Getting to the Amazon

We left beautiful Mindo behind and hopped a bus to Quito to start our next adventure in the Amazon. Laura wasn’t feeling well but we thought, or I should say hoped it would pass quickly. We enjoyed our drive through the cloud forest covered mountains and got off just before Quito in La Mitad Del Mundo. This is a town built around the equator. There is a monument to mark the spot and of course a tourist based town around it. It was two dollars to enter so we paid so we could take our picture on the equator and peruse the other interesting museums on the premises. There was a cool insect museum that showed many bizarre critters of Ecuador. I managed to sneak a few pictures before the curator yelled at me.

Laura still wasn’t feeling well so we left early and got on another bus to head to Ofelia, the north bus terminal in Quito. From there we caught another bus into La Mariscal area of Quito to finalize our Amazon trip at the Ecomontes office. After we finalized everything and paid we then had to figure out how to get all the way to the south bus terminal. The man that booked our trip was heading home so he offered to take us to the trolley and show us which one to get on. If we would have known how the trolley was going to be we would have taken a taxi. After a ten minute walk with our packs on we reached the trolley where we had to fight to get on. It was so packed that you couldn’t move. Laura was feeling even worse at this point and the crowded conditions that included all sorts of interesting smells not to mention the heat, was making her feel even worse. She just sort of dangled from the hanging hand grips and swayed with the trolley. At least if she would have passed out she wouldn’t have fallen.

We finally reached the terminal and bought our tickets to Cuyabeno. It was 8:30 at night when we got to the terminal and would be getting on the 9:30 bus to the Amazon, which wouldn’t arrive till 8:00 the next morning. We had been traveling on a bus or trolley for almost 24 hours by the time we reached Cuyabeno. The bus ride there was ok except we felt like we were traveling in a refrigerated truck. We didn’t manage to sleep much and when we disembarked the bus we were a bit delusional. We also hadn’t had anything to eat since we left Mindo the day before other than an empanada at the last bus terminal. We bought our park entrance permits and followed our guide to what must have been at least a 20 foot motorized canoe. We then wound through the jungle watching the trees fly by and ducking under vine covered, overhanging limbs. The warm breeze on the river was a refreshing contrast to the tundra inside the bus. We arrived to the lodge about twenty minutes later. There was a line of palm roofed cabins with rooms open to the elements. In the middle of all the cabins was the main house where we met our host and the other guests. We ate a quick breakfast and got ready to start our first day in the jungle. As ready as we could be on no sleep and very little food, but hey it just adds to the adventure, right?

Christina

Exploring Mindo

When we were doing research for Mindo the guide book said that there were more rooms to rent than people living in the city. We thought this was an exaggeration until we got to the city. From the second we stepped off the bus to the moment we finally agreed on a place to stay we were accosted by hostel owners trying to fill rooms. Around every corner there was another hostel with open beds. We stopped by many of them, one of which had us sleeping next to the manager in an open room where she had a mosquito net and we did not. It was getting late by this time and we were desperate to find something, anything to get the packs off of our backs. The next place we stumbled upon was basically some woman’s home in which she had three rooms for rent. She had children running around and the house had a somewhat wet dog smell. Not the greatest place but we were tired and needed somewhere to stay at least for that night. When we got into the room Christina would not sleep with the cover and was disgusted in the condition of the sheets. We both slept in our travel sheet and still felt somewhat gross even after a shower. Something good did come out of our stay at this hostel though, we meet some American med students who gave us some great advice on things to see in Mindo.

That morning after breakfast we walked out to do the zip lines in the cloud forest and we met this great Australian girl named Joe who was also traveling through South America and we spent the next two hours on the zip lines as well as the rest of the day sharing travel experiences. There were 13 zip lines to ride and short walk through the jungle in between each one. On several of the lines you could ride with one of the guides and do interesting positions while flying through the air like the superman and the butterfly. I did the superman and Christina as well as Joe did the butterfly. Both positions were overtly sexual and made us uncomfortable at first, but when we saw the guides performing the positions with older overweight men as well, it made it somewhat comical. After the exhilarating zip line ride we thought we would check out the butterfly farm but unfortunately it was no longer warm enough to see lots of butterfly activity so we decided to go to the chocolate factory instead. I know, what a horrible replacement for butterflies … gooey brownies and hot chocolate. The place which is called El Quetzal has an amazing brownie as well as a guided tour of how they make the chocolate that goes into making the brownies and everything that they offer in the store. Unfortunately Joe had to catch the early bus because she was headed back to Quito.

The tour guide, also the owner, is a nice man with a genuine passion for making great chocolate and great coffee. We stuck around after the tour and drank coffee with him as well as two Canadians Roz and Trond. They were on a year long road trip from Vancouver to the tip of Argentina and back drinking coffee in every country. We had a long conversation and got great tips on traveling and heard some great stories of travel mishaps. They were also raving about their hostel saying it was like a resort and it was only three dollars to camp there. We were desperate to get out of our hostel but since we had left our bags there all day and the owner was holding a room for us we thought we would have to spend the night again. This time she left early the next morning and did not leave her mother anything to cook us for breakfast. This poor women was frantic trying to figure out what she was going to do all the while kids are screaming in the background. Let’s just say we were very glad to get out of there that morning. We were eventually fed and after that we moved to the hostel the Canadians were at, and as they described, it was like a resort.

The place was called Cabinas Bamboo and it was beautiful and the guy running it was friendly and helpful. After setting our stuff down we went to the Butterfly Farm and saw lots of butterflies emerging from cocoons and flying everywhere as well as humming birds flying all along the outside. I have never seen so many butterflies and so many different species of butterflies in one place. The rest of the day was kind of a recuperation day and we sat in town and watched the locals and tourist walk through the streets. At night we went to the Frog Chorus at Mindo Lago, which I think was my favorite thing we did in Mindo.

The Americans we met the first day were disappointed in it because of all the kids making noise throughout the evening, but when we went there were only about four college age Americans there. We started the evening with a small glass of wine and a talk about the species of frogs they have in the area and then we listened to all the different songs. He then called in a beetle that lights his way as he flies. It had two little yellowish, red lights on its face, making it look like its eyes were lighting its way. We were very lucky since they are only seen fifteen days of the year. After we went on a night walk and found frogs and insect life as well as some bioluminescent bacteria that makes wood glow in the dark. Oh how could I forget we also saw a little bird sleeping on a branch. It was really fun and the guide was very knowledgeable on the flora and fauna of the area.

The next morning after a great night in our hammocks we woke up to birds calling and cows mooing and hummingbirds feeding above our heads. About an hour after waking up I felt horrible. I do not know why I was so sick but Christina had to put my stuff away and drag me to the bus station to catch the 2 hour bus to Quito so we could catch the 11 hour bus to the Amazon. It was a long day.

Laura

Quito Art

This city is full of history. There are countless colonial buildings and churches full of classic paintings and carvings. So when I came around a corner to discover this amazing, trippy graffiti I was pleasantly surprised. I continued to find more examples of this art all over the city. The work is full of vivid colors and unusual subject matter. Not at all what you expect to see in the middle of old town Quito. The young artists of Quito have a slightly twisted artistic view. I love it. I guess it is similar to my own artistic perspective.

Conversely, we stumbled upon a park that looked like gnomes had built while on acid. It was as if someone took sloppy mud and piled big globs of it up to form chairs, benches, and archways, then spray painted them with metallic colors. I was simply fascinated by the oddity of it. Not to mention it was part of the city’s main art museum. So I made Laura come with me to see it, and pose for this lovely picture.

However, this is nowhere near as amusing as the Museum of the city’s cultural exhibition. It started out with a curtain of long, sliver strips that looked similar to duck tape. Once you went through, it was dark and you could barely make out a narrow passage way with faux mud walls that were illuminated by a small panel that had a flickering lightning display. Once you rounded the corner there were a few early Ecuadorian inhabitants that were posed with stones, crouched diligently trying to start a fire to cook their freshly killed deer. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for the cheap afro wig the man was wearing and the giant electrical plug on the floor in front of him. It kind of distracted us from the illusion they were trying to create. The rest of the exhibition continued in this fashion. Despite the cheesiness of the displays, it was very informative and gave you a true sense of how people lived throughout the history of Ecuador. So I give it thumbs up for managing to be informative and entertaining at the same time.

Quito

We have been in Quito for three and a half days now and there seems to always be a rim of clouds covering the volcanoes and mountains surrounding the city. It lends the city a bit of mystery. It unfortunately, also lends the city rain. You can be safe to guess that around five in the afternoon it is going to start raining and usually last most of the night. In fact it is raining as I am writing this. I don’t know if it is a seasonal occurrence but it puts a damper on the night life.

The city is broken up into two main sections the old town and the new town. The old town quickly became our favorite and we spent most of our time there. The old colonial style buildings reeked of history, and the tight streets allowed for a surprise around every corner. Usually these surprises were churches or convents. Our response to this eventually became, “Oh look another church.” We went to quite a few churches. They were all beautiful, but after a while they started running together. Another delightful surprise was the festivals we just kept stumbling upon. On our first day in the city we happened upon a birthday celebration for the municipality. There were bands representing all four branches of the military and police with local dancers performing to the music.

Another aspect of old town that we didn’t get tired of seeing was the numerous food stalls and little restaurants, mainly the pastry shops. There were cookies and biscoches and cream layered pastries that were amazing. Not to mention the savory pastries. Oh empanadas how I love thee. One very memorable meal was at the top of el Panecillo where the giant monument of the Virgin of Quito sits. We happen upon this restaurant when we took a taxi up because a shanty town covers the hills below, and it is highly unadvised to walk through these for fear of rape or mugging, both of which might have interrupted our day. When we arrived to the top … surprise another celebration was happening. We watched for a while and then realized that we had no way down. There were no taxis in sight so we made our way to the edge of the hill where there was a little food stand that smelled amazing. We had fired pork, fried chicken, fried and boiled corn, and this amazing salsa that seems to go on everything here. The little lady cooked it all there in front of us in this shack like kitchen. It was delicious, but most of it was fried so how could we not like it.

One of the other great meals we had was at the traditional Ecuadorian restaurant in new town. This area is definitely more modern compared with old town with which comes a more commercial tourist driven atmosphere. When we asked a local where to go to get good traditional food we did not expect to be directed to a section of town dominated by bars called Beertropolis and Kelly Clarkson blaring cafes. Needless to say we had doubts about the restaurant. Upon entering we were disappointed but not shocked to see that most of the dinners were tourists. We had French people to our right and Germans to our left. Despite this the food was delicious. We started with a humita, which is very similar to tamales but filled with cheese. Our main dishes of seco de chivo (lamb stew) and roasted chicken with llapingachos (a patty of mashed potatoes stuffed with cheese then fried on a griddle) where worth the splurge. We ended the meal with a pristinos, a traditional Ecuadorian pastry served with a brown sugar syrup. It is made with empanada type dough filled with cheese then fried. It had a nice savory, sweet flavor combination. Well if you haven’t seen a trend develop yet, there is a lot to of cheesy fried food here. No complaints from me though.

The city as a whole was much safer than the travel guides made it out to be. We seldom felt threatened in any area. Granted we would not walk in certain areas after dark, but the same can be said for any city. We were seldom even bothered by beggars. I did get tricked into helping a blind lady up some stairs and when we reached the top she latched onto my arm and started going on a rant about her eyes and Jesus and how she needed a surgery and I could be her savior for the low low price of thirty two dollars. Well, the sucker I am gave her some change I had in my pocket. Ok, I know it was just some change, but we can eat a whole meal for two dollars. Well, she disgustedly shoved the money back and said she was no street beggar and walked off. I was left shocked. I guess that’s the last time I help a blind lady.

Christina

Getting There

After my best friends wedding (not the movie) in Gulfport we left for Miami. The weather was less than perfect, to put it mildly. We spent the next 12 hours traveling on what should have been a 5 hour trip. After hopping from one canceled flight to another it felt a little like musical airplanes.  Our original arrival time was 5:00pm and we arrived in Miami at 10:30pm tired and hoping that our flight tomorrow went smoother.

The next day was our friend and soon to be travel partener Shalom's birthday. We spent the day with him, having a last look at the city we called home for a year. After a lovely but hot day we were ready for the cool temperatures of South American winter. 

On arrival the first thing we did was change money. After countless hours of research we had negleted to find out that Ecuador uses the dollar. The cashier at the bank gave us a strange and slightly annoyed look as she took our American dollars and gave us back American dollars. According to our taxi driver Ecuador has been using the dollar for ten years now. We discovered this and other colorful Quito facts after ten minutes or so of hagaling on the fare rate. Hagaling is something that I have never done before. According to a guide book taxis from the airport do not have to use a meter and you are supposed to hagal for a fare. The hagaling did not stop there everything is negotiable but that does not mean that we are good at it. Case in point, our first meal. The meal was a typical serving of marinated flank steak, rice, lentils, and potatoes. We were overcharged but what could we do we had already eaten it. Lesson one ... always ask before you buy.

Travel Plans

Where are you going?  How long are you going to be gone?  How did you think of that? Aren't you scared? ... Whenever we tell someone about our trip these question usually follow, not necessarily in that order.  While we don't have a set itinerary per say, we do have a general outline of the countries we want to visit.

We are starting our trip in South  America, beginning with Ecuador, then Peru, Chile, and Argentina.  From there we go to Mexico, and while it is not a new destination for us, we have some important people to visit.  My sister lives there and we couldn't miss an opportunity to see her and our niece, Natalie.  From there we have a one way flight to India.  After India we are going to travel throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and China.  Then we go to Japan.  From Japan we go to Russia.  We are going to cross Russia on the Trans Siberian Railway.  Going by train seems like such an adventurous way to travel.  Meeting other travelers, eating in the dinning car as the landscape goes by, and getting off at stops to see different cities... Need I say more, but I digress.  After Russia we are going to tour around Europe with whatever money we have left, if there is any. 
We have budgeted for a year, but will keep going till the money runs out.  As far as planning, we are keeping it to a minimum.  We want to leave room for spontaneity and discovery as we go.  Whose to say we won't hear about an amazing new place we just have to see, or fall in love with a particular city, or food for that matter, and just have to stay a while longer.  I wouldn't want an itinerary to get in the way.  Are we scared? ... I wouldn't use the word scared, but perhaps nervous anticipation of the unknown mixed with excitement.  It would be hard to embark on such an ambitious endeavour without having some anxiety.  For the past year our lives have been defined by planning.  Now that the planning is done and its time to actually go on the trip, its hard to switch gears and just enjoy ourselves.

Christina

The Hair Cut Part II

OK, OK, I know I have been promising to put a picture of my new short do for some time now.  I guess I kept getting side tracked on other projects or maybe I was just waiting for a good hair day.  Well if that is the case, you may never see it.  The first picture is my hair right after I got it cut.  I know you can't really see too much of my hair in this picture, but you can see how short it was. You can also see my adorable niece Natalie.  Isn't she so cute?  The other picture is of me now.  My hair is already more than twice as long as it was at first.  I have crazy Chia Pet hair.  It grows like weeds on steroids.

I must say the new do is quite liberating.  Never in my curly, frizzy life have I ever been able to fix my hair in less than a minute.  I am not exaggerating.  I get out of the shower, rub some gel in my hair, and I'm on my way.  Its amazing and going to be perfect for the trip! If I take the 45 minutes that it normally takes me to dry my hair and multiply that across the span of a year, I probably just added an extra week to my trip.  It will be interesting to see how it grows out.  I plan to cut it very few times and just let it grow out naturally.  It could result in some pretty glorious mullets ... or afros with my fizzy/curly hair.  Ha ha!  Stay tuned to see what horrible transformations my hair takes.

Christina