¡Feliz Navidad de la Ciudad Blanca! (Merry Christmas from the White City)

Alive and well. Dad and I are spending Christmas in Arequipa, Peru (called the "White City" for all the buildings constructed of off-white volcanic rock). Then on to Lake Titicaca and Cusco. Will post more pictures soon.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Time flies...

Goodness I can´t believe it´s been a month since the last time I posted. The last few weeks I´ve been in Colombia -- mostly Bogotá with a brief trip to Villa de Leyva. Safe and sound (if frequently rained on) - before I get into Colombia, a brief run down of my last two weeks in Ecuador:

The Galapagos Islands

AMAZING! - If you ever have the chance to go - take it. Yes - it´s pricey (five days cruising the islands cost about as much as the rest of me time in Ecuador) but absolutely worth being sea-sick for five days straight. And you can certainly spend less than I did if you book your own flights, tours etc. (I took a very nice boat).  Of course you aren´t seeing the Galapagos you read about in fifth grade science class-- people have settled/ tried to settle, species have been introduced and gone extinct, walking trails have been built -- but at the same time - it is the place. You go there and see the giant turtles and the finches, you see islands so new they are pretty much just cooled lava.

Montañita

Yes, as promised, there are surfers. Though it is the off season (and I was there during the week) so not the wild party scene everyone imagines. Besides the ocean, I´d say the reason to go is the food -- it´s touristy enough to have attracted a good number of good chefs. And you can (try to) learn to surf.

Also - sweet beach dogs

Mindo
Truth be told, this is a very small town - there are dirt roads straight off the central park.  That said, the orchids, birds and butterflies are plentiful and it´s worth more than a day trip from Quito.  Two to three days is about right - particularly if you want to do a birding tour or zip lining. Expect to get muddy.

Mitad del Mundo

Finally I´ve crossed the Equator a foot (in addition to by plane, bus, and boat).  Unlike on the cruise, no one throws a party or gives you a cute little certificate at Mitad del Mundo.  But you can take a picture of yourself holding up the world (there´s a globe atop the marker) and visit the planetarium.  Definitely worth the bus ride.

¡Viva Guayaquil!

I got to Guayaquil just in time for their Independence Day (09-Oct) celebration.  Well, really, celebrations - concerts on the Malécon, a parade, speeches, protests - truth be told I´m not 100% on what is for independence day and what was happening because it´s Sunday and the weather´s good but it´s been a fun few days.  And yes, there were fireworks.

This Friday I set sail (figuratively - I´m taking a plane) for the Galapagos Islands.  I am positively giddy about the trip so it difficult for me to even think about anything else at this point (sorry Guayaquil).

Beautiful colonial/modern Cuenca

Cuenca really is a great place to visit - I´m seriously considering doubling back there instead of heading for the coast. While my pronunciation (or pantomiming, maybe both) has improved over the last few weeks, I think I´d benefit from some actual instruction in the Spanish language.  (Yes, it means a third pass thru the Cajas - it´s a nice park. They have llamas).  Besides, if my dad does decide to visit me in Columbia, I expect I'll be seeing their beaches.  Or at least one of the beaches for a really long time :)





Toward Vilcabamba from the hostel restaurant



I´d also have to recommend visiting Vilcabamba.  It´s a great place to hike, go horseback riding, and practice meditation - or so I´ve heard.  I spent the bulk of my time in a hammock reading or playing (sucking at) pool.  My biggest activity was walking to the village from the hostel and that was downhill.  I know exactly how dull that sounds but it was a very pleasant few days. And my first real time with other travellers.  I know we´re around but I always seem to be the only one on the bus. 



In many ways that´s a nice thing - I´m here to see Ecuador, not Europeans - but I can start to feel a bit isolated.  It´s a comfort to meet other folks that quit perfectly good jobs and left the safety and convenience of home to carry all their possessions on the their backs through unfamilar territory.  For me, every trip seems to be a bit harder - I guess because everytime I´m leaving more behind. I´m glad to be going - I love my travelling and backpacking is fun - just less glad to be leaving. 

Oh hammock! How I miss you!

 Every place I stop becomes home.

And southward I go

Basílica de la Virgen de Agua Santa

Baños was an interesting place to visit- it´s a small town but one of the bigger, better connected towns in the area. So in addition to a lot of tourists (especially on Saturday and Sunday) you get people coming in to sell produce, pick up supplies, meet up with friends.  If you come here, you´ll have no trouble keeping busy - you can tour the jungle, hike about a volcano, white water raft, get a massage and eat your weight in rotissierie chicken (I´ve never seen so many chicken places).  That said, you can probably fit everything there is to do into two to three days (unless you aim to camp overnight).  Make it a weekend - things get very quiet on Monday. Also, make sure you come to the right one: Baños de Agua Santa, Tungurahua, Ecuador -- there´s another Baños near Cuenca.

From Baños, I travelled by bus (two actually) to Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador and home to some fine examples of colonial architecture, Incan ruins, a university, and several Spanish-language schools. It´s also a good jumping off point for a visit to Cajas National Park.  (I only arrived yesterday so I really don´t know much about the place beyond what you can read about in a guidebook). I do know however the the human physical limit for bus riding is seven hours. At least that´s mine. Don´t get me wrong- the buses and roads on my journey to Cuenca were in fine condition and I barely feared for my life at all*, but right around hour six I was desparately searching for signs of Cuenca. That said, while you can fly between Quito and Cuenca, I´d recommend the bus - it´s a beautiful country and I think you´d miss out on that from the air. Also, you´d miss cows on leashes.

*Again, Ecuador is very hilly so, should you be blessed with a window seat during your trip you will periodically find yourself winging around a turn about two feet from a fifty foot vertical drop. With no guard rail. Like a guard rail would help. You (like me) may find this terrifying. No one else on the bus will even  notice.

(I´ll post some more pictures when I find better internet).

Live from Quito!

(I never stop being amazed that
people build cities up mountains)

So I did finally make it to Quito. (There was "weather" at Quito airport so my last flight circled a couple of times then got rerouted to Guayaquil - so a little like trying to land at O'Hare but they do the Spanish announcement first, then the English). In practice, only about eight hours off schedule but I slept pretty much all day Sunday.  That last five hours staying awake in the airport just finished me - I am too old to stay up all night.

As is my custom I've spent a big part of the last few days wondering about, looking at pretty buildings and politely (I hope) declining offers to purchase handicrafts.  Quito isn´t as crowded or frantic as, say Bangkok or Mumbai, but the traffic will keep you on your toes.  The bus system is good though - the guidebooks have it right when they say skipping Quito is a mistake.

Below are a couple pictures from the older part of the city: Santo Domingo (well, part of it) and El Panecillo (a hill about 9840 feet above sea level with a sculpture dedicated to the Virgin on top).

(I wanted to go up the hill to get a better look at the sculpture - there are stone stairs going much of the way up, but one of the neighborhood ladies waved me off.  Now that I think about the area a bit, she was right.  I´ve heard a lot of warnings about my neighborhood, Mariscal, - which seems just fine to me - but this was worse and nobody said a thing about it until I was right there).

I am actually writing this my last full day in Quito - I aim to catch a bus to Baños de Agua Santa on Friday.  Also, to sleep indoors while I´m there, so I´m off to make a few awkward phone calls.  (Seriously, learn Spanish if you come to Ecuador). Wish me luck!

And off I go...

Tomorrow I leave cool, rainy Chicago-land for cool, rainy Ecuador.  I am almost packed, almost rested, and almost convinced this is a good idea.  But good idea or not, I've got tickets -- so off I go.


Since I don't have any new trip pictures yet, here's a photo of a silly chocolate lab: