We're back in Ecuador now after spending a few days at the beach and a really nice week in the highlands of Peru. After a grueling 30 hours of bus travel (cramped, sweaty, yelling Peruvians, and a broken bridge), we arrived in Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca ('White Mountain Range', Andes) at around 3am. From Huaraz, we did a day hike 'almost' to Laguna Churup ... the altitude (around 14,000 feet) really got to us (me, Emily) and we ended up just walking around the mountainside, which had some spectacular and satisfying views anyway. Next we went to Caraz, a smaller [View Full Entry]

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23.10.2009 17:55 Corazón... ... ist ein huebscher Brauner, den so leicht nichts aus der Ruhe bringen laesst, gehorsam auf die Befehle seines Besitzers hinter ihm reagiert und die zaghaften Steuerungsversuche seiner unerfahrenen Reiterin konsequent ignoriert. Hoch zu Ross und eher kartoffelsackaehnlich als stolz gehts von Vilcabamba aus in Richtung Podocarpus-Nationalpark. Fuer die ersten 15 Minuten ist der Sattelknauf mein bester Freund, nach 30 Minuten bin ich entspannt und geniesse die Panoramen der Landschaft ringsum, nach 5 Stunden weiss ich, warum die Anbieter von [View Full Entry]

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Hello familia and friends! Finally, the blog post you´ve been waiting for. Last time I wrote from Ecuador, I said I´d fill you in on Vilcabamba and Cuenca. Suffice it to say, Vilcabamba is so beautiful and relaxing. I really enjoyed my time there. I hope the pictures do it justice. As for my trip to Cuenca, it was such a treat to visit my grad school friend, Tammy. My time with her was so rewarding and spiritually enriching. I wish I could see her more often. (BTW, as I type this, I am in the home of Tammy´s friend, Glen [View Full Entry]

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Zumba es la cabecera cantonal de Chinchipe, la tierra de la chonta y la guayusa. El río Mayo Chinchipe atraviesa el cantón de norte a sur. En este lugar se descubrio la cultura MAYO - CHINCHIPE DE HACE 5000 AÑOS [View Full Entry]

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We’re now in Vilcabamba, a small village known as the ‘valley of longevity’ as people here seem to live much longer than anywhere else. It is easy to see why as it is a very laid back area, where most are just sitting around on doorsteps or in cafes watching the world go by. Just yesterday I was one of those people, sat outside the internet cafe on my netbook researching future places to stay and suddenly behind us a lonely traveller begins to play his guitar and sing at the top of his voice. I don’t know whether this is [View Full Entry]

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Wherever I've gone on this trip so far, I've always tried to use ecologically sound accommodation that benefits the environment and the local community rather than exporting profits elsewhere. Eco lodges are a good way of doing this as they often fit that criteria very nicely. Eco lodges though, are not without their problems, and in Vilcabamba, we felt that more there than anywhere else. The cabin that we stayed in was pretty good, though a little unmaintained. The setting was tremendous, being sited next to a river and just like Mindo, cradled in a valley with a spectacular view of [View Full Entry]

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We are staying in Hostal Izchayluma just outside the small town of Vilcabamba (pop only around 5000). The hostal has its dining area overlooking the valley and the town. It is an amazing sight and one we will not forget, there are nice garden areas around the hostal and we have a lovely lodge with the biggest bed we have had yet in South America. The food at the hostal has been delicious and massive portions, along with the view has made for a lovely relaxing stay here. Our first day I went for one of the self guided walks that [View Full Entry]

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We stayed at Baños staying in a hotel at the foot of an active volcano on the edge of the amazon jungle, let´s hope it doesnt erupt (it´s more likely that Andrew´s temper will erupt than the volcano). The town is set in a beautiful valley but the town is not much to look at. What was nice though was an 18km cycle ride along La Ruta de Las Cascadas (route of the waterfalls) set amidst the mountains. We have also enjoyed our first zip line across a canyon, a real adrenaline rush. On the way to Baños we visited La [View Full Entry]

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From Colombia I was on a mad dash for Quito. This meant that there were a couple of things missed and a couple of good sites and stops bypassed, but I had my mission. I know not why nor ever discovered, but there is a short ‘low season’ in the Galapagos from May through mid-June and I wanted to catch some of the lower fares. Having dallied in Venezuela too long, meant by the time I had bren to Bogota and the fabulous Zone Cafetera, I was beginning to be pushed for time. So, off to Quito. It took me about [View Full Entry]

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In the “you learn something new every day” category, I now know that Vilcabamba’s roosters—like its dogs—howl at full moons. And tonight, amigos, there’s a full moon. Although Jack and I are accustomed to waking up in the morning to a cacophony of roosters and dogs—with an occasional burro filling in the bass line—this non-stop all-nighter is a revelation. The roosters’ fingernails-on-chalkboard voices collect and mix and swirl up the mountainside darkly to our little casita, reminding one of the souls in Dante's lowest circle screamin [View Full Entry]

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