Ecuador

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in Mindo for almost a week.  Once we got settled, our days quickly fell into a comfortable routine:   We wake up around 7:00 to the sounds of roosters cock-a-doodle-doing and to the sight of exotic birds and hummingbirds just outside our bedroom window. After a substantial breakfast at 7:30 (provided by the hostel), we go for a hike or a walk in the cloud forest (waterfalls, exotic birds and butterflies are the pleasures of each day). This is followed by a big lunch mid-afternoon (our main meal of the day), and then some down time – maybe a siesta or a little reading or writing.  In the early evening, we walk around town and then enjoy a beer or two and a snack on a patio on the main street, watching life unfold in Mindo.  It’s been an easy, relaxed pace in beautiful surroundings that has put us both in a very good place.  We almost feel guilty about enjoying this life without responsibilities.  I heartily recommend it!

The Mindo-Nambillo forest is a protected 22,000 hectare reserve harbouring a great variety of birds as well as orchids and bromeliads.  The area offers activities for the nature enthusiast and thrill seeker alike.   Zip lining and river rafting are very popular attractions – neither of which we did.  As Chris likes to describe us – we are adventurers, not thrill seekers – so we spent most of our time hiking and bird watching (and relaxing and eating) instead.

The following are some of the week’s highlights, in no particular order. There weren’t too many lows in Mindo.  We didn’t see any exotic orchids in the wild – probably just the wrong time of year.  But we did see other beautiful flowers.  Like any town that depends on tourism, we found there were those who tried to take advantage of the tourist with inflated prices, but this was not the norm in our experience.

Waterfalls

Our first hike, last Thursday, took us to the Nambillo Waterfalls.  These falls are located about five kilometres outside of town.  We decided to walk to the falls – a mainly uphill slog along a dusty, pot-filled road.  This gave us an opportunity to bird-watch and offered some pretty spectacular views of Mindo and the surrounding area.  We were amazed at the lush, tropical vegetation of the cloud forest.

At the trailhead to the falls, we were accosted for an “entry fee” of $3.00 each.   We realized we had somehow passed the trailhead to the base of the falls and were now at the tourist attraction that was created at the top of the falls – a water slide, diving ledge, artificial pools, etc.  We figured we would check it out even if it wasn’t where we had intended on going.  It was a difficult hike down (and even more difficult coming back up).  I took out my walking sticks for the first time on this trip (definitely not the last) – and I was glad I had them.

At the bottom, we changed into our swim suits and cooled off in the pools of frigid water, relaxing for a while. We had the place all to ourselves except for a couple of guys who were doing back breaking work hauling sand from one side of the river to the other in order to mix cement for another structure that was being built – all by hand.  While we couldn’t get a good view of the falls from this vantage point as we were above the falls, we could hear the thunderous power of them below.

On Sunday, we spent the day hiking to a group of five waterfalls.  I’ll write a separate post about this excursion.

Butterflies

On Friday, we walked to a butterfly “farm” where we had the opportunity to see 25 species of butterflies in a confined setting.  This was a drop in the bucket when you consider the Mindo-Nambillo ecological reserve is home to 350 species of butterflies and there are over 3200 species of butterflies in all of Ecuador!  Still, it was a marvel to be in a greenhouse surrounded by hundreds of beautiful butterflies fluttering all about.  We spent a couple of hours here, taking photographs and just sitting amongst the butterflies, admiring the beauty of these insects.  We took over 300 photographs that morning between the two of us, but don’t worry, we won’t bore you with all of them.

Birds

Serious bird-watchers flock to this region to view the 320 species of birds that make this reserve home.  This area is renowned as one of the best bird watching spots in South America.  The handful of tour operators in town offer a variety of organized bird watching tours, ranging in price from $60 and up.  After a few days hiking, we decided against a guided tour – we were seeing lots of birds on our own, and didn’t really care to go traipsing into the forest at 5:00 am to track down some elusive bird.  Guess we’re just not that into bird watching.

That being said, we could not get enough of the hummingbirds.  They were everywhere and came in all different sizes, shapes and colours.  We awoke to the sight of hummingbirds in the tree outside our bedroom window.  As we ate breakfast each morning, hummingbirds flitted amongst the bushes in clear view and just a stone’s throw away from us. On every hike, we were treated to their magic. Check out the video Chris took of hummingbirds at the Tangaras Reserve.

Throughout the week, Chris was on the hunt for big, colourful birds.  The little birds, as beautiful as they were, were very difficult to photograph as they just wouldn’t sit still long enough to capture them – a source of endless frustration for Chris.

On our last hike, we were treated to a spectacle that took our breath away.  We had just finished hiking to the Tangaras Reserve and realized that we were going to have to walk the three kilometres back to town since it was pretty unlikely a truck would be coming our way on a quiet Monday afternoon.  We were tired, dirty and really hungry. We just wanted to get back to town as quickly as possible so we could get cleaned up and find food.  That was our mindset as we trudged downhill towards town.

Suddenly, we both stopped in our tracks at the sound of loud rustling noises in the trees above.  We searched the tree tops with our binoculars and lo and behold a beautiful toucan was perched high up in a tree.  As he flew to another tree, his powerful wings sounded like the propeller of a helicopter.  We looked at each other in amazement.   Then another toucan whizzed by overhead and parked himself in a tree in clear view.  Chris was desperately trying to capture these beautiful birds but it was a challenge as they didn’t sit in any tree for very long.  Over the next few minutes, half a dozen toucans whirled around us – flying over our heads from one side of the road to another and from tree to tree.  What a show it was!

Hiking

On our first day in Mindo, we met a New Zealander in a restaurant who briefly told us about the Tangaras Reserve which was located adjacent to the Mindo-Nambillo reserve.  It was accessible from a trailhead on the main road – between the zip lining and the waterfalls.  On Monday, we decided to hike to the main cabin in the reserve with plans to visit their Cock of the Rock lek – reputed for offering some spectacular views of up to 18 cocks displaying their mating ritual at any one time.

As we left town, we flagged down a truck, the driver of which was more than happy to give us a lift as far as the zip-lining – no charge.  This saved us two uphill kilometres of effort – effort that would be needed later in the day.

The trail to the research cabin was one of the muddiest trails we have ever navigated.  The trail itself was relatively easy, mainly flat, downhill near the end.  But the mud!  My goodness, it’s a wonder we didn’t lose our boots in the muck.

The Tangaras Reserve is run by Life Net, a non-profit conservation organization.  The purpose of the reserve is to provide habitat and protection for native plants and animals at elevations that are typically deforested for agriculture.  A small research facility is located on the property; it doubles as housing for volunteers and visitors alike.

We arrived at about 10:00 in the morning to an empty cabin.  We rested for a while on the deck and were entertained by a handful of hummingbirds darting back and forth to the feeder.  We headed up a trail – which was very well marked – in search of the lek.  Up and up we went.  This was a tough hike.  Along the way we met Jamie and Bex, the New Zealander volunteers who had been clearing a new trail further ahead.  Unfortunately, this was the quietest time of the day for the birds (best time is at dawn and later in the afternoon) and the likelihood of us seeing anything was next to nil.  Oh well, the hike was amazing just the same.  We found the lek – a little wooden, lean-to structure tucked against the side of the hill, with a clear view of the valley below.  We sat in the lek for about an hour (nice little rest) just enjoying the view, the tranquility and the solitude.

We made our way back to the cabin, just in time for lunch – their lunch, not ours.  No problem, we had some snacks with us that would keep us going for a few more hours.  We took the opportunity to learn a little more about this reserve and the work this young couple were doing.  They had been living in this isolated cabin for two months already, and had another month ahead of them, after which they were planning to travel throughout South America until next May.  Their work was focused on making improvements to the reserve including increasing its visibility and viability as a tourist attraction.  The well posted signs both to the reserve as well as on the trails within the reserve along with the posters we saw around town were all products of their efforts.  To date, they had 16 visitors of which only a couple stayed overnight.  This was definitely off the beaten track.  Jamie has set up a blog for the reserve and is blogging about his experience as a volunteer.  Check it out.

Weather

Every day brings the same weather.  We awake to warm sunshine and partly cloudy skies.  Clouds are always present – guess that’s why this is called a cloud forest. Daytime temperatures are in the low 20’s, but it often feels much hotter because of the humidity, especially when the sun is out in full force.  Night time lows are in the high teens – very comfortable sleeping weather.  By the afternoon, clouds begin to roll in, and it may rain a little late in the day.  One day it rained quite heavily for about an hour, and one night it rained almost the entire night.  The weather is really quite idyllic and something we have just taken for granted each day.

Food

In an effort to spread our tourist dollars around, we have eaten in most of the restaurants along the main road in town and have not had a bad meal yet.  Whether we are eating the fixed plate lunch or choosing from the a la carte menu, food is simple but consistently of high quality and very tasty.  One thing I’ve noticed – vegetables are rarely served.  I can’t figure out why because it’s not like they aren’t available (and they’re cheap).  Vegetables just don’t seem to be very popular – something I am missing a lot.

Accommodations

Despite our original misgivings about our hostel (Bio Hostel), it really hasn’t been bad at all.  In fact, we’ve been downright comfortable.  Most nights we have had the whole place to ourselves.  Breakfasts have been varied, delicious and substantial – they keep us going easily until mid-afternoon.  Internet connection, while slow, has been quite reliable.  The hostel is a little rough around the edges and appears to be a work in progress – for example, there are no windows or doors on the first floor, and the staircase continues to what looks like is going to be the third floor – but for now, it is all open to the outdoors. Regardless, it’s been a good place to kick back and relax.

The Final Verdict

Mindo was a great place to enjoy nature, relax and de-stress.  We would highly recommend it.

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We arrived in Mindo yesterday without any problems.  The bus station was pretty quiet at 8:00 in the morning and the biggest menace we faced was two women who were Jehovah’s Witnesses who tried to preach their message to us.  This was one time that not knowing the language served us well.  Guess they didn’t receive the memo in Ecuador that I am an ex-JW and should be avoided like the plague!

As the road to Mindo twisted through the Andes, we were fascinated by the scenery as it changed from the arid, brown mountains of the sierra to lush tropical forests in the foothills.  The bus ride took a strong stomach as we went up and down and around the mountains at a speedy pace.  Chris sat in a window seat on the side of the bus that was next to the sheer drop offs.   I opted for the imagined safety of the other side of the bus that hugged the mountainside.

In Mindo, we stepped off the bus into heat and humidity, a distinct contrast to the temperate climate we had enjoyed in Quito.  It was 10:00 in the morning and the dusty main street, lined with rundown buildings was pretty much deserted.  We collected our packs from the bus, brushed the dust off them, loaded them on and started to walk.  I had written down the directions to our hostel which would have been helpful if only the streets had names posted somewhere.  But the locals were friendly and pointed us in the right direction.

Our hostel was a tad rougher than we expected.  I was glad we hadn’t opted for the cheapest accommodations available in town.  You can get a place for seven bucks a night, but we saw a few of these places, and you are definitely getting what you pay for here.  Prices range from $7 to over $100 for a room in a hacienda outside of town.  We had reserved four nights in this hostel for $13.50 a night each (including breakfast), again based on the reviews we read on the internet.  First impressions were less than favorable, but we’ll give this place a chance before we cast our final judgement.

Since we arrived so early, we had to wait a few minutes for the owner to get our room ready.  This gave us a chance to chat with a young lad from Texas who was preparing some food in the kitchen of the hostel.  He had been volunteering in the hostel for the past week and a half and was leaving tomorrow.  He gave us some tips about things to do and things to avoid both in Mindo and in Ecuador in general.  He spoke very highly of the hostel, especially since he had gotten sick and the owners had taken really good care of him.

Once we were settled in our room which was actually quite nice, we went for a walk around town to get the lay of the land.  There isn’t much to Mindo.  The main street is the only paved road and is where the majority of businesses are located – a handful of restaurants, a couple of internet cafes, a few tour operators, a few corner stores, a pharmacy, a school and a few hostels.  A small plaza marks the center of town.  Off the main street are several dirt roads that don’t seem to really go anywhere.  There are more hostels and restaurants and few businesses on these roads.  And that’s pretty much the whole town.

At this point we were getting hungry and had to decide where to eat.  Food is always a challenge.  My primary concern is whether or not the food will make me sick, so I’m looking for signs of cleanliness and good food prep habits (e.g. if the chicken meat is sitting out on the counter, I’m probably not going eat there).  Cost plays a factor too as we don’t want to be gouged as tourists.  And finally taste and familiarity is considered (e.g. do I recognize what I’m eating although I’m flexible on this one as I believe sometimes what you don’t know won’t hurt you).

We settled on a little joint on the main street where another gringo was already eating (guess that’s a criteria too).  We had the daily lunch plate.  The lunch plate, which is very typical in Ecuadorian restaurants, comes with a bowl of soup, a glass of juice, and a plate of food – rice, meat, vegetables, maybe some beans – and sometimes some fruit for dessert.  In Quito, we picked the restaurants frequented by locals, especially those dressed in business attire.  We never had a bad lunch!  So in Mindo, we picked the restaurant with the gringo (who turned out being a friendly fellow from New Zealand volunteering at a research centre close by).  We had a delicious bowl of soup – Ecuadorians really know how to make soup! – and tilapia (fish), rice, salad and beans for our main meal.  It was simple but tasty.  The juice tasted a little like lemonade.  Total bill:  $5.00.

Back to the room for a little siesta (when in Rome….) and a couple of hours later, we were back wandering around town.  We had a beer on a “patio” and watched the locals for a while.  We chose the Mexican restaurant for dinner and ordered nachos with guacamole, and meat tacos, and another large beer.   A little girl, about six or seven, carefully wrote down our order and served us our food including our beer.  The food was quite tasty, but not quite like home.  Total cost:  $6.75 plus the 50 cents tip I gave the little girl – much to her surprise and delight.  The mother thanked us profusely – guess she was surprised too.  We’re thinking service is included in the prices so tips aren’t expected.

By this time it was getting dark, and unlike Quito, we felt very safe.  It’s rather ironic, and perhaps misplaced (time will tell), but I feel safer here than in Quito, even in our hostel that has practically no security in place.  The main floor is completely open to the outdoors, there is usually no one around when we come in (we’re still trying to figure out where the owners live), and we just walk upstairs to our room that is secured by a flimsy door lock.  What a contrast to Fort Knox in Quito.

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Today we finished our Spanish lessons, at least for now.  I completed six days, four hours each day of one-on-one lessons; Chris completed three days.  We learned the basics and we both feel we havet a good foundation from these lessons.  Now we will continue to practice on our own as well as continue our self-study using Rosetta Stone software that we installed on our computers before we left (thanks Andre!).  We’re quite exhausted from these lessons – it was a lot of work!

Tomorrow we are leaving Quito for Mindo, a small town in the Andean foothills of Ecuador, about two hours north west of Quito.   This town was founded in 1861 and the current population is around 3000 inhabitants. Mindo is surrounded by the Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest (about 35,000 acres in size). The forest is home to hundreds of species of birds many of them are in danger of extinction. The natural Reserve Mindo-Nambillo is one of the most visited cloud forests in Ecuador.  It’s a popular spot for both tourists and Ecuadorians alike.  Its close proximity to Quito makes it a popular day trip or weekend getaway.   We plan to be there for about ten days.  We’re looking forward to getting out of the noisy city and back to nature.  We’ll go hiking, bird-watching, maybe zip-lining if I can work up the nerve.  Basically it will be a time to just chill and relax in a beautiful, natural setting.  Not sure if we’ll have internet access while we’re there, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from us over the next week or so.  I’ll keep writing and post whenever possible.

After Mindo we are heading to the coast to Canoa, for our first HelpX gig.  HelpX is an on-line service that brings people together who require helpers and people who are interested in working in exchange for room and board.  Same concept as WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) except it is not limited to farm work.  We will be staying with Andy and Leo who have just finished building their house right on the beach in Canoa and who need some help with some of the finishing work inside, as well as some help designing and planting the garden outside.  It sounds like a match made in heaven as Chris and I have these exact skills.   We’ll be sure to share our experience with you.

A final word about travel.  Chris and I are feeling rather stressed about travelling by bus in Ecuador now that we have a few bus trips on the horizon.  We will travel from Quito to Mindo by bus (2 hrs), then on October 1^st, we will travel back to Quito, take a taxi from the bus station in the north end to the bus station in the south end, and then take a separate bus to Canoa (5-6 hrs). We have heard so many stories about the dangers of inter-city buses and all the various scams that are used to steal from unsuspecting tourists.  It’s downright scary.  It’s hard enough figuring out where the bus stations are, and how to buy the tickets to go to the right location, without having to worry about being robbed the second you take your eyes off your bags.  Oh well, it’s a necessary evil.  Here’s keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well over the next couple of weeks.

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On Sunday, we went to “la mitad del mundo” – the middle of the earth.  Ciudad La Mitad del Mundo is a tourist complex set up on the site where, in 1736, French explorer and scientist Charles-Marie de la Condamine made his final calculations to determine the precise equatorial line. With modern GPS technology, apparently he was off the mark by some 180m (600 ft.).

We knew this was going to be a tourist trap, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to do what every other tourist does – get a picture with one foot in the northern hemisphere, and one foot in the southern hemisphere.  Ecuadorians flock to “la mitad del mundo” on Sunday because of the lively entertainment offered all afternoon long.

We had the option to take a tour for $30.00 per person or we could go on our own for a mere .45 cent bus fare and $2.00 entrance fee.  As you may have guessed, we chose the latter option.  We needed to get to La Ofelia bus station in order to catch the bus to “la mitad del mundo”.  Coincidentally, this was the bus station we had gone to last week by mistake when we were trying to get to Otalavo.  At least we knew where we were going this time.

The buses are always crowded which unfortunately makes them a fertile ground for thieves.  One must be extremely cautious as pick pockets run rampant.  Luckily, we haven’t had any trouble thus far.  A fellow student at our school was pick pocketed just last Friday on a crowded bus – she lost both her cell phone and her wallet.

Our bus travelled through gritty, run-down neighbourhoods towards the north end of town.    Along the way, a little girl and boy, no more than five or six, jumped on the bus and broke out in loud song.  They belted that song out at the top of their lungs.  Now that they had everybody’s attention, they got to work selling their candies and marshmallows to amused travellers.  They charmed and harassed and pushed their products on their captive audience with much success.  Imagine our surprise when we returned at the end of the day to find this duo still hard at work – almost eight hours later.  In fact, they spotted us in the line waiting for the bus (we kinda stood out as we were the only gringos around) and I succumbed to their charms and bought some candy from both of them.  I then asked if I could take their picture, and the little girl very seriously and firmly said no.  Gotta respect a kid who knows how to set limits and not be exploited, at least not by tourists.

What can I say about “la mitad del mundo”?  We expected it to be tacky and it was.  There is a large monument where the middle of the earth is supposed to be, in front of which is a walkway with a line running down the middle that represents the middle of the earth.  This is where tourists take their picture with one foot on each side of the line, representing the north and south hemispheres.  Of course we had our picture taken too.

A fake village built in a mock colonial style houses souvenir shops and restaurants.  We followed the sound of music to a central plaza where many locals were congregating in anticipation of the afternoon’s entertainment.  Everybody was eating a big bowl of food that was being served by a few women off to the side of the stage.  Chris and I went for a closer look – lunch was comprised of boiled potatoes, cooked carrots and onion, pork and a dish we couldn’t figure out – Chris thought it was lima beans, and I thought it was oysters.I think Chris may have been right.

We opted for a simpler lunch – coffee, grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and homita – an Ecuadorian dish that tastes a little like corn bread – that is cooked in the husk of corn.  Afterall, Chris was just now feeling himself again – we really didn’t want to take a chance of getting sick again.

We hung around the plaza for a while watching the entertainment and then headed off to a museum that was outside of the official site (according to our research).  Of course there were no signs around so we asked someone for directions and blindly followed the direction they pointed in.

This time the directions were correct and we found a very charming little museum tucked away behind the official site.  The $3 entrance fee included a guided tour in English….it was worth every penny.  Our guide explained the outdoor exhibits which focused on representing various aspects of the lives of indigenous people.

For example, when an important man in the village dies, his wife is buried with him – alive.  She is given a potent drink made from a special plant that will put her into a deep sleep.  The indigenous people believe in life after death so the wife considers it an honor to be buried with her husband – she gets a head start on the afterlife!  I wonder what she thinks when she wakes up in the burial tomb next to her dead husband!

Dinner anyone?  Seriously, this is dinner.  Cuy, or guinea pig, is an Ecuadorian speciality.  That’s right – they eat guinea pigs.  We have not yet had the opportunity to try cuy, but a fellow student described her experience. Apparently the cuy was presented on her plate fully in tact – head, legs, arms – and she had to poke around to find the meat.  Hmm, hmm.

There were also some experiments that demonstrated the uniqueness of being at the middle of the earth.  Oh yes, they too had a line that they claimed was the real middle of the earth.

Here’s the highlights:

Balancing an egg on a nail.  No idea if this is possible anywhere else, but several people, including Chris, were able to balance the egg on the nail.

With regards to the weather in Quito in general, it is predictably unpredictable.  Every day is the same – a little sun, a little cloud, hot when the sun is out, cooler when its behind the clouds, and maybe a rain shower in the afternoon for about a half an hour.  Temperatures during the day are usually around 20C and it dips to around 10-12C at night.  There are two seasons in Ecudaor – winter and summer.  But in the sierra, the mountainous regions where Quito is located, the weather is constant throughout the year.

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Chris is back in the land of the living. Thank goodness! Yesterday we ventured out together, the first time for Chris since Tuesday.  We decided to stay relatively close to the hostel, just in case.  The destination:  El museo de banco central.  This museum came highly recommended by my Spanish teacher as well as several guide books.   According to Frommer’s (our favourite travel guide book), “this huge and enormously rich museum offers visitors an opportunity to learn about the evolution of Ecuador — its human and natural history, as well as its art. When you see all the artifacts, archaeological finds, and works of art displayed chronologically, you get a profound sense of the country not commonly found in museums that focus on one era or type of exhibit.”

The museum was located across the street from el Parque Elijido, the third-largest park in Quito (after Metropolitan and La Carolina).  The park divides the old part of the city from the modern one. It is known for handicrafts available for sale every Saturday and Sunday, with all pricing subject to negotiation (that is, haggling). Local painters sell copies of paintings by Oswaldo Guayasamín, Eduardo Kingman, and Gonzalo Endara Crow. Otavaleños sell traditional sweaters, ponchos, carpets, and jewelry.

I was a little perplexed as I could not find this museum on our tourist map, but was confident with the directions received from my Spanish teacher on Friday.  Take the trolley to El Parque Elijido (a mere three stops away) and it was the large, mirrored building across from the park.  You couldn’t miss it.  Right.

Off we went, travelling light.  No bulky camera, no backpack.  Just my travel bag with the necessities – water, map, money, small camera, copies of our passports (every person must carry identification with them at all times in Ecuador – it is the law). When we got to the park, we looked all around for the large, mirrored building – nothing in sight.  So we decided to walk the park perimeter – maybe it was on the other side (remember, I didn’t have the address, and couldn’t find it on the map).

Along the way, we asked a police officer for directions.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I can now ask simple questions in Spanish like: Donde este el museo de banco central?  Unfortunately, I have no idea what is said in response!  But the police officer gestured profusely( and confidently I might add) in a direction to the south so off we went – on a wild goose chase.  Ecuadorians are notorious for two things (according to both my Spanish teacher and guide books):  First, they will never admit they do not know where something is and would prefer to give you wrong directions rather than no directions.  Second, they have no sense of how long it takes to get somewhere.  They will always say – just five minutes, when in reality, it could be an hour away.  Well, we experienced the truth of these generalizations first hand.

After wandering around for about an hour, and passing through yet another lovely park (el parque Almeda which boasts a small laguna (lake) and an observatory), we headed back to the park Elijido to continue our original strategy – follow the perimeter of the park.  At this point I was ready to concede that it was entirely possible I had completely misunderstood the directions given by my teacher.

When it began to rain, we sought shelter within the park.  Mental note:  Always bring our rain jackets as the weather in Quito can change quickly.  This was fortuitous as we were now in the park and distracted by the many artisan stalls that were set up, exactly as described in the guide book.  We temporarily forgot our mission, and instead, wandered through the stalls of tacky souvenirs, beautiful jewellery, art work, tapestries, scarves, etc.  My daughter, Alyssa, would have been in heaven! As the rain abated, we followed the sound of a salsa band that was playing live music at one entrance of the park.  Lo and behold, across the street was a Hilton.  Surely the concierge would be able to direct us to the museum.

As we entered the Hilton, it felt as if we had walked back into Canada.  Ahhh… the luxury, the comfort, the beauty, the serenity.  We got directions (the museum was only two blocks away), and then decided to stay awhile.  We enjoyed a free cup of coffee and sank into the comfortable chairs in the lobby.  We have not sat in a single comfortable chair all week, and this felt simply divine; such simple pleasures.  After meandering through the hotel and casino, we headed off to the museum and discovered why it was not on our map – the name had changed to el Museo National Minesterio de Culture.

The museum was a wonderful education of the rich history of Ecuador. Displays were presented in both English and Spanish, an opportunity to practice both our reading and comprehension.  Unfortunately only the first floor was open so we didn’t see the art galleries.  Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed the vast archaeological display and were somewhat amused by the apparent pre-occupation the ancient Ecuadorian male had with his genitals (not to mention their egotistical self-representation  – a polite way of saying there were lots of very large penises on display!).  As Chris concluded:  so it was the Ecuadorians who discovered the art of masturbation!

A late lunch at MacDonald’s (I conceded to Chris’ desire to eat something comforting and familiar – after the week he had just been through, who was I to deny him, even though I paid for it later with an upset stomach).  A Big Mac and fries in Quito tastes exactly the same as at home. And it costs almost the same as well.  How’s that for global uniformity?

We walked back to our hostel, stopping in at the J.W. Marriot which is only two blocks away.  Another oasis of decadence that we enjoyed for a little while before returning to our humble abode.

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We have been living at the Traveller’s Inn for over a week now and plan to stay until Wednesday. This is our first time in a hostel and we didn’t really know what to expect. We selected this particular hostel mainly based on reviews we read online. It is by no means the cheapest accommodation around, but we hoped paying a little more would mean we would get a little more.  In the Marsical Sucre district of Quito where we are staying (also known as gringo land), hostel rates start at $8 (US) per night per person for a bed in a dorm room with shared bathroom. Usually breakfast is included.

We reserved one week in advance at this hostel through HostelWorld and opted for the matrimonial room (double bed) with shared bath. We thought of it like camping only a little better as we would have an actual roof over our heads. The cost: $11 each per night, including breakfast.

The Traveller’s Inn is a large, old colonial home with hard wood floors, 10 foot ceilings, and simple decor. It is a family run operation. This place is spotless. The wood floor on the main level is polished, yes polished, twice daily. The shared bathrooms are scrubbed top to bottom several times a day. I think the family lives somewhere on the premises and shares the same common spaces.  In many ways it feels more like a bed and breakfast.

On the main floor, there is an office, a living room with TV and large selection of American DVD’s, dining room, kitchen and another sitting area. There are guest rooms on this floor, upstairs, and in the basement. The basement also has a common area with two computers for guests. In addition, there is another building out back where the laundry is located and 4 more rooms that share a single bathroom. We had one of these rooms assigned to us when we arrived.

Our first room was very small – it had a double bed pushed against one wall, a large built in closet next to the bed (only one person could stand in between the closet and the bed at one time), a tiny table at the end of the bed with an old TV on it. On the positive, the bathroom was literally right next door – very convenient even though you had to go outside to use it. Oh, and the room had a mysterious, funky smell to it. And the bed and pillows were as hard as cement. I kid you not. We lasted three nights in this room until we decided enough was enough, we needed more comfort, more space and less stink.

Last Sunday, Chris talked to the owner and got us what is probably the best room(s) in the house for only $8 more a night ($30 for both of us). Thank goodness we changed rooms as two days later Chris got very sick and it would have been unbearable for him (and me) in that little, damp room in the backyard.­

We are now on the top floor of the house. We have the whole floor to ourselves. It is comprised of two bedrooms (sleeps a total of 4), a private bathroom, walk-in closet, a lovely balcony, and views of the mountains through most of the windows and from the balcony. Way more space than we need, but we’re enjoying every inch of it. The ceilings are high, maybe 10 or 12 feet, and wood shelves from floor to ceiling adorn every wall. It must have been a library at one time. Oh, and we have wifi access in our room. Most rooms don’t have wifi – it’s only in the common areas. Again, this turned into a big plus seeing as Chris has been sick and bedridden for the past three days. On the negative, because the room faces the street, it is very, very noisy. Earplugs are a must!

Breakfast is served between 7:30 and 9:30 am. Each morning, we go down to the dining room and eat the exact same breakfast. Eggs, scrambled or fried, coffee or tea, croissant with a piece of cheese that sort of tastes like cream cheese, glass of yogurt, glass of fruit juice, and small plate of fruit. The fruit and the juice change each day, but everything else is the same.

It’s a big breakfast and keeps us going well into the afternoon. It was a great breakfast for the first few days, but now we are sick of this breakfast. I haven’t eaten so many eggs ever.  Note the eggs had not yet arrived when I took the photo to the right.

When we leave the hostel, we leave our key with the front desk. And whoever is manning the desk opens the three locked doors to let us out. Let’s just say they don’t take security lightly here.

There is a locked, iron gate at the street. You must ring a doorbell to get in.

Once inside the yard and once you have been identified as a guest, you are allowed through another locked gate at the top of the stairs, and then finally you enter the house through another locked door. The entire perimeter of the house is fenced and above the fence is about three feet of barbed wire. It feels like you’re in a compound once inside but I’m not complaining. I’m quite content to have multiple layers of security between me and whatever lurks beyond the fence, especially at night.

Happy hour is from 5-8 and you can buy a large Pilsner beer for a buck. They have snacks for purchase as well. We enjoyed happy hour for the first few nights, but now that Chris is sick, we’ve gone dry. We also spent a little bit of time in the common area in the evenings. Guests hang out here, with the family, watching TV (American shows, all English, with Spanish sub-titles) or American movies.

Overall, I’d say our experience thus far has been very positive.  The family that runs this place is very friendly, helpful, and caring of their guests. Most of them speak very good English. We love our current rooms (minus the noise).  We would definitely recommend this place, although I would not recommend staying in the first room we stayed in, that was just bad, very very bad.

We’ve learned some lessons from this experience:

1. Access to a kitchen would have made our lives so much easier, especially with Chris being sick. It would have been nice to make a cup of tea or coffee whenever you wanted one, or to be able to make some of your own food. I went to a grocery store and picked up non-perishable items (bread, fruit, snacks, etc.) that we could keep in our room. It helped, but a kitchen would have been better.

2. It’s worth spending a little extra for the private bathroom. Again, good thing we switched rooms before Chris got sick – he really used that bathroom, let me tell you.

3. Prices are always negotiable. We received a $6 per night discount because we stayed longer.  It never hurts to ask.

4. It pays to shop around. If Chris hadn’t gotten sick, we probably would have looked around a little more to see if we could find a better deal. As it turns out, there is a condo right across the street (you can see it in one of the photos above) that rents fully furnished, 1 bedroom apartments for $100/week. Oh well, we’ll know for next time.

5. It would be nice to have a comfortable chair to sit in and a desk to work at. While the beds are much more comfortable in the current room, there is nowhere to sit other than on the bed.  My back is start to object.

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Yesterday I went on my first run. After a week in Quito, I feel fully acclimatized and I was curious to see if I would feel a difference running at this altitude (2800 m / 9800 ft).  It wasn’t going to be an accurate test seeing as I haven’t run (I hate to admit this) in about six weeks. If I felt winded, it may be the altitude, or it could just as easily be that I’m little out of shape.

I planned my route ahead of time.  I wanted to run to el Parque Metropolitano.  This park is the largest urban park in South America at 1,376 acres (5.5 km²) (as reference, New York’s Central Park is 843 acres (341 ha). The park is located in northern Quito, on the hill of Bellavista behind Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa. The park is suited for mountain biking, walking, and running. Most of it is eucalyptus forest with trails, but there also are numerous sculptures on display. The park has four sites that can be used for picnics or barbecues, and the eastern section has a view of Cotopaxi, Antisana, and the Guayllabamba river basin. (Thanks Wikipedia.)

From the map, I figured it would take no more than a half hour to get to the park running a very easy pace.  I would then walk around the park a bit and then run back to the hostel.  I didn’t want to run more than one hour today since I haven’t been running for a while.  Off I went, dressed in my regular running clothes, equipped with my water skin, 5 bucks in case I needed to take a taxi, a business card of my hostel in case I got completely lost, and of course a map (thank goodness).  Sorry, didn’t take the camera so no pictures with this post.

I was pretty confident I knew where I was going as I had studied the map in advance, and I was getting quite familiar with the area north of our hostel.  Well, when I arrived at the first major intersection – a roundabout – I was completely perplexed.  There were about five major streets (I’m talking 4-6 lane boulevards) feeding into the roundabout.  Two problems:  which way do I go and how the heck do I cross this intersection with no traffic lights to help me.  I studied the map again and observed the traffic pattern for a while to figure out how to cross without getting hit (pedestrians do NOT have the right of way in this city).  This became the norm at every major intersection thereafter.  Stop.  Study the traffic pattern – sometimes for two cycles of lights just to figure out when it might be safe to cross.  Then run, literally, across the street.  The streets in Quito are not laid out squarely – they curve, they criss-cross, they turn into other streets.  It’s quite confusing.  At least it is to me. And drivers rarely yield to pedestrians.  If you’re in their way, they’ll be sure to let you know with a friendly, or not-so-friendly honk.

I was running a nice and easy pace and for about ten minutes it was very flat.  I felt great.  Legs were fresh (no surprise there) and my breathing was easy.  But then the terrain changed to one great big hill.  The park is afterall at the top of a hill.  This is a dream location if you want to do hill training.  As soon as I began to ascend, I quickly became short of breath and got a headache immediately.  This didn’t surprise me as I get winded just going up a flight of stairs here – I know it is the altitude because I couldn’t be that out of shape so quickly, at least I hope not.

I kept going.  I ran a little, walked a little.  It was getting steeper and steeper.  One half hour in, and I still wasn’t at the park.  In fact, I was now in a more residential area high above the city (great views) looking west, down at the city below with the mountains behind.  The streets were quite deserted in this area and I wasn’t exactly sure how to get into the park.  I wasn’t quite lost, as I could see some trees way above me which I figured must be the park but it was still a ways to go.

At this point, I decided to turn back mainly because I wasn’t feeling secure about being alone in this area without knowing exactly where I was going.  It may have been fine, but I prefer to err on the side of caution.  Besides, I had reached the half-way point in my run so it was time to turn back anyways.

I managed to make my way down the hill to Carolina Park – the park I walked through the other day.  I enjoyed the rest of my run on the flat running path that traverses the park.  I hadn’t seen the entire park yesterday so enjoyed the opportunity to run it from one end to the other.  I was surprised to see an airplane, yes a real airplane (not sure what kind – it had two propellers on each side) parked in the park.  I have no idea why.  Wish I had my camera with me, it would have made a great shot seeing as it was plastered in graffiti.

I returned to the hostel, satisfied with my run.  Total time:  1 hour 15 minutes.  Total distance:  No idea.

The top three dangers when running in Quito (in my humble opinion) and my advice for dealing with them (based on my one run):

1.  Traffic:  Never, never enter an intersection before looking in every single direction.  At lights, make sure you understand the traffic pattern before entering the intersection.  It may look like it’s safe to go, but look out, there’s a lane turning right in front of you! Better yet, latch onto a local and go when they go.

2.  Sidewalks:  Not only are there potholes and cracks and loose cement, the sidewalks are not flat, they go up and down unexpectedly.  And be mindful of all the dog s*** – they clearly don’t have any by-laws to keep the sidewalks clean.  I want to know what Ecuadorian dogs are eating as I have never seen such huge piles of s*** before.

3.   Altitude: Finally, the effects of altitude are very real and should not be minimized.  I don’t think it’s a good idea to go running if you haven’t properly acclimatized. Like anything respect your limits and listen to your body.  There’s no shame in walking up a hill that is practically vertical and that increases your altitude in every step.

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This afternoon, I decided to walk to Carolina Park. We passed by this park last Saturday when we took the bus to Otavalo and at the time I was very surprised by the size of the park and by the number of people in it, not to mention all the runners. The park was about ten minutes north of our hostel straight down Rio Amazonas.

La Carolina is a 165.5-acre park in the centre of the Quito main business area, bordered by the avenues Río Amazonas, de los Shyris, Naciones Unidas, Eloy Alfaro, and de la República. This park started from the expropriation of the farm La Carolina in 1939. The design of the park was made by the Dirección Metropolitana de Planificación Territorial (DMPT). Pope John Paul II headed a great mass in the park during his visit to Ecuador in 1985. A giant cross has been built in this place.

I began my walk around 2:30 in the afternoon. The traffic was so heavy you would have thought it was rush hour.  Just crossing an intersection can be tricky business.  Often there is no pedestrian signal.  So you must guess when it is safe to go.  If you’re in someone’s way, they will be sure to honk you.

We have a view of these mountains from our hostel room.

Within a block of our humble hostel sits this grand J.W. Marriott Hotel.  Quito is a city of contrasts.  As I continued, the area became more and more upscale.  Beautiful condominiums lined the street. The shops were a little classier, and of course, more expensive.

Even in this posh neighbourhood, condo prices were downright cheap by Canadian standards.

Graffiti is everywhere in Quito.

But notice the bike path – cycling and jogging are very popular here. Every Sunday, Rio Amazonas, a major thoroughfare that runs North – South, is closed to traffic and open to cyclists and runners.  Reminds me of Ottawa.

A sculpture of a bull in front of a large office tower.

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a large, modern shopping mall that would have rivalled any in Canada.  Once inside this three-story shopping Mecca, I could have been anywhere.  It reminded me of both the Eaton Centre in Toronto and Bayshore in Ottawa.  There were many familiar stores in the mall and the prices were equally familiar – no deals in this place.  It made me wonder: who besides tourists could afford such luxuries? And yet, I was the only tourist in sight!  Clearly not all Ecuadorians are earning $300 per month.

My first impression of the park:  it’s huge and empty.

Football (soccer) is very popular here.  There was a game on yesterday afternoon and many restaurants in our neighbourhood were advertising the game.  Even our school organized a “field trip” to watch the game somewhere.

The Botanical Gardens are within the park.  Our school has planned an excursion here tomorrow afternoon.  Chris and I have signed up to go.  These excursions cost a few dollars each and students are accompanied by a teacher.

This beats work any day!

A large skate board park, covered in graffiti.

All school children where uniforms.  We have observed so many different colours of uniforms that we are wondering if every school has its own.  Notice the uniforms the girls are wearing in this photo.

A school bus.

Notice how the people are dressed. This is the typical attire I see everywhere – dark jackets, jeans and the young girls wear slouch boots.

This area seems to be thriving, with new construction all around.  This building caught my attention as these construction workers were manually hauling rods of metal to the top floor.

In case you were wondering, gas costs $1.40 per gallon.

The vendor in the foreground is very typical – street vendors are everywhere.  But they are not aggressive.

And that’s it for my walk in the park.  Hope you were able to get a sense of the area from the pictures and descriptions.  And I hope I haven’t crashed any computers with all these images on one page.

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Today I was solo as Chris has been hit with a case of gastro – at least that is what we think it is. We ate exactly the same things yesterday, but by the end of the day, he was finished – fever, headache, body aches, and of course diarrhea.  Relax, that’s all the details I’m giving.

Let’s just say, the little drugstore I packed for this trip has come in handy.  That being said, everything I brought down – Advil, Tylenol, Advil Cold & Sinus, Immodium, Benadryl, Gravol – is readily available at the local grocery store – at a fraction of the cost.  I’m talking name brand drugs.  For instance, you could buy a bottle of 24 Advil for under two bucks.  We haven’t been in a pharmacy yet, but I imagine there would be an even bigger selection, and most likely even cheaper drugs than in the grocery store. Continue reading…

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Today we decided on our Spanish school and signed up for a week of one-on-one lessons – 20 hours each.  There is a plethora of Spanish schools in Quito and it can be a daunting chore to research all the options available and an even more daunting task to make a decision.  Our job was made easy because of a casual conversation over breakfast this morning.

After spending another day playing tourist yesterday, this time in Quito’s Centro Historico (also known as Old Town), we decided that today we must focus on finding a school and deciding on our accommodations.  We’ll share more about our afternoon in Old Town later, along with some amazing pictures.

Today we planned to spend the day researching and visiting the top three or four schools we could find that met our criteria: the school must be professional with a good reputation.  Originally we had thought we would stay in Quito to study Spanish for a month but we have since changed our minds (we’re allowed you know).  We are anxious to get out of this large city to start exploring the country side which is more our style.  So, we’ve decided to take a week, maybe two of lessons here in Quito before we move on.

Breakfast (included with our room) is served in a common dining room. Each morning we meet different people and exchange basic information:  Where are you from? How long are you in Ecuador?  (I love the reaction when I answer that question with – oh, for a while, not sure how long.) What have you seen/done? What are you doing today? It’s a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and there is no end to the interesting people we meet.

Today we met Tom and Lynn and their one year old son Kaj.  They are a young, thirty-something couple who broke free from their conventional lives in the US (their words, not ours) a few years ago and have settled on the coast of Ecuador.  Trained as scientists, they worked in the area of water quality before turning to property development.  They are currently working on a 30 unit condominium project.  They are having the time of their lives.  Near the end of our breakfast, we casually mentioned we were looking for a Spanish school today and they suggested we consider a school a friend of theirs had recently attended and had highly recommended.

After breakfast they emailed us the name of the school, we looked it up, called the school director via Skype and then headed over to check it out.  It was a mere ten minute walk from our hostel.  The school director, Andrew Kirby greeted us at the door and took us on a tour.  He explained how the school was created as a way to raise funds for the Yanapuma Foundation, a non-profit organization “driven by the enthusiasm of its national and international staff and volunteers to work towards the realization of its vision of marginalized communities achieving equity and well-being, ecological, social and economic sustainability, and developing a sense of the uniqueness of their culture and place in the global context.”

Andrew explained the school’s teaching methodology (a holistic approach focused on all facets of communication – speaking, listening, comprehension, reading and writing) and invited us to chat with present students while they took their morning break.  He described the volunteer opportunities that are available and he told us his story of how he came to Ecuador 7 years ago on vacation and has never left!

We loved the idea that our school fees would be used to better the lives of the locals through the many projects sponsored by this foundation.  We admired the lofty goals of this foundation and its core values.  We liked the comfortable, relaxed atmosphere of the classroom, and the teaching methodology in use.  We signed up right then and there.  Lesson #1 begins tomorrow morning at 9:00.

We haven’t decided on our accommodations yet.  We can stay in the current hostel, or do a home stay where you live with a local family.  We’ll figure that out next.

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