Ecuador.. more and more

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After being in Ecuador for seven weeks I decided it was time to start a blog. This was not necessarily an easy decision to come to. The thought of strangers or even friends and family reading about my travel experience at first felt uncomfortable, did I really have anything to write interesting enough? Heck, I like reading about other peoples travels but for some reason I had always held off on publishing reflections of my own. Despite reservations I decided to write this blog to organize the random ramblings in my journal and to hopefully peak the interests of friends, family and other curious wanderers..

A friend once told me you have gypsy blood... I didn't have to contemplate it, I instantly agreed. Being in a constant state of movement has never been a conscious decision but simply the way I must be.. like breathing travel is truly vital. At 27 I have had the opportunity to visit 27 countries ( I just made that calculation today and decided it was very exciting to be spending my 27th year in my 27th country- that must mean something special, no?).

This trip has been a long time in the making.. Ali (my travel companion) and I have been discussing this trip for years. The two of us have been on many road trips in Canada and the United States and have been constant partners in crime visiting festivals, climbing rocks, snowboarding mountains, floating rivers, sleeping in cars, and camping on deserted beaches. Now it was finally time to take our travel to the next level.

When the trip began I was slow to warm up to life on the road – I was distracted by stresses from home, I had convinced myself getting away was the best way to take my mind off things but during the first few weeks I had my doubts and had trouble being present in the moment. As I write these words I realize I have come a long way and feel I am now in a place where I can embrace the places I visit with an open heart and mind.

With that intro I begin... Ali and I started in Quito and found the city surprisingly manageable... yes large and sprawling but easy enough to navigate and fully equipped with many sights. I visited the famed tourist attraction "Mitad del Mundo" and jumped from North to South across the Ecuator, traveled up La Virgen de Quito in the El Panecillo for beautiful panoramic views, and got lost in the old town where a laid my head to rest at the Secret Garden Hotel ( I highly recommend it.. mainly due to its amazing rooftop views).

After Quito it was off to Otavalo for the Saturday market.. In addition to clothing and crafts there was a huge animal market where critters of all shapes and sizes could be purchased.. I was concerned it might be disturbing for my vegetarian eyes but the majority of the animals appeared well taken care of. The highlight were the puppies which could be purchased for a mere five dollars... very tempting! We spent the morning with the animals and then it was time to make our way through the countless stands of clothing and jewelry- this was a mistake to visit so early in our trip as I was longing for a larger backpack or the ability to send boxes of clothing and artwork back to Canada 😊. Alas, my budget did not allow it so it was window shopping I settled for. We met a wonderful character Favio at the market vending his jewelery and it was a buen opportunida para mi practicar mi espanol.. We became fast friends and I soon realized my Spanglish could go far as we discussed the Mayan calendar and the wonders this continent has to offer over beers in the local falafel restaurant.

We bid Favio goodbye and after a few days in Otavalo it was off to Latacunga and the Quilotoa Loop for some amazing crater viewing and epic landscapes. We started at the Quilotoa Crater in on a 5 hour survey of the circumference which proved challenging at 4000 meters. I was soon out of breath and humbled by the dramatic affect the altitude had on my body. Despite the exhaustion it was one of the most beautiful sites I have seen thus far. We spent the night at the rustic communidad hostal, cold but cozy and I felt more like I was back home in Canada at the ski lodge than anywhere near the ecuator. The next day we spent the morning relaxing soaking in the impressive views and by mid day we made our way to Chugchilan.. We stayed at the Cloud Forest hostel.. the famed Black Sheep was closed for vacation but the Cloud Forest was a gem equipped with extremely economical warm meals that were served by a family even warmer than the food, hospitable and genuinely caring individuals. Post dinner activities included playing with the 5 week old puppy and sing a longs in Spanish around the fire. After a good nights sleep ( if you could drown out the howling dogs) we decided to take a stab at horseback riding, this is when I realized I have a slight.. well maybe more that slight fear of horses. We ventured up into the cloud forest.. a beautiful and muy tranquilo site and once I relaxed and attempted to ignore the fact my horse loved to walk as close to the edge of the cliffs as possible I began to really enjoy myself. At the top of the forest we visited a small cheese factory.. with well.. little more than cheese on a shelf.. We entered and we told most visitors take a picture and leave.. so thats what we did with half a pound of mozzarella in hand.

After the loop it was time to visit Banos a wonderful little town nestled in central highlands boasting waterfalls, thermal baths, volcanos, and green peaks. Being in one of Ecuador's unofficial adventure capitals we had to try something new. Canyoning was the adventure of choice... more or less repelling down waterfalls. I felt comfortable repelling as I have experience climbing but repelling down WATERfalls added a different element. Great success was achieved and it is safe to say I'd love to do it again. In addition to canyoning we rented bikes and visited more waterfalls and stops of interest outside the Banos parameter.. our only mistake was we did this on a Sunday when the roads were packed with cars and the majority of our bike ride was along a highway making it less that ideal and slightly nerve wracking.

After Banos we had enough of mountains for the time being and decided it was time bust out the sun dresses and hit the coast. Montanita was the first stop to meet my friend Ben and his lovely parents Mike and Gail. I was instantly impressed at Mike and Gail's ability to cram 6 weeks worth of clothing and toiletries into a small carry on.. these were some travelers we could learn from 😊 Ben had spent the past 6 months working between Colombia and Ecuador and was ready for the good times and it was wonderful to be greeted by a familiar face especially when I was so many miles from home. The group meshed naturally; now Ali and I officially had an adopted family. Montanita was not our favorite place perhaps it was the gray weather, Ali's stomach sickness, or the inflated price of our accommodation ( we happened to be there for one of the many Ecuadorian holiday weekends). We lasted only a couple of days and then it was North up the coast we went. We had no particular destination in mind and we were convinced by a new friend Alejandro who we met on the bus to visit his home town of Crucita. The town was lovely, off the tourist track and we had not only found a person tour guide in Alejandro but his wife Irelandia was an amazing cook and we enjoyed a lovely meal in the family restaurant. In Crucita Ben and Ali embraced another new sport parapuenting... I was the official photographer of the adventure.. check the photos! A couple days were sufficient in Crucita and we bid the town good-bye continued North to discover Canoa.

Oh Canoa! Our home away from home it became... we settled in at the Bambu Hotel which boasts a beach front location and muy rico happy hours (and was surprisingly quite economical – somehow one evening I ended up even becoming the bartender for a round or two)... ten days passed by in a blink and despite the rather gray weather.. (I thought this was the ecuator I was visiting?!) we were content, more than content happy. Ali and I took Spanish classes, Ben bared the jellyfish and cool waters and surfed, Gail enjoyed beach walks, Mike enjoyed muchas cervecas at all hours of the day, and we all enjoyed the french press coffee served at the surf shack.. a great alternative to the instant coffee found elsewhere. It was strange because we all loved the town but could not necessarily put our finger on why, like I said the weather was far from perfect and the beach was nice but not necessarily spectacular.. in the end we decided it was the people and the perfect blend of locals and tourists which may the location unique and an ideal place to recharge the batteries. After ten days we decided to leave the comfort of home and venture further North.

Mompiche a small surf town with a great pointbreak was our next stop. Once again we experienced less than perfect weather but I did my best to pretend the sun was shining because the beach was beautiful. A highlight was El Negrito a vivacious character we met who manned the batido (smoothie) shack... these batidos were to die for.. as much fruit as you could handle with the glass rimmed with pineapple, orange and banana and finished off with sweet condensed milk and a mound of coconut shavings.. bliss! In addition to the amazing flavor he liked to rock Bob Marley making it an even better place to sit sip and enjoy! We stayed in Mompiche for two nights.. Ben was holding out for a swell which we realized would not come so it was soon back home to Canoa for round two! Four more days and then our family would disperse.. by now we had been together for over 3 weeks and I'd grown accustomed to our routine and would miss this group. Gail and Mike would head to the Galapagos, Ali would do a few more days of Spanish school and Ben and I would learn to kitesurf. After some goodbyes it was time for a new beach and a new sport!

Ecuador kitesurf school is located in Marianita just 15 minutes outside of Manta. The location was picture perfect, the sun was shining, and the accommodation was very comfortable. We spent most of our time on the beach but a few missions were made into Manta to gorge on sushi (delicious!.. Manta is apparently the world's tuna capital) and to devour close to an entire Vienetta ice cream cake.. I had fondly remembered them from my childhood and since we didn't have a fridge it was necessary to eat it all (at least we had earned it after all our time in the water). The kite school is run by Robert, a Colombia who found his piece of paradise and set up shop on this beach 6 years ago and. Mastering the sport wasn't exactly in the cards and it was even a little more difficult than I expected. Controlling a kite while fighting with waves was an environment very foreign to me and my less than strong swimming skills were not an asset..with each large gust of wind I was hurled through the sky and slapped down against he water. My diligent teacher Matias did not give up and spent many hours in the water dragging behind me, on another occasion Ben swam along beside me attempting to give me some guidance. Of course Ben was a natural, up flying almost instantly and making it all look so easy. Despite my “un-natural” ability I had a great time and consider kitesurfing a work in progress.. it is a sport well suited for the beach in Victoria so I hope to continue at home or perhaps on this trip.. with that I will sign off on my first.. and VERY long blog entry.. thank you if you stuck with me through these ramblings..

until next time.

much love

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