Blogs from Centre, Ecuador, South America - page 9

Travel blog 3 - Chugchillan, Quilotoa and the Black Sheep Inn Our third part of the trip involved us heading up into the Ecuadorian Andes, about a 3 hour drive south-west of Quito. This area of Ecuador is renowned for its hikes around the many volcanic craters, the various ecosystems, the self-sustaining communities and the award winning Eco-lodge, The Black Sheep Inn. The Black Sheep Inn is based just outside the little town of Chugchillan, about 3200m above sea level, and is a self-sustaining, vegetarian lodge. A simply amarzing place, run by a lovely gentleman by the name of Edmundo and his fabulous team and has subsequently been winning awards and featuring in world magazines for years. Our trip here almost didn't happen. Renee, being the super organised person that she is, decided to check our ... read more

Nach nur 1.5 Flugstunden empfängt uns der neue Flughafen von Quito. In der Stadt angekommen sind wir positiv überrascht, dass es 1. viel wärmer ist als erwartet (wir haben uns nach Kolumbien auf kalte Temperaturen eingestellt) und 2. alles ziemlich gut organisiert und sauber ist. Wir haben uns die Stadt etwas chaotischer vorgestellt. Quito ist die zweithöchstgelegene Haupstadt der Welt! Zum Glück merken wir von den 2800 Metern nichts, ausser dass wir nach dem Einchecken im Hostal (die Reception liegt im 4 . Stock) total aus der Puste sind. Das Hostal Secret Garden können wir übrigens sehr empfehlen, es hat eine superDachterrasse! Am ersten Tag spazieren wir durch die schöne Altstadt von Quito und machen uns auf zur Mitad del Mundo, dem Mittelpunkt der Erde. Viel zu sehen gibt es da nicht, aber es ist schon ... read more

Geo: -1.47201, -78.327We all slept very well during our second night in the Amazon..that is until around 5:30am. We were all roused from our sleep when we heard the steadily growing sound of what sounded like an earthquake. It was still dark and I was disoriented, so I could not make out what I was hearing or from where it was coming. Just as I was getting out of bed to investigate, the sounds of what could have easily been a waterfall thundered around me. I looked outside the screen wall and could see that there was a solid wall of water pouring from the roof and down the far side of our balcony. The original noise had been a downpour of rain beginning. As it built, the water started to pour down the steep roof ... read more

After less than 3 weeks at home in Banos I set off for Quito to pick up Sue at the airport. She arrived well after midnight, so I was glad that I'd booked a room at a family-run ranch in a nearby village. Quito's new airport is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but little by little lodging options are popping up to meet the needs of late-night and early-morning travelers. I arrived at Hosteria San Carlos in the afternoon and used the free time to finish and publish my previous blog, watch a movie on the flat-screen in-room TV, and take a quick dip in the icy cold swimming pool (brr!!) Sue's flight was delayed (of course) but since I'd been following its progress online (ain't technology grand?) I didn't have to wait too ... read more

The previous day I had scheduled a one day tour into the amazon for 30$. We met at this little tour guide in Banos at 830 am and headed towards the jungle. The road to Puyo (the closest city to the jungle from Banos) was beautiful. Slowly decending out of the cloud forest down towards the jungle. The road literally sits on the edge of a cliff, so when you look out the window you are looking straight down towards the river far below. We arrived in Puyos and stopped at a gas station to get fuel and snacks for those who wanted some. Then we headed off to a monkey rehabilitation center. Their goal was to get these monkeys back into the wild. We walked around the reserve and interacted with monkeys and turtles. I ... read more