Ecuador

16 days in Ecuador in my sights, solo this time.
-After flying into Ecuador's 2nd largest city, Guayaquil, at night, I have since learned, and can recommend to you, that it is worth attempting to get to your destination city/town straight away. Save yourself from having to waste time the following day on travel...FYI
-Also, cost me $13(!) the one time I took $ out of an ATM in Ecuador. Anyone have any tips on how to most cheaply get $ abroad?

Cuenca
A city in the Andes over 8000ft high, Cuenca is not what I think it used to be. What was once a quiet mountain town, is now full of traffic jams, exhaust fumes, and traffic lights that belie the single-lane cobble-stoned streets and antique architecture.
I stayed in a hostel room that turned out to be right next to a club (you never know until the music comes on), which turned into wakeful dreams of bangin music... only to wake up to the church next-door that, starting at 5am, rang its bells about 15 times...every half hour until about 8--uff!, that was painful.

Went for a great hike into the mountains of Cajas national park. Reaching up 13,300ft and containing over 270 lakes, it was a classic view of the Andes.


After catching our breath (a different story hiking at 13,000+ft) and stopping in for a taste of the locally and heavily farmed trout, we went for an amazing walk into a canyon lake that held a tranquil calm with breathtaking scenery.


My first encounter with lamas and alpacas. The difference I learned is that alpacas have a tuft of hair on their forehead, llamas do not. What mild mannered animals.


Did this hike with a Swiss couple doing a 6 week trip in Ecuador--now that´s more like it! (boy I wish we could learn from the European way of life)

After a long day's hike I sought off to a corner of the city known for it's thermal baños / baths. What just looks like the local swimming pool, looked to me a like a great community space for families/people to hang out and soak in the natural hot water. There are a bunch of these baños spread out all over the hill town. Various neighborhood's with their own... we need some!

Had a few passes on the water slides, couldn't resist.

Next, it was an 8 hour(!) bus ride north to Baños--an amazing, winding, cliff-side drive through Andean mountain communities. At one of many quick stops at these small mountain towns to let people on/off, however, the bus driver gets out of the bus, somehow gets in a fight with someone outside. We are stuck not knowing if he's coming back for an hour+, waiting for who knows what. He comes back with a bandaged bloody eye. Now he's back driving (again, on these Andean mountain cliff roads) very angry, driving crazy fast all over the road. Then we descend into foggy valleys with a swinging bus, honking and passing smaller cars. Eventually enough people are screaming and yelling at him to slow down, he does. Yipes, scary!


Baños
A medium sized mountain town.

Where they twist candy.

Rented a bike for the day--still one of my favorite things to do while traveling.
Found a quiet side road along the river that made for some good adventure...

Went to the very cool ($2) zoo perched on the side of a mountain.

Across the way was the ($1) snake aquarium.
A guy had let one of the 12 ft boa constrictors out for some sun on a railing...
I walk by about 15 minutes later and just happened to notice that, after the guy had left, the snake was crawling down the side of the building into the street! So i yelled down to a worker below who got the guy to come get it. For helping out, I was rewarded with a chance to hold it :)


For the 2nd half of the day I took off for a waterfall ridden trip along a river valley road.
Along the way there are a bunch of little gondolas that people use to cross the canyon,

fun for tourists too.

Somewhat touristy a road, some locals had set up a 1 kilometer(!) zip line over the river. I had met up with some other Argentinians biking the excursion and we stopped for a look. After haggling over the price, getting it down from $13 to $7, my partners for the day asked me to go first-- scardy cats ;) So not knowing how it was, only after doing it did I realize that I had to do it again!--with my camera this time. So fun! Check it out:


The last waterfall along the way, el diablo, was by far the most amazing--about 265ft high.

Most amazing was the construction job they did building a passage way along the cliffs to the top of the waterfall.

Where you could go right under near the top of it--such a rush!

I met a 23 year old kid and his father from Alaska at the top. The kid was in Ecuador for 3 months guiding kayak trips (his 3rd time) and he was sizing up the water fall for a run of it with his kayak! crazy!
At night, on the menu in baños are the baths (claro que si). Hot springs that make for a great community gathering site.

With a party pool.

Went white water rafting on el rio verde. Had one too many in my boat, so someone had to sit without a paddle on the front and center, legs hanging out. After another was too scared to sit there any longer, I went... So much fun! Like being in the front seat of a roller coaster...only like riding a bucking bronco and much easier to fall out.

Puyo

A small town on the outskirts of the Amazon. I went for a little tour of an indigenous medicinal garden.

My young guide said the indigenous people of the Amazon usually live to 100 years. In discussing the various plants and their medicinal use, she said they attribute their longevity in part to eating a certain plant every morning that forces them to vomit. Your guess is as good as mine on that one...although, I don't think they had much of a calender system.

She also discussed their marital/mating habits: that men can have many wives who all live in the same house. In order for them to mate, they must has to go elsewhere--to the respective garden that each wife maintains away from the house. Each wife leaves for this garden to have her baby on her own, which my guide said usually takes 30 minutes, the result of special plants she eats to aid the birthing process, plants that my guide said her elders would kill her for telling tourists about...

Yucca:

Ayahuasca:

Into the amazon for a short day trip. Saw some very cool plants and their residents.



Made a quick stop at a monkey zoo/hospital was fun. They are so playful, often to the point of aggression.

Another guided tour of traditional plants in the Amazon and their uses. I'm guessing I'm comprehending about 50% of things...between the locals and the other South American travelers I find myself with, little English is spoken. But, for me, that's half the fun--trying to get by in Spanish.

Montanita
What a town! Hung out here for a while...A beach town with a rocking night life. Turns out it's a destination for Chilean and Argentinian youth during their summer vacation. Didn't get to bed before 4am the 5 nights I was there...Including a night of dancing outside in the pouring rain and mud until the joint closed after 4!

The small town is mostly only foot traffic.
By day an easy going beech town,


by night, party in the streets.

Drink whatever you like, $3.

Plenty of fresh fruit

and fresh sea food (ceviche)

I've encountered so many Chileans and Argentinians traveling in South America. My impression is they are an interesting breed: genes are good looking, courteous, and steeped in culture. If only I could better understand their Spanish!--a very different version of the language, it seems to me.


La Isla De Plata
Not too far away is this small island, compared with the Galapagos but with far fewer species. A steaming desert enclave 40ks off the coast, 100+ degrees in the sun--yum!.
A nesting ground for frigates and boobies,




Took off to a more remote beach, los Frailes...worth the walk.



Took a bit of a hitchhike to get back...atop the roof of the driver, with a pig riding in the back :)

ah, the adventure!...why must it be so short...