And last but not least....Cuenca

The last place we decided to visit was Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This was our second visit, and it was just as nice this time around.  Lots of expats have decided that the temperate climate is worth the move to call this home.  With almost as many architectural masterpieces as Quito, Cuenca is notable for its walk-ability along the Rio Tomebamba which bisects the old part of town, and the charm of the well-kept streets and colourful paint jobs around the main square Parque Calderón. 

The old question of where to stay was solved by a guy that met us stepping off the bus.  He said he had a place on Calle Largo, the same street as the hostel I was planning on getting us to.  Suffice it to say that at $8/night/person he was charging too much.  Make a note – Hostel Pachamama is cheap but take a peek (and do the sniff test) before committing.  We hightailed it out of there for our second night, and for the remaining 4 days we stayed at Alternative House and Lodging.  While a bit noisy due to a central stairwell, it was REALLY clean, had excellent wifi, and was across the street from the Museo de Banco Central and on the bus line.  Perfect – we were glad to pay the additional $4/night. 

Cuenca is known around the world for the incorrectly named “Panama Hat”.  It really is supposed to be called the Toquilla Hat, as it's from the fronds of the Toquilla palm that the fiber is derived to weave the hat.  Everywhere in Cuenca you will find references to their claim to fame. 

The hat that has made Panama famous actually has its origins in Ecuador, and the finest in the world are made right up the street from where our boat is, in Montecristi.  Cuenca is known for adding the finishing details, and the place where the father of the Toquilla, Homero Ortega, started the first factory.   As one of our “must do” visits while in Cuenca, we got a tour of the factory, saw how it was all done, and vowed to return with the credit card to purchase.  It took 2 tries, but on our last day in town, we were able to spend a lot of money on our very own Homero Ortega’s. 

Our saleswoman was Homero's daughter

If it's good enough for us....it's good enough for Johnny

We confess, usually we are pretty lucky with restaurants, as we use the trusty TripAdvisor as a resource but perhaps our wallets weren’t quite as flush as they needed to be in this dynamic city.  We did have a terrific sandwich along the Rio, but other than that, food was a bust.  Although…..

…we’ve now been traveling nonstop for 4.5 years.  The longer we are out, (and of course we are still in Latin America) the more difficult it is to be impressed with the touristy things we are doing.  The mountain bike rides we’ve done are great, the train rides…more so.  The ziplining, the dinghy excursions, the wandering through cathedrals, the ruins (am I really complaining about ruins?!) but by now we’ve seen a lot.  Where once we didn’t hesitate to jump at every chance to do something different, we are now finding ourselves being a bit more particular about what causes us to say “man, that was GREAT!!”, and are also becoming happy to just be on the boat.  This is not to say that we aren’t still loving what we are doing, but maybe it’s time to head back to the islands, the clear blue water, and to call marine life our closest companions.    

Maybe……

We should have been given a sucker...

....because yesterday Ron and I took care of a necessary evil.  We got our Yellow Fever vaccinations, and for the staggering price of FREE!

When we first arrived in Ecuador last year, the health inspector informed us that as a service to the tourists that arrived by boat (not sure if this is offered to all visitors, regardless of how they cross the borders into the country) we were able to visit the local clinic and get inoculated.  While we were impressed with this, and as enthusiastic as we were at the time, it took us a full year and a second trip to the country, to actually accomplish the deed.  Something about us not liking the idea of sticking needles into our skin.

Regardless, with INTENSE encouragement from our friends on Let it Go, (as in offering to pick us up in the dinghy in the morning, and holding our hands as we walked to the clinic) we finally made it there.  Was it painless?  Well, no, it felt like someone sticking a needle in you.  Was it worth it?  Of course, yes, and as we plan to head into the rainforest in September, this was a chore on our list that HAD to be accomplished.  As I grit my teeth, clutching the arm of the nurse (I believe I saw her grimace) I kept telling myself it was fine.  And it was.  My big, strong captain, in the case of needles, is a bit of a wus.  Regardless of the amount of tattoos the man has, I was still proud of him when his knees didn’t buckle.   

Two years ago, when we visited Guatemala, Ron picked up a touch of the Dengue Fever.  Dengue doesn’t have a vaccine to ward off the evil mosquitos, and along with malaria, Yellow Fever is just another illness that those pesky stingers like to spread around.  Not fancying the prospect of dying, we do what we can.  

It’s another reason to love Ecuador.  Apparently the country is not really interested in the bad publicity that comes from expats dying on their soil.  Smart, that. 

A Lausi Town

The time had come to move on and we set our sights further south, down to Alausí.  My captain is so funny; we LOVED the town, but it has a serious shortage of restaurants.  We were joking about starting a pizza (of course) place there, and naming it A Lausi Restaurant – get it?  Using the slogan….For A Lausi pizza, stop by.  The possibilities are endless.

Alausí’s claim to fame is that it’s the starting point for the El Nariz del Diablo (the Nose of the Devil) train ride, so named by the engineer that figured out the unique zigag tracking dropping the elevation by 1000' in just a few kilometres. To set the record straight, there is a lot of confusion as to where you actually pick the train up, and it is in Alausí, not Riobamba.  You CAN purchase the tickets in Riobamba at the train station, but when the day comes to ride, they will actually bus you down to Alausí to embark.  If Riobamba is not on your itinerary, don’t bother stopping and just head straight south.  The other change that has occurred is that you can no longer sit on the roof of the train, and haven’t been able to do so since 2007, when a couple of Japanese tourists sat up a bit too high, and who’s heads were taken out by a tunnel.  Not a good way to go, especially for the other passengers.  

This is the most charming of any towns we’ve visited in Ecuador.  We could envision ourselves purchasing a piece of land in the surrounding hillsides, and frequenting the town.  There is a tremendous amount of pride here, with one of the locals informing me that this was a clean city, not like some of the other towns to the north, and we can attest to it.  

Monday morning after breakfast, we were wandering and came across this couple.  As we saw a few helpless pigs in similar circumstances, we figured this was a “beginning of the week” chore.  Of course, we were treated to a bowl of pig skin, complete with a hominy-type corn, juices and fresh salsa overall, which came complete with the inevitable “muy rico, MUY rico”.  Ron was horrified, and resorted to the strategy of his youth regarding broccoli – cut it up in small pieces and hide it under something.  Unfortunately, this old timer was wilier than that…..he came into the shop, inquired as to how we liked it, and then proceeded to root around in our bowl with his finger, and discovered Ron’s carefully constructed hiding spot.  My manners dictated that I needed to choke a few pieces down….the flavor was fine, it was just the texture which was a bit tough to take so early in the morning.  Kind of like chewing a piece of hard gelatin – very interesting.  So now that we’ve tried it, we don’t need to go down that road again. 
  

This little piggy went to market......

.....and then he had none

The area around the square and train depot was well kept, colorfully painted, and we really liked it. 

As the train was fully booked when we came to town, we had to commit to sticking around for a couple of days to wait for when there would be seats available.  No problem…..and although there wasn’t too much to do there, we enjoyed ourselves.  There was another bustling Sunday market, and the hostel (another $8/person/night spot) had good internet.  We could hang out to wait, and went out walking the train tracks, exploring the streets, and in general just “being” there, which was another reason we ended up really enjoying the quiet time. 

Me channeling my inner matador

Of course, eventually the hunt was on a for a pizza place.  I had read somewhere that there was one in town, and we had no less than five different people send us in five different directions in search of.  Finally, one got it right and El Paraiso Pizza, in an obscure neighborhood, 5 blocks away from the main drag was awesome!  A huge 18” square pizza was $12, LOADED.  Extremely good, and fed us for two and ½ days. 

But then came Tuesday.  The town had a bit more of a bustle than was usual and we figured this was due to it being Train Day.  At 3pm, all the tourists, some international, some local, filed into their respective cars away we went.

Now he's Conductor Ron

 

Three levels in one camera shot

At the bottom of the route in Simbambe, we were treated to dancing by the locals wearing traditional garb.

Although modern conveniences are becoming more abundant in these parts, there is a resurgence in indigenous pride, adding to a richer traveling experience for everyone who chooses to go to the effort.  Ecuador is MUY RICO!!

Should we call it parte tres?

Okay, let’s see if we can try this again.  Hangover dealt with, I’m ready to write again!

So I remembered what I was going to say.  We do really like Ecuador, so much so that when we drove through the area in between Cuenca and Guayaquil, I kept asking Ron about buying property in that area.  It was SPECTACULAR!  We come from British Columbia and know something about vistas and views.  This was really something to see, and really punctuated that Ecuador is fantastically beautiful. 

But back to Baňos…. 

As Baňos sits close to the rainforest, and situated within a deep gorge, it has a tendency to be a rain-gatherer.  It was gorgeously green, waterfalls galore, hot springs feeding pools and medicinal baths, and wet.  

We are warmer now - BIG thumbs up

As there are quite a few tourists that come to visit the baths, both international and Ecuadorian, there are a terrific number of diverse restaurants, some good, and some with feral dogs as a part of the attraction.  Our last night in town, we tried the Stray Dog Brew Pub, thinking that the name probably had an interesting history, and what tourist doesn’t like a brew pub.  The owner, some guy from Chicago, had come to Baňos years ago and was struck by the number of stray dogs roaming the streets.  He was so interested, he started taking photos and has compiled a casual pictorial of the wandering dogs, left on the bar, available to be viewed by patrons.  The namesake of the pub is now a resident, and had just had a litter of puppies.  This protective mum was allowed to wander the restaurant, barking at anyone she didn’t like, and when one of the wait staff put her outside, she then proceeded to terrorize various lone, usually elderly, pedestrians.  Now anyone that knows me, knows that I love dogs, and animals in general.  However….I was incensed.  Having been bit by a stray dog in Mexico, I am now a bit more cautious of those dogs out defending their piece of the pie.  It has been weeks since we were there, and I’m still fuming about.  I lost it when some man tried to come into the pub and the dog stood inside the doorway preventing him from entering.  Not only was I a bit concerned for my ankles, but my dining experience was ruined.  In addition…..the wings were shit!!!

But I digress….

The waterfall right in town emptied into the local baths, or washing stations.  Gave me a break from doing laundry on the boat.....kidding.

Laundry room with a view

Similar primitive conditions when washing aboard

One day we decided to brave the weather (it was after all, just wet) and went for a walk up to a mirador overlooking the town.  This photo is taken only 1/3 of the way up, giving you a good perspective of how the town is situated.  

One of the reasons we kind of liked Banos was all the good choices for alternative types of restaurants.  We’ve been in South America now for over a year, and have traveled to Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and now are getting a “taste” of Ecuador.  We have tried, and tried but we really don’t think that our north American palates are that enamored of the local delicacies.  Something about needing to choose between petting something and consuming it leaves us cold.  Besides, isn’t guinea pig only once removed from rat?  And bananas (okay, plaintains….) stuffed with cheese and grilled, seems to me to be pretty close to stuffing a mango with a can of tuna.  Haute cuisine, this is not!  

Yea, okay, but no

Yea, okay, still no

In between days of solid rain, we managed to head out when there was a break in the action.  Having lived in San Diego, and worked at the world famous zoo there when I was a teenager, I’m not easily impressed with caged animals (the Stray Dog Brew Pub could have used a cage) but there were some interesting residents at the local zoo.  Set on the edge of a cliff, and tucked into yet another gorge, we saw local examples of fauna (that hadn’t already been eaten by the millions of previous Inca warriors) that we’ve never seen before.  

This piece is entitled "Spectacled Bear, at rest"

Now that we've seen them, should we save $2000 and skip the Galapagos?

Sometimes he's soooo needy

Not sure what this is, something grey

Like I said, needy

I had no idea they were so stout

I'm not a big fan of birds, but these looked sort of good

ANYONE to have a conversation with - needy

Escapees from the zoo

One of the main reasons to go to Baňos is to do La Ruta de las Cascadas (Route of the Waterfalls).  The colourful local chivas (open air buses) are available to jump on to do the tour, anywhere between 15 and 65 kms from town down to Puyos, as you can jump on and off when you want.  We opted to go via mountain bike instead.  With the almost constant downhill run, it didn’t tax us too much.  Along the way, there were various ziplines and cable cars to do an aerial overview of the rivers and gorges, and while it was only $5 per person, some of the equipment looked a bit dodgy.   

See the cable car?  

A bit wee

Early ziplines - yea, nope

We chose to watch. 

When there was a tunnel, an alternate route for bicyclists was provided, taking the angst out of the ride, unlike our ride down The Most Dangerous Road in the World, in Bolivia.  

The last waterfall and most famous, El Pailon del Diablo (Cauldron of the Devil) was reached by another down, down, down trail from the road above.  The entire way I kept muttering under my breath, “what goes down, must come up”.  As we were on bicycles, just because at the end we would be back up by the road, that didn’t mean anything….we still needed to get back to our hostel!  Whatever…it was again, spectacular. 

At the bottom. Brewing up before the return ascent. 

Wonder how many photos we have with beer bottles in them?

We really do prefer to travel the slow way.  We ended up spending a week in Banos….and it was just right. 

Ecuador - parte dos

....and head to Baňos.  We utilized all sorts of conveyances.  We started out with a private car/taxi that took us 14 kms down the road to Zumbahua.  A quick burn around town (it was Saturday, and market day) and the bus set off for Latacunga.  We had to head back there, of course, to retrieve the remaining t-shirt we had packed but didn’t want to carry along “the Loop” (we drew the line at sawing our toothbrushes in ½ to dispense with weight, after all we never DID walk, technically).  Back to the bus terminal and a 2 hour run down the road to Ambato, which disgorged us at the wrong terminal to pick up the next bus to Baňos.   We needed to taxi over to another parking lot where various bus lines came roaring in and out with reassuring regularity, and where we queued and jostled for the next bus.  A rapid descent down, down, down, into a gorge that seemed to be never ending.   With windows open, we could feel that the temperatures were climbing, even as we were descending.  Shedding our coats, we disembarked into the waiting arms of another taxi driver, and off to our hostel.  Taxi, bus, bus, taxi, bus, taxi – for the both of us, it cost $16.80.  Ecuador fits right into our budget.

Baňos is known for a few things: waterfalls, melcocha (taffy), hot water and being the gateway to the Amazon.  We loved every bit of its touristy shops, restaurants, and noise, because we were WARM.   Our hostel, while crazily named, Plantas y Blanco (Plants and White) seemed to be of the same hostel chain as one we stayed at in Oaxaca, El Diablo y Sandia (the Devil and the Watermelon).  Reminds me of a Tori Amos song parody….I’m tall, but I’m sick, I’m weak but I’m employed.  “Which of these is not like the other?, somewhat reminiscent of your SATs.   (Funny how after a day of sitting in front of the computer, and hard on your third glass of red wine, word associations seem to come more easily and a bit more randomly).  Have you ever heard me say…

….but I digress.  Now you know why.

Baňos was warm and wet – as is appropriate.  Now let me start by saying we like Ecuador.  As  a matter of fact, coming back to the boat…..oops, forgot was I was going to say.  Damn the wine.  

Yup, good enough.  Let’s POST IT!!!

Inland Ecuador - parte uno

Where do I begin?!  We’ve just returned from the first of two inland trips around Ecuador, to be followed up by another month or so in September.  For now tho, we are on SERIOUS bank account recovery mode.  Heading to the market yesterday, we were delving into nickels and dimes to try to do a bit of restocking of the refrigerator.  The first of the month can’t come soon enough.  We can hardly afford to buy eggs, but Ron got a case of beer.  Mmmm, is that called Captain’s Perogative?

But I digress….

So in order to not bore you, I’ll do the scintillating account of our travels in a couple of installments – (don’t want to lose my readers).  Creating an interesting and varied itinerary, as any trip planner will tell you, takes time, and a bit more time.  We know people that simply wing it – they arrive in a city/town/village, and proceed to wander the streets looking for a hostel, or hotel, or inn to stay at.  Call me anal, unspontaneous, boring….whatever, but I consider TripAdvisor one of my best “go-to” resources.  I have no interest in slogging around an unfamiliar town looking for accommodations after a no doubt long, bouncy, noisy and uncomfortable bus ride, lugging the requisite backpack.  Okay, the rides are usually cheap, but I can still complain, can’t I?   

After 10 very long hours, we finally arrived in Quito from Bahia de Caraquez.  There was some confusion…..I couldn’t remember from our last trip, and I was assured from someone that had absolutely no reason to be so confident, that the bus departed at 6:40am.  We of course had woken up in plenty of time to have a cup of brew (not too much as the buses never have baňos on board) and then to head off.  Missed it by 10 minutes!  There was another bus immediately, but instead of the directo bus, we stopped all along the way to disgorge and take on more passengers, at times filling the aisles to overflowing, turning an 8 hour trip into one closer to 10.  Welcome to busing in Ecuador!

After arriving in Quito around 5pm, we got to proceed with the inevitable taxi dash, the uncertain ride to a hostel supposedly around the corner from the bus terminal, the 20 minutes taxi it actually took, the immediate need for the captain to find a beer…. (helped along the way by the manager as World Cup was playing and he needed a few too) and a decompressing in front of a computer.  (I’m not sure it’s adequate, or healthy, but a computer has a way of bringing us level again after the uncertainties of travel in a foreign country.  Oh, and that beer too…..)  For anyone wanting to hit Quito, we can recommend La Posada Colonial, in the heart of the Old Town, and ½ block away from La Ronda, a walking street filled with bars, restaurants and galleries.  Perfect, and only $8 per person per night. 

La Ronda

This pizza joint (we have eaten pizza in EVERY SOUTH AMERICAN CITY, thanks to Ron) was just a doorway.  They’d figure out what they wanted to make, and display it in the doorway.  You could either eat a slice, or continue on your way.  We stopped, and it was fantastic!  

Another satisfied customer

As we are planning to return to Quito in another month, and we had been there for 5 days last year when we first arrived in Ecuador, we didn’t linger.  The next morning we figured out why the reviews had said that the hostel was close to the buses.  It was.  Just a 5 minute walk to a bus stop, and 25 cents later (rather than the initial $8 cab ride) got us back to the main bus terminal for our onward 2 hour trip to Latacunga, the start of the famous Quilatoa Loop in the Andean highlands of Ecuador.  

My preferred hostel in Latacunga seemed to also be preferred by every other climber and backpacker in the region…no room at the inn!  We got directed to another hotel with dodgy rooms, but they had a massive television set in the dining room, and while it rained outside, we watched the Netherlands try to defeat Argentina – unsuccessful and the local crowd watching with us breathed a sigh of relief that the remaining South American team had made it to the finals.  

The weather was beginning to cause us a few problems.  While we wandered around Quito the night before, still shod in sandals, our footsies didn’t seem too bothered, but we were also in jackets, and I had a scarf on.  Hmmmm, seems I forgot that Quito is close to 9,500 feet in elevation.  Yes, it was summer, but….and we were headed to 12,841 in Quilatoa.  Yup, should have packed the fleece.  

 

The Quilatoa Loop “is one of Ecuador’s most exhilarating adventures”, according to Lonely Planet.  Highland markets, an amazing and lofty volcanic crater lake and traditional Andean villages.  Seems I had glossed over the words….”bring warm clothes (it gets painfully cold up here)”.  Before we had gone too far, as in still in Latacunga, Ron was asking me where the rest of the clothes that I had packed for him were.  I informed him they were on the boat, and that I wasn’t his mother.  Yes, I was getting the idea that the next few days might be challenging in more ways than one. 

The Loop can be ticked off in a few ways: walking the entire circle, catching various buses and milk trucks along the backroads, or a combination of the two.  Safe in my 80 degree boat, happily researching our trip, I kept asking Ron if he was good with a bit of a walk while we were exploring this area.  10-20kms per day was an average, and I wanted to be sure we were all on the same page.  Come to find out we weren’t even in the same library!  

The first leg of the trip had us jumping on a bus from Latacunga to Tigua, where we were going to be spending the night at a working posada, Spanish for ranch.  As we would be walking a good portion of this loop, I had suggested we leave the majority of the luggage in Latacunga, keeping our carryables to a minimum.  This actually translated to “you know all those warm clothes you don’t have packed?  Well I want you to cut them down by ½, as it’s either that, or you carry them”.  The first day entailed walking from the top of the road down a dirt track to the ranch house – 800 meters, ya, we can do that, can’t we?!  See Ron’s large bag of cold-weather gear?  Magic – doesn’t exist! 

Now you see the fleece, now you don't!

Tigua is famous for its bright paintings of Andean life made on sheepskin canvases.  Due to carrying constraints, we were spared from agonizing purchasing decisions.  We shared the posada with 8 other hearty, and hardy, travelers, and a few 4 legged types, too. 

Posada de Tigua

No heat in those rooms

The nursery

Someone looks like he needs a pet

These were the least expensive rooms

And if the guests wanted to stay, they had to pay....in milk

Accommodation of a different sort

The wind was howling the next morning, but I was game….Ron was rational.  Along with 2 other travelers, we hitched a ride with the sag wagon that was carrying gear to Laguna Quilatoa for two intrepid hikers, and their two guides.  As we pulled out of the property and spied a group of about 20 hikers fully gearing up (and I mean hiking boots, all sorts of technical gear, folks looking like they were off on an expedition of the greatest magnitude), I snorted, as I looked at my hiking sandals.  Ron rolled his eyes at me, and settled in to enjoy the ½ hour car journey (rather than 8 hour trek) to Laguna Quilatoa.  As we got out of the car and were blasted with 40 mph winds, I silently acknowledged that perhaps I had been a bit ambitious.  Located close to 13,000 feet, the wind and altitude, not to mention the views, took our breath away.  

Literally breathtaking

These horses were running down the trail that we had just hauled our heaving asses up, in order to help lazy (smart) other walkers up from the waters edge some 1000 feet below.  Notice HER technical gear…..I believe that’s called a skirt.  

Yes, it really was that steep

So the cold was beginning to affect Ron’s and my relationship – the second night with no heat, in a hostel that steadfastly refused to put wood in the stove until after dinner…WTH?  Was I not paying $10 for the room?  Didn’t they think we deserved a bit of heat?  I don’t want to say that we are getting soft in our old(er) age, or more demanding, but the “because it’s there” mentality of hiking the loop was beginning to wear off, pronto.  Time to get out of dodge……