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Madame Butterfly!
Karen zooming through the air in a somewhat invasive position. After Quito we decided to head to Mindo, a small town located a couple of hours drive away from Quito. Mindo is known for adventure sports like rafting and zip lining :-)
Direct buses to Mindo are very infrequent so we hopped on a bus to Los Blancos. This bus leaves you at the side of a main road where you have to hitch a lift into Mindo village.... about 10 minutes drive away. As we got off the bus we met a really nice American girl called Ryan who was doing the exact same thing. So the three of us waited by the side of the road for a few minutes and then a local guy pulled up and gave us a lift into the village charging a dollar each for his friendly service :-)
On arrival to Mindo we checked into our lovely guesthouse called Caskafesu..... known for its gorgeous brownies!!!Well worth every single calorie :-) The owners, Luis and Susan are really helpful and very friendly. When we arrived we found out that there was no ATM/bank in Mindo and that the nearest town was about 20-30 minutes drive away. So we ordered a taxi.... basically
Taxi Anyone?
Paul in the back of a pick-up truck.... the typical taxi in these neck of the woods :-) a local guy with a pick-up trunk... we hopped in the back and headed to the next town. Driving in the back at 60 miles an hour, over the bumpiest terrain known to man, hanging on for dear life.... definitely a memorable experience!!! Later that evening Paul and I headed out for dinner and a few drinks in a local bar.
The following morning we walked about 3km to the zip lining center in Mindo and I have to say we had great fun. When you arrive you´re given a harness, gloves and a helmet and we were introduced to our two guides for the day. I was slightly nervous at the beginning not knowing exactly to expect. But after the first zip line we were both rearing to go for more. As we hiked to higher zip lines we were asked if we wanted to perform the 'butterfly´ pose or the 'superman´ pose, both of which share some similarities with 'the karma sutra´ :-) And given that our two guides were lovely local men.... Paul felt somewhat uncomfortable :-) Anyway we had a great laugh!
By the time we worked our way through all the zip lines
Bad Hair Day!
Me in the back of the pick-up trunk on the way to the bank..... definitely a memorable experience :-) we were both wrecked so on our walk back we stopped at a juice bar to quench our thirst :-)
Later that evening Paul, Ryan and I went to none other than a frog concert..... yes...... a frog concert! As we walked the 20 minutes or so from the guesthouse to the frog concert we had no idea what to expect but we were assured by our hosts that this was something not to be missed so off we went! When we arrived we were welcomed by a local man and his German Shepard (who has his own harness and zip lines by the way.... yes a dog who zip lines!!!). We also met another American called Kathleen. We were seated on a veranda overlooking a pond and given a small glass of wine. As we sat we could hear loads of frogs croaking. There are 17 species of frogs in the pond area and the idea is that there are differences in the croaking sounds of the different species. I could only hear 3 different sounds :-(
After a few minutes of listening we went on a night walk around the pond to spot the little fellas
Leaf or Bug?
Paul´s become something of a naturalist since we left Ireland.... that´s not someone who likes to take off their clothes by the way! for ourselves. I couldn´t get over how small they are. After a bit of frog spotting we wandered around and Paul and I got to see fireflies for the first time :-) We don´t have fireflies in Ireland.... or at least Paul and I have never seen them.... and I have to say I felt like a 5 year old girl watching in awe!! It was like they were putting on a little show just for us. We also seen a massive cockroach high in a tree-top.... pretty horrible! Although a frog concert seems completely random.... it was really enjoyable and yet another thing to tick off the list of things to do before one dies!!!
After the concert the four of us headed off for a few drinks. We would have loved to have spent more time in Mindo. There are lots of water tubing and rafting tours plus a number of butterfly farms to see.... ah well.... I suppose that just gives us more excuses to return one day :-)
- By Karen & Paul
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