Ecuador – Part III – October 22, 2012

Hola Everyone…

We wanted to drop a line to say hello and fill you in on our travels.

We finished up our time in Puerto Lopez by spending a day in the rain forest watching howler monkeys swing by on tree tops. As well, a day on Isla de la Plata, which translates to “Island of Silver” (silver was found on the island and rumour has it that the pirates buried their treasures there). It was a 1.5 hour boat ride through the Pacific where we were so fortunate to come across some whales…such beautiful, articulate mammals…a true privilege to witness them in their habitat.

The island was stunning. Home to the “Blue Footed Boobies” (who doesn’t giggle each time you hear that?), it is truly their island. Pathways lead you around their nesting grounds where you get so close you can almost touch them. Unique to Ecuador, they are protected and have a particular sound of a whistle (males) or a squawk (females)…like a mating call that they say closely relates to all cultures;)

We then left Puerto Lopez and made our way to Salinas. This town is where all the “gringos” go. Our hostel was owned by an American so English was spoken. We met some other “gringos” that have lived in the area…some for a few months, others for a few years so we got the scoop on the area. Since we’re at the end of the low season, we had the entire beach to ourselves. Beautiful high rise condos line the beach with breathtaking views. Salinas offered much more infrastructure and an ease of getting around. We appreciated the paved roads and sidewalks;) As in many coastal areas, fishing is big and you can see that when it’s low tide, no one is really outJ

We then made our way to Quayaquil (pronounced “why I kill”)…LOL. This (we were told after we decided to go) is considered the most dangerous city in all of Ecuador. A population of over 3.5 million people, we decided that instead of driving back to Quito (in the north) we would drop the rented car in Quayquil and fly back to Quito ($52 each with a 45 min flight vs. 13 hour drive through the winding mountains). We left early on Friday morning to make our way so we could drop the car and catch a 12:05 pm flight. I can say with certainty, that I have never driven and neither of us have EVER experienced traffic in any city anywhere in the world as we did in Quayaquil. Picture it…about 5-6 unpainted and unmarked lanes of traffic with curbs in the middle of the road….and the Ecuadorians are not known for their street signage so it was an adventure! We decided to pull over, flag a cab and follow him to the airport. Stick your arm out the window, pull out anyway and hope for the best…LOLJ All good…we made our way and the flight back to Quito was great.

We are now in Quito staying at NuHotel which is right in the heart of the city. Infrastructure is great, good restaurants, and a great city. What is different here from the coastal regions is that it is perpetually spring-like weather. Highs of 18 or 19 with night time lows of 8 or 9. What is also different is that since we are travelling in their winter, the coastal regions were warmer but I don’t think we saw the sun more than once. Here in Quito, it is cooler but the sun shines a lot. Lastly, we are at a much higher altitude so breathing has taken quite a bit of adjusting to. We are about 9,000 feet above sea level so you can easily get winded just walking up some stairs.

Our first day we took a city tour bus to different points which ended with a cable car to the highest point possible….was spectacular views. Clouds literally float by…it is just like standing in the clouds.

Today we hired a driver to take us to the Hot Springs in Papallacta. We did this separately as going as a tour was more expensive. Natural pools heated by a nearby volcano (Ecuador as a country has 42 active volcanos)…with that, we chose an hour massage and an hour body scrub with a wine mud. It was definitely a day of pampering way beyond what we were expecting. Comparatively…cheap cheap cheap and delightfully relaxing…

Tomorrow we’ll tour a bit more of the city and then Tuesday we’re heading up to the mountains for another tour including that of a famous market where they make special leathers and alpaca clothing.

Wishing everyone our very best. We look forward to catching up upon our return.

Love to all…