Cotopaxi is an active volcano two hours drive from Quito and the scenery is spectacular - provided you have the energy to look up from the handlebars of your bike, over which you are slumped, to appreciate it! We were cycling at 3600 metres and it was our first taste of what altitude does to you when you try and do something harder than lifting a tea cup to your lips. I found it hell - but surprisingly so did my super fit husband!!!! But it was good training for the Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu - which I am now [View Full Entry]

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ok, so this didnt work last time...ill try once again..im telling you though, internet connection sucks around these parts... So I thionk it worked this time. Well, as an update the runms have finally cleared...yay me. I have been trying to take it easy but traveling with two avid birders is not an easy thing..I really don´t like waking up early and for birding one needs to wake up at insame hours like 4:30am...shish, I never even woke up that early for work! But hey, I guess all in the name of seeing cool places and cool birds, why the heck [View Full Entry]

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A must-see tourist destination in Ecuador is the Equator line, or as the Spanish know it "En La Mitad Del Mundo". Here you can stand on the equator, as well as do several experiments to prove it's location - fill a tub with water and watch the water drain without swirling, balance an egg on the head of a nail, and try and walk the exact equator line without being pulled to one side or another. [View Full Entry]

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Well - after much email communication to Exito Travel, searching other Travel Agencies, watching the airfares creep up, we decided it was time to take matters into our own hands and secure the tickets. We originally thought about departing Oregon on January 3rd, 2010, but the airfares are particularly high during the holiday season. So, by pushing the dates out to January 9th, we were able to save over $40/ticket. We opted for travel insurance, which added about $51 to each ticket, so in the end we ended up spending just a little more than the quoted price, but we feel [View Full Entry]

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Ich hab es satt!!! Gestern hab ich wieder einmal einen tag gefastet. Ecuador mit deinem gruenen herz, denen nebeligen kuesten und spitzen bergen, du bist verflucht. ich will wieder mal was essen ohne danach einige tage infektionen zu haben. aber ich bin jetzt durch damit. offiziel. habe gestern das erste mal auf dieser reise richtigen durchfall gehabt. aber richtig richtig. dann hab ich ein antibiotika genommen, und jetzt bin ich wieder da. meinen krankheits- und arbeitsbart von gut 3 wochen habe ich mit viel arbeit abrassiert, und jetzt bin ich wieder gesund, und ready fuer die selva. muss [View Full Entry]

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Today Daniel organized an Amazing Race across Quito. We were let loose in the big city, and forced to put to use all the things we have learned so far. It was a mixture of walking, taking taxis, riding buses, snapping pictures, and collecting memorabilia... not so easy when I speak very limited Spanish! [View Full Entry]

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Got to Ecuador around 12 o clock last nite, flight was delayed because they had no pilots, then we thought we were been bumped to 1st class but turns out we were just sitting behind first class!! ah well!! We got off the plane and we couldnt walk, or barely stand, must of been a combo of sitting around so long and been introduced to the altitude of 3000m!! The lad that was meant to pick us up at the airport wasnt there but we got in contacted with him and he dropped us off at our new home for the [View Full Entry]

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So after Banos we took the bus down to Cuenca...officially the worst bus ride yet. The farmers are still striking over plans to privatise water so buses are avoiding certain parts of the country. This means that getting enywhere involves long complex routes scaling mountainsides. This would have been fine if the ecuadorians were skilled road builders. Unfortunately they are not. Even more unfortunately I managed to get a seat not only over a wheel for ultimate bump-sensitivity - but also opposite the toilet which appeared to use its own cess pit to flush..mmm. 12 hours later i stumbled from th [View Full Entry]

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Spread across a spectacular valley and surrounded by volcanic peaks, the setting of Quito is in itself striking. Then one discovers the colonial splendor of the old town and its architectural richness, the modernity mixed with the indigenous character of the place. Shoeshine boys, indigeneous women carrying impossible loads, hollering street vendors, blind accordion players, legless guitar players and beggers make you feel like you are in another planet! We arrived in Quito on the nine of October for Ade's birthday. Thanks to petit explorateur no cheap/backpackers hotel on that day but noth [View Full Entry]

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Just one more week until we leave for Peru and Ecuador. It promises to be an interesting trip. Cloud forests, volcanoes, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and a small group of islands west of the continent; the Galapagos. I did plow my way through Darwin's Origin of Species a few weeks ago. A dry read but I felt obligated to refresh myself on why I wanted to see this place. Cusco and Machu Picchu are the Incan areas and filled with loads of history and culture and more than a few tourists. Lima is fast becoming known as the culinary centre [View Full Entry]

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