gift shop to where the fun really began.

To get up to the tower we first had to cross a squeaky, rickety wooden bridge with a rope guard which crosses the roof of the church. At the end of this we climbed a very steep metal staircase which brought us outside onto the external roof of the church. Two more incredibly steep staircases and we were in one of the towers of the cathedral. The view of the surrounding city was incredible - the houses are built up all the steep hills surrounding the city and they are all different colours so it really is an amazing sight looking around from the high vantage point. After enjoying the view, and taking a pile of photos, we started the descent back down to street level which was just as much fun. Our other must do for the day was going to Parque Itchimbia to get another view of the city.

Getting to the park involved walking uphill and then climbing a few hundred steps. We did this and were quite out of breath (due to the altitude of course.......) by the time we reached the park entrance, at which there were people selling all manner of kites. We declined on the kites and headed over to the grass area where everyone was flying their kites. It is obviously a really good place to fly kites as there were loads of people there doing it, from first time kids who didn't have a clue to really enthusiastic flyers. The view from the park was great but it was nothing special after being up the Basilica tower. We relaxed for a bit, walked around and then headed back down into the city. It was late in the afternoon and it was quite a journey back to the house so we decided to head back at this stage. Quito is mental in that there are openings on and in the footpaths everywhere and it is really easy to do yourself some serious damage if you aren't paying attention. We got back to the house and relaxed before dinner, did a small bit of Spanish afterwards and took it easy for the night.

The next morning was Sunday which is the day that bicycles take over Quito. Alot of main streets are closed as well as the centre of the old city so we saved viewing the main part of the old city until today for that reason. The day began as Saturday did and we arrived at the edge of the old city late morning. As we approached the park with the canal we noticed there were alot of people gathered in the middle. As we approached over the bridge we saw that they were TV cameras and a little volleyball net and area setup. We hung on for a while to see what was going on which isn't difficult as the majority of the population of Ecuador fall into the mid 5 foot bracket so even though we were on steps below people we were still well able to see what was going on. Soon the presenter turned up, got miked up and music and sounds were coming out of the PA setup in the small square and before we knew it we were part of a live presentation. The cameras were going around the crowd and we were cheering and waving and then we found out what the show was. People started taking out tickets and getting ready so we figured out it was the lotto but first they had 4 members of the public competing in a game of football volleyball which was quite humerous. We watched this game and then continued walking towards the centre of the old city.

The centre of the old city is called Independence Square and is really nice. As mentioned, there was no traffic and it appeared to be a really popular family day as the place was thronged with families. We took in the sights and sounds of the square for a while where people were relaxing on the benches in the shade, shoe shiners were plying their trade, tourists were taking photos and street performers were entertaining the crowd. We then walked around the streets a bit to see what else the old city had to offer. Many of the cobblestoned streets have overhanging balconies and are full of colour and people just sitting outside. We had a really average lunch compared to the food we have been getting but it filled a gap. We spent another while just strolling around and taking in the atmosphere before heading back for the bus. On the way back we stumbled across this traditional dance at the park with the canal. There were masked drummers, wooden pipe players, running flag bearers and women and girls in traditional dress dancing. It was really good to see something traditional like that and we continued back after I took some photos.

We got back and chilled out before our final dinner in the family homestay. Afterwards we took a photo with the father and son (the mother either wasn't around or didn't want to be in the photo) and then did homework, packed and followed Padraig Harrington's exploits in the US Open for the evening. The following morning we were woken by the sun as usual and had our final meal with Arnaldo. He thought we were coming back after class to get our stuff but since the hotel was so close to the school we just got a taxi to school and walked there after our final class. In the morning session of the class we were brought to a traditional city market which had fruit, vegetables, many meats and fish, crafts and places to buy cooked food by our teachers. We were taught the names of the various foods - there is an unbelievable number of fruits in this country. Afterwards we headed back to the school for our final lessons before heading off to the hotel before our next excursion.