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Published: August 10th 2006
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Quito
Streetscape of Quito Am starting this travelblog thingy half way through my trip, so apologies for a scanty one on Ecuador. Everyting already blurring into one...
First stop was Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Stayed here a couple of days in a pre-booked Hostelling International Quito. Note to self - do not believe how wonderful, comfortable, informative and centrally located hostels advertised on the net are. Quito is quite pretty - see my two screetscape photos..
6 July - 5 days spent hopping around the Galapagos Islands on a small boat. The islands cost a fortune (I´ve conveniently blocked from memory the exact cost), but worth it. Went to islands such as Isla Santa Cruz, Floreanna and Isla Espanola. **Crap deal - foreigners pay $100 US Galapagos National Park entrance fee, but locals only $6 US.
Saw crabs, sealions, iguanas, blue-footed boobies & heaps of other birds (only addicts wrote down all the correct names - 6 biologists in my group!). Unfortunately due to fear of deep water and evil things lurking beneath, I missed out on most of the snorkling experiences. Smiley stamp for me though for actually putting on the gear and doing a pathetic snorkel from the
Quito
Streetscape of Quito2 beach!
Beware small boats and small cabins on sometimes choppy waters. Bring heaps of nausea tablets and try not to have sea-sickness and traveller´s diarrhoea at the same time!
From one extreme to another...
Flew from Quito to Coca, a small oil town in the "El Oriente" and gateway to jungle tours. Stayed in the Central Amazonian Animal Rescue Centre - Arcadia.
Highlights of the trip include -
1. The night activity where me and one other girl ended up walking a single plank in pitch darkness across a caiman infested lagoon. Shining our torches revealed the caimans´ red eyes moving slowly towards us... Just trying not to fall off the plank at this stage!
2. Having lunch in the dinging area a large open hut with thatched roof. Suddenly someone discovers a HUGE and HAIRY tarantular and its near me and I can´t sit here anymore. One of the locals picks it up and lets it crawl all over him for our benefit. That night my mossy net was tucked in so tightly into my bed that no arachnid would ever think of trying get in. Safe to say i became famous around the camp for my
Sealions on Galapagos
Sealions doing it tough! spider phobia.
3. If they give you gumboots you will need them. A jungle trek through the swamp soon becomes a sticky mess. We all used long poles to prod the muck to attempt to find a safe path to tread. One girl actually fell in up to her thighs - same one also lost a boot when attempting to get her foot unstuck. The thought kept going through my head, "Why am i doing this to myself?". Along the way we got stung by various biting things. My ear blew up to twice the size so I looked like Dumbo the Flying Elephant for about two days.
During the treks the guide explained various medicinal and other properties of the flora. This was 50% translated into dodgy English by the other guide. Three meals a day were provided and they were authentic Ecaudorian dishes and very nice. Accommodation was in separate huts made of jungle materials and private bath and mozzy net.
Moments - beautiful tropical butterfly landing on my drying clothes. Viewing a brightly coloured Toocan through binoculars.
The jungel trip freaked me out at the time but was an amazing experience.
Otavalo -
Iguanas on Galapagos
This rock is obviously prime real estate Short bus trip north of Quito. I went for the famous Saturday market and was not disappointed. It is MASSIVE. If its the start of your trip and you´re not already sick of andean craft popping up on every corner, you will go crazy. Also got up early to catch the animal markaet - pigs, goats, chickens, cows etc. Gringos wandering aimlessly around with cameras, while traditionally dressed locals buy and sell their livestock.
Cotacachi - also just north of Quito. Known for its leatherwork where you can purchase just about anything in leather. There is a street lined door to door with leather shops. A shopping frenzy was had that day - I wonder how those leather handbags are going to survive squashed in the bottom of my pack?
Ibarra - a bit further north again. The book said it had the best ice-cream and nougat so i felt my duty to check this was right. Not sure about the sticky, sweet nougat but the ice-cream at Heldaria Rosalia Suarez was worth the trip. It was a Sunday so the town was a little sleepy but it had some nice colonial buildings, churches and plazas.
Bus
Jungle Lodge
Slumming it in the jungle from Ibarra to Cuenca - my longest bus ride to date. The main outstanding memories of Cuenca would be the amazing architecture, plazas, domed churches and cobbelstone streets. Although I did not like the congested streets and resultant pollution.
Brief stop in Loja on route to Peru via Macara. Loja did not impress me as it was a bit frenetic and also quite polluted.
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