Ecuador

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I took a 17 hr bus to Quito, that was hard. It was SO cold in the bus I could not really sleep. In Quito met up with my friend Santiago, it's good to see him after so long. He is now moving to Australia. He is pretty focused on this so his attention can be a little hard to get.

I went to Mindo, it is beautiful, but I say that about all cloud forests. It is famous for birding, they have counted over 425 different types of bird in a 24 hr period.

Then back to Quito, where I found out my ATM card was used in the us while I was here. Dad has been so helpful dealing with this. I got food poisoning either from the water in Quito or KFC (but I got my glasses and a package from mom, thanks mom!!!).

While waiting for my new ATM card I went to Banos, then Puyo. I'd been to Banos last time I was here, it's really touristy but the scenery is beautiful.

Arriving at Puyo was a little scary only because it seemed grungy was bigger than I expected and I couldn't find a hostel. I finally found a place to stay. The woman working there was very helpful. She is Polish but has lived in Ecuador for 6 years. She gave me advice about volunteering in the area. I had seen poster for a place when I was in Banos, called Merazonia (www.merazonia.org you have to check out the photos) she then recommended the same place. I emailed them and will be going there at the beginning of August. It's about $400 a month but that's less than I am spending now so it should be ok. It is a wildlife rescue center. While in Puyo I wandered along a beautiful river walk next to the Puyo river. There were people cleaning it for an international bike race that was going through there the next day. Oh yeah, Puyo is at the start of the Amazon basin, it is still is at a little altitude so it wasn't quite as hot most of the time. There was a street vendor next to the river who I started talking to who was interesting for a little while. I'm glad I can at least understand some Spanish now even if I can't speak it worth crap. Then I went to what I thought was just going to be an orchid garden, but it is really 8 hectares of farmland a local man decided to reforest 30 years ago. He started to rejuvenate the soil and let things grow. He took photos every year of the animals that showed up. Once the soil could sustain plants he started planting. Now it is booming, tons of plants and tons of animals. I got a tour of the land and of course asked lots and lots of questions. The guy who gave the tour had just gotten out of the peace corps in Puyo and was working there to stay in the area. I tried a new veggie that looked like an unhealthy green pepper but tasted like a cucumber. That night new people arrived in my hostel (I was the only one the first night) and they wanted to do similar things to me the next day so we decided to set up a tour. We walked to and swam in a waterfall, went down the Puyo river in a wooden canoe, went to a beautiful lookout point to see the Pastaza River (Puyo River runs into it). Then we went to a farm for the largest fish in the Amazon. They are carnivorous and can get up to 6 meters and 60 kilos. They also have lungs. They were a bit creepy, 5 years old and not full grown. The point of the farm is to release eggs into the wild to help reestablish the population, since they are endangered... you know like everything else that is cool. Then we went to the place I went to Puyo for... the monkey sanctuary (actually its La Pasada del Monos). They have 64 monkeys 1 coati several birds and 3 dogs, none of which can be released into the wild. The only monkeys in cages can't be let out (like the very angry one who is missing a ring of fur from where he was tied up for 40 years). The rest (including the coati) are free, they just know they get fed and attention if they stay here. That means yo show up and hang out with monkeys!!! It was lots of fun. They are not currently releasing the monkeys back into the wild because it is too late for these. The owner does hope they will be able to do it with future generations of monkeys. Many of them were woolly but there were several other types (no howlers). It was overall a great day! From Puyo I went back to Banos then Quito to get my new atm card ( and a package from dad, thanks!!!).

From Quito I went to Puerto Lopez to see the humpack whales. I wasn't that impressed with the town. I was a little weirded out to see rays and sharks being fished, I thought rays were endangered? The whales were neat I wish my boat saw more and didn't rush to the island but I did see some up close. Then we went to Isla del la Plata (Island of Silver) aka Poor Man's Galapagos. The trees were very dry on the island, but the birds didn't mind. There are 2 hikes on the island but you only get to go one one and your group gets to choose. We saw blue footed boobies, and nazca boobies. There were some frigates flying around but we didn't go to their nesting area, they were also flying over mainland and I saw them on Iguana Island in Panama. I saw a "changing of the guard" of nazca boobies (aka masked boobies) guarding their eggs. According to my guide they always have 2 eggs but only one survives. Boobies make great noises, and the females are larger than males. REd footed boobies were on the other side of the island so I didn't see them and the sea lions or seals whichever live here (sea wolves in spanish) weren't hanging out that day. I really wanted to see an albatross (somehow Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner must have stuck with me from school) but there was only one and it was far away behind bushes. I saw a gray blob with a yellow blob for a head. It really just made me want to go to the Galapagos (the island and the story of Loney George - the ONLY turtle of his species left. He is 140 years old) I've realized I probably won't come back and the islands won't be the same forever (partially because of tourism!).

Went to Cuenca from Puerto Lopez. I wish I spent more time in Cuenca. It is the first city in Ecuador with no street trash and I only saw 1 street dog. It is supposedly the retirement capitol of Ecuador. I went to a museum that had Incan ruins outside an shrunken heads inside (along with art, coins, indigenous info and a lot more) . It is currently illegal to shrink human heads in Eucador but it is ok to shrink sloth heads. I left because my friends left and I thought I had to get back to Quito, and I didn't lie my hostel (Cafecito doesn't know anything about customers, guests, or how to run a cafe)

After Quenca I came to Riobamba. I want to go on Nariz del Diablo but I hear the fun part is closed. Plus it will be a 10 hr train ride then I would get on a bus the next day. Riobamba is historically important and I've walked by some of it and it was closed. I haven't found too much I want to do here. I have found the CUTEST HOTEL EVER. I can't find a hostel here so I have stayed in motels, the first was creepy and gross and I didn't want to touch anything including the bed and the toilet. The second is AMAZING: Hotel Oasis. There is a courtyard, with lots of plants and cute things stuck in. There is a dog, a cat and 2 cute chickens. The owners are sweet and older. There is a little outside kitchen, tables and a castle theme. My window is stained glass, and opens. My door is entirely stained glass and one of my walls is mate of stone. Wifi costs $1 a day, there is a great shower, everything is very clean, and there is a tv that has good reception ( that I am avoiding, but I saw CSI was on!!!) Besides the best hostel ever what else is here? The GIANT mountain is here but it was drizzling so I couldn't see it. I think I'm heading to Latacunga tomorrow. Then I'll head to Quito for Spanish lessons. I might go to the beach with Santiago IF he can stop bailing on me. Then I'm going to Merazonia on the 2nd of August. After that I'm not sure...

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Comments

[chinatrip360]

adxa
sounds good,but too long to view.