Houston, we don't have a problem

Was up very early in Quito, and off to the airport to head home. Taxi was a few minutes late, but we zipped to the Quito Airport in about 10 minutes, no traffic at 5 in the morning.

First Class check in and security was a breeze, and was soon sipping a latte and eating pastries in the VIP Lounge.

Got a window seat up front, and was treated to some great views of Central America on the way north. I spotted what I am pretty sure was San Jose, Costa Rica from the air, and was also treated to dazzling views of the coral reefs off Belize.

Bob picked me up at IAH (George Bush Intercontinental Airport... ya, I cringe too everytime I see it). We drove into Houston, and he insisted on treating me to Chicken Fried Steak. I ordered the small portion... yup, this is definitely America!





Spent a few hours in the huge and very nice United Club Lounge in Houston. Our flight to Vancouver had a slight delay, but were soon on our way home.



I am now home safe and sound in beautiful, but wet Vancouver.

By the way, my new blankets are the perfect colour!

The Otavalo Saturday Market

Awoke to the sounds of the hustle and bustle of Otavalo's Saturday Market. Not only was the central square filled to the brim with vendors, but every street for blocks around it were jammed with stalls. They ran right down the center of the road and on to the sidewalks; no cars here today!



Click for a brief video of the Otavalo Saturday Market.

We all picked up a few last minute things, and were starting to get ready to leave, just as the hoards of tourist buses from Quito were starting to arrive.

We had seen the famous Saturday Market, but managed to avoid being exhausted by it. Score some more points for GAP Adventures.














It is now Sunday, my last day in Ecuador. If you had not noticed, I have had a fabulous time - this had been an excellent vacation, and a wonderful "Encore" to my Around the World trip.

Hummmmm, where to next????

Tipsy photography

After our dinner at the restaurant, a few of us decided a night of bar hopping might be a good idea. Jeremy ordered tequila shooters at the first bar, and the evening was off to a crazy start. It has probably been about 20 years since I have had a tequila shooter.

The next morning I awoke, not feeling bad at all, but mad at myself. I had missed taking pictures of Otavalo's beautiful church, which is all lit up at night.

Well, I looked on my camera, and sure enough, three high quality shots of the church at night! Seems even after a few drinks, I have the sense to pull out my camera, put it on the "Museum" setting, and take a few steady, non-flash shots.



I am a man of many talents.

Otavalo on Friday - the calm before the storm

We arrived at the world famous Otavalo market on Friday. Saturday is the huge day at the market, with not only tourists, but locals from miles around coming to buy all sorts of things.














Arriving on Friday proved to be very smart (what else would you expect from GAP). The market only consists of the central square every other day of the week, but there is lots to choose from, and the vendors are eager to make a sale.

So we had some relaxing shopping, avoiding the massive crowds that were about to arrive the next day. I managed to find not one, but two alpaca blankets that would suit my place so well; I was thrilled. Equally thrilling was the fact I managed to stuff both of them, plus a few other purchases in my carry on backpack.















After a hard afternoon shopping in the hot Equatorial sun, we grabbed a prime table above the market for some cold beers. It was fascinating to watch them take the whole place apart, and store it for the night. I cannot believe they do this everyday.



Later that evening, we all went out to dinner at a very authentic Ecuadorian restaurant. Jeremy got brave and ordered Cuy (guinea pig). Please forgive me, Laurie, I did have a little taste. Yup, its the classic "tastes like chicken"!

La Mitad del Mundo

Well, you can´t come to Ecuador without visiting its namesake, the Equator. The Equator goes right through the country, and 16 others in the world. There are several monuments marking the line, but this one is by far the most geographically accurate. Several of the other ones are off by a few hundred metres, as they were created long before satellites and GPS. This one is bang on, and takes a more scientific approach to describing the Equator, and a unique view of the world.

Some of the other Equatorial monuments are quite busy and very kitchy - doing the stupid "drain flowing in opposite directions" trick, even though they are not even on the actual Equator. Our guide also suggested we try balancing an egg at home, the trick is how the yolk sits in the egg, and has nothing to do with being on the Equator.

Behind me is Cayambe Volcano, the only spot on the entire planet where there is snow right on the Equator.





The guide at the centre gave a very interesting talk on scientific aspects of the Equator. It included a very unique way of viewing the world, with maps taking the view from the Equatorial perspective, looking east along the Equator, with the Northern Hemisphere on the left, and Southern on the right.

Children are now being taught this very logical view. Funny how we Westerners view the world with us on the top, and our Aussie friends "down under"



We wandered around the sundial, taking pictures, and contemplating the world from its midpoint. At one point a heard a loud "thunk". It seems Sara thought that the stones on the sundial points were glued to the rocks they were actually balanced on. I started laughing so hard; it was right up there with Clarence extinguishing one of the eternal flames in Turkey!



Wishing the Northern and Southern hemispheres shanti (peace) from the Equator.

Time to stop and smell the roses

Most of you probably don't know (I didn't) that Ecuador is one of the world's largest exporters of fresh cut flowers. We had the opportunity to visit a working rose farm just down the road from our Hacienda. A bonus was the amazing view of Cayambe Volcano, Ecuador's third highest mountain from the farm. That means we have now seen the first, second and third highest mountains in the country.



There were acres and acres of greenhouses, not really to keep the flowers warm, rather than to protect them from the wind and harsh Equatorial sun.

Even more amazing than the greenhouses was the production area, where the roses were sorted and packed for shipping. Each station had a different colour they were working on, and quality control was very strict. Rejected roses were truly rejected, they could not even be sold locally; the farm had its reputation to protect.





There are huge farms like this all over Ecuador, growing all kinds of flowers, but roses are the countries' specialty. What I found really interesting was that each farm concentrated on a particular market. Each market has specific preferences as to favourite colours and stem lengths. The farm we visited exported the bulk of its products to Russia!







So next time you take the time to "stop and smell the roses" in your home country, take a moment to think that it may have come from this wonderful and surprising little South American country.

Stepping back in Time

Heading north out of Quito, we stopped near Cayambe, very close to the Equator, and stayed at a beautiful Hacienda that was over 400 years old. There are many Haciendas in Ecuador that have been restored and upgraded, most of them very posh. This one was not so fancy, more authentic to its history, and affordable on a GAP budget!



























We were out in the country, so it was time to relax. The place was a photographer's dream, with all kinds of colour, texture and interesting old objects. There was a swimming pool under a kind of greenhouse roof, which created a nice warm microclimate during the cool evenings.





Also keeping you warm were the many fireplaces in the common rooms. We found a fabulous room (picture above), grabbed some drinks, and set a fire. We had fun keeping it roaring hot with a huge old bellows.















The place served wonderful food, and of course.... another fireplace! The beds had nice warm blankets, but the staff also set a fire in each of our rooms. I kept getting up, keeping it going, as it was right by my bed. This place would be so romantic, if only.....














More pictures of this beautiful place on my Flickr page.

Hola from Quito

Cajas National Park, near Cuenca

We had a quick 40 minute flight from Cuenca to Quito last night, and settled back into the Hotel Rio Amazonas for the night. Today, we are off to Cayambe, a National Park with yet another spectacular volcano. We are staying in one of the oldest Haciendas in Ecuador. Lots of opportunities for more outdoor adventures, including (hopefully), horseback riding. We shall see how the tailbone is.

After 2 days there, it is off to the world famous Otavalo Market. I have a couple of things I would like to buy... we shall see.

Back in Quito for a couple of days. Some of the group is off to the Galapagos, while the rest of us head home.

I have about 9 hours in Houston, and hope to see Bob H. while I am there.

Probably one last blog from Ecuador on Sunday.

More high elevation hiking

Today, a group of us headed outside Cuenca to Cajas National Park for some serious hiking. It started with a 1/2 hour hike in the Park at 3,200 metres. We circled a nice lake surrounded by mountains.

After that envigorating hike, we headed much higher, to over 4,000 metres for a challenging 2 hour hike. Think about it, 4,000 metres is the height of the TOP of BC's highest mountain, and we were there for 2 hours! Thank God for yoga lungs and yoga legs is all I can say. The scenery was great, and we really enjoyed the hike. Unfortunately, just after the start of the hike, my camera battery died.

Oh well, better to be in the moment enjoying the scenery!

Cuenca

We are now in Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador. It is much more relaxing and laid back than Quito.

It is also at a somewhat lower elevation than Quito, resulting in one of those "Spring year round" climates you can only get in the tropics at higher elevations.

It is these factors, plus a relatively low cost of living, that are transforming Cuenca into the latest retirement haven. Europeans and North Americans in the know are just starting to flock here. Today our guide was complaining that a huge American style house on a large lot cost an outrageous $150,000, unheard of in Ecuador.

Cuenca also has an old colonial centre, that, like Quito, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Avenue of the Volcanoes

Yesterday we left rainy Baños, and headed west, then south on the route called Avenue of the Volcanoes. We voted for, and paid extra for a private bus; that way we could make some stops along the way, and take pictures out the window. The route south to Cuernca is spectacular. We were in the Sierra (Highlands) and travelled as high as 4,000 metres. The countryside in Ecuador is beautiful, rolling hills and mountains, very, very green, as the volcanic soil is so fertile. Everywhere, up to the high mountain slopes, something is planted and growing.

We lucked out and had clear weather for the first part of the day. At some points, there were as many as 4 volcanoes visible from our bus, stretching out in all directions. The above picture is Chimborazo Volcano, the highest mountain in Ecuador.

Trivia point - although Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, the top of Chimborazo is both the farthest point from the center of the Earth, and the closest point to the sun. This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, it bulges out at the Equator (i.e., Ecuador).

It was Sunday, so along the way we managed to stop at the most authentic market I could imagine. I was surprised how many rural people in Ecuador still wear traditional dress. Our guide had warned us not to take pictures of people, as they get very offended. I did manage to discreetly take this video to give you a bit of a flavour of the place.



We wandered the market, seeing all kinds of stuff for sale. The highlight for me was all the wonderful fruits and vegetables; no wonder they taste so good.

































Mora (blackberries) the makings for my favourite juice in Ecuador!

I grabbed an Empanada de queso (deep fried turnover with cheese) added a little sugar... mmmmmmm!



After our stop at the market, we headed further south, towards the ancient Inca ruins of Ingapirca. It is a very modest introduction before Machu Pichu.

Facing your Fears!

We headed back to the highlands, and are now in the wonderful town of Baños, the adventure capital of Ecuador. Well, what can one do in such a capital when one has already tried their hand at ziplining.

You all know that in spite of living on the 26th floor, I am terrified of heights, especially the edges of cliffs and similar things.

Well kids, I decided to face my fears, and spent several hours yesterday afternoon Canyoneering with some of the younger and fitter members of our group. This involved donning wetsuits and helmits, climbing an increadibly steep and high hike to a canyon, then rappeling on ropes down 4 waterfalls.














The falls ranged in height, 18, 20, 25 and 27 metres, close to 100 feet high. It was almost a sheer drop, with water everywhere pushing you around. The ropes had no breaking mechanism, we learned to control their movement through our harnesses.




















The slippery edges at the top of the waterfalls were terrifying, but I breathed my way through it. Once over the edge, you concentrate on technique, rappeling down with bum down and fairly straight legs. It was truly exhilarating, and to say that I feel I accomplished a major feat is truly an understatement!


















Near the bottom, there are 2 more waterfalls which we went over in the harness, feet down, dangling, being controlled by our guide above. Unfortunately, near the bottom of the second to last fall, I swung out and went smashing into the rock face. Did I hit my back and bum.... no. My tailbone smacked into the rock, and it was pretty painfull.

I am doing fine now, a bit of pain down there, but recovering fast. That is why I have time to write this; I have skipped the whitewater rafting this morning (which I have done before).

Who is this crazy 54 year old adventure traveller....? I don´t know, but I think I like him.

Roughing it in the Amazon

Well we had been roughing it (and enjoying it so much!), but now it was time for a bit of luxury in the rain forest. Ecuador has a number of so called Eco-lodges in the Amazon Jungle, one of which GAP has been using for years. Unfortunately, it had burned down just 3 weeks ago. Fortunately for us, GAP had scrambled to get us an alternate, and it was even more upscale. It cost GAP more, but that did not affect us!














We had spent 2 days on our primative jungle community, now it was time for another 2 days at Huasquila Amazon Lodge. More details and pictures at www.huasquila.com



Other than enjoying the lodge, we had a number of hikes through the tropical rain forest. This included a fascinating one to see a number of 2,000 year old petrogliphs.





As we have come to expect from Ecuador, the food was fabulous and delicious. I haven't mentioned yet, but their soups here are just out of this world. The meat chicken and fish are fresh and of the highest quality (all over the country), and you know when you eat the soup, the veggies have just been added fresh, and cooked until they are just perfect, not mushy.



Ho-hum, just another sunset over the Ecuadorian Amazon.