On May 28th, Youssef and I left for Ecuador. Jocelyn did not go with us. She does not like bugs or the outdoors much so I figured she would not like Ecuador much. She spent this time happily being spoiled by grandma.
We went to Ecuador looking for adventure and we were not disappointed. When we arrive in the capital Quito it was late afternoon. I was struck by the number of adults and children selling there wares on the side of the road. Packs of gum, lottery tickets & oranges. This is the only way some people are able to make a living. After we checked into our hotel we went looking for somewhere to eat. We went to the "old" part of the city where many locals go to shop. We had a really good meal in a small cafe and returned to our hotel early knowing that tomorrow we had a long journey to our hacienda in the mountains.
The next day we took a taxi to the Hacienda Primavera, about 4 hours north of Quito in the Andes Mountains. The taxi drivers company had agreed on a fee of $60 for the trip, but the driver became very frustrated when realized how far it really was. As we got closer to our destination the driver stopped to ask for directions. Every time he asked some villager on the side of the road how far it was, he/she would say it was about 30 minutes. We would drive about 15/20 minutes more and again he would ask how far was and again he was told 30 minutes. This happen several more times. When we finally saw a sign the driver pulled over & said he wanted $100 to take us to the resort. He didn't say so, but I think if we didn't comply he would have left us on the side of the road so we reluctantly paid.
When we arrived at the hacienda I was struck by the beauty of the land and the resort itself. We were the only guests staying at the resort at the time so we were treated like royalty. They catered to our every need. We received 3 course meals for every meal. It was more food than we could possibly eat. We spent 4 days riding horses in some of the most beautiful unspoiled land I have ever seen. The small houses we saw along our journeys were filled with gracious people who would take the time to smile and say hello as we passed by. These are humble people who live in a rural & very remote area. Most of the people had no electricity or running water. They had to bathe and clean their clothes in the river that runs past their houses. I was amazed how they could be so happy with so little. I hope that Youssef would appreciate how lucky he was, I know I did.
Youssef got a chance to herd cattle on the side of the mountain like a real cowboy. He also got a chance to milk a cow. The cowboys laughed at us when our milk came out in a tiny little stream. At the rate we were going, it would take us all day to fill the large bucket that they gave us. Youssef spent his free time picking all sorts of tropical fruit and vegtables from the garden around the hacienda. The chef would take the fruit and juice it for us. I had never had juice made from fruit right off the tree. It was great!
On the way back to the city we stopped at a town called Otavello. There we visited an Indian market that was like a flea market where indigenous people sell blankets, sweaters, art & crafts, etc.. We brought a bunch of souvenirs. Youssef enjoyed haggling with the vendors to negotiate a better price for all of our purchases. We also went to the middle of the earth where we stood on the equator. When we arrived at our hotel we contacted our tour company for our rainforest tour and found out there was a mix-up and our tour would not arrive back until that Friday, which was after our flight home was supposed to depart. We had to change our plans and go on a shorter tour of the rainforest in a different location. This meant we had to get up early and endure another 3 hour drive (sigh!).
When we arrived at our tour I was told that I could only take 1 small bag on the tour. At this point we had 2 suitcases plus a duffel bag that we needed to store all of our souvenirs. Quickly, I tried to decide what to take. Meanwhile, Youssef left on the bike portion of our tour with our guide and other members of our tour. After I got it together, I met up with him by taking the tour van to the area where we would go white water rafting. As we squeezed (and I mean squeezed) into our wetsuits, we were prepped how to paddle and what to do if you fall in. All eight of us ( including 2 guides) got into our boat and took off. The waves were large & cold and our driver (guide) was crazy ( in a good way). About half way, we hit a very large wave that capsized our boat. All of us went into the cold river. The lady to my right landed on top of me when I hit the water & her weight pushed me under. When I came up I was going down river head first on my stomach. This is not the correct position mentioned in our safety briefing :0) . I panic (even though I am a good swimmer) and start to hyperventilate. I am rescued and put in the other boat. All the other people in my boat including Youssef ride the rapids on the upside down boat. Later they flip the boat over & I return to the boat to finish the ride. It was fun (except for the near drowning). Youssef thought the flipping part was fun. Yeah, real fun!
When we arrive at our camp in the rainforest, we are informed that this is not our camp but it is the "base" camp. Our camp is the up the mountain and we have to carry our bags. It was a long walk straight up and I thought I was going to die. My heart was beating 90 mph and I could not breathe. Later, I would count the steps to our camp (274) . OK, now I know why I was dying & I realized how much I need to work out when I go home. Boy, did I feel like a wimp! Later, we ate a meal prepared by our guide and he told us some stories. He (Juan Jose) was very funny and kept us entertained. Before I went to bed I had to use the restroom which was in a little building. I went with my flashlight into the bathroom & turned around to find the light switch. I saw tons of ants on the wall and realized that they had crawled up my pants and made it all the way to my shirt. I had to run into our room and take everything off. There were ants everywhere. I was wondering what was going on since I already had a spider in my pants at the hacienda. Boy, I was not having good luck. The next day we rode down the river in a dug out canoe. I was thankful that it did not tip over. Later, Youssef went on a 4 hour hike to a waterfall. I knew I was not in good enough shape to make the journey so I stayed behind at camp. The last day, Youssef hiked to a different waterfall while I napped in the hammock. It rained. It rains everyday in Ecuador, sometimes more than once.
When we returned to Banos, we found a nice little hotel owned by some Americans. The next day we got up early to eat breakfast. We wanted to catch the early bus back to Quito. When we got in the taxi the driver said the road was closed. When we returned to the hotel, we found out that there was a large mudslide and the road (the only one in or out) would be closed for several hours. The owner told us that they had had a major volcano eruption in August 2006 and that since then they have had problems with mudslides. Later, we were told that the road was open but after we got about 10 mins down the road the closed it again and we were stuck on the bus. The driver played a Shrek 2 DVD that Youssef had. He played it in English but all of the people on the bus watched it even though most of them didn't have a clue what was being said. I met two nice Canadian ladies at the hotel and they were on the same bus as we were which helped to pass the time. Our trip back to Quito took about 6 1/2 hours instead of 3. It was a long ride! The next day it was back to the US. It took us 16 hours to get home including the drive from Miami. I wouldn't have minded staying in Ecuador longer but I was glad to be home.
We went to Ecuador looking for adventure and we were not disappointed. When we arrive in the capital Quito it was late afternoon. I was struck by the number of adults and children selling there wares on the side of the road. Packs of gum, lottery tickets & oranges. This is the only way some people are able to make a living. After we checked into our hotel we went looking for somewhere to eat. We went to the "old" part of the city where many locals go to shop. We had a really good meal in a small cafe and returned to our hotel early knowing that tomorrow we had a long journey to our hacienda in the mountains.
The next day we took a taxi to the Hacienda Primavera, about 4 hours north of Quito in the Andes Mountains. The taxi drivers company had agreed on a fee of $60 for the trip, but the driver became very frustrated when realized how far it really was. As we got closer to our destination the driver stopped to ask for directions. Every time he asked some villager on the side of the road how far it was, he/she would say it was about 30 minutes. We would drive about 15/20 minutes more and again he would ask how far was and again he was told 30 minutes. This happen several more times. When we finally saw a sign the driver pulled over & said he wanted $100 to take us to the resort. He didn't say so, but I think if we didn't comply he would have left us on the side of the road so we reluctantly paid.
When we arrived at the hacienda I was struck by the beauty of the land and the resort itself. We were the only guests staying at the resort at the time so we were treated like royalty. They catered to our every need. We received 3 course meals for every meal. It was more food than we could possibly eat. We spent 4 days riding horses in some of the most beautiful unspoiled land I have ever seen. The small houses we saw along our journeys were filled with gracious people who would take the time to smile and say hello as we passed by. These are humble people who live in a rural & very remote area. Most of the people had no electricity or running water. They had to bathe and clean their clothes in the river that runs past their houses. I was amazed how they could be so happy with so little. I hope that Youssef would appreciate how lucky he was, I know I did.
Youssef got a chance to herd cattle on the side of the mountain like a real cowboy. He also got a chance to milk a cow. The cowboys laughed at us when our milk came out in a tiny little stream. At the rate we were going, it would take us all day to fill the large bucket that they gave us. Youssef spent his free time picking all sorts of tropical fruit and vegtables from the garden around the hacienda. The chef would take the fruit and juice it for us. I had never had juice made from fruit right off the tree. It was great!
On the way back to the city we stopped at a town called Otavello. There we visited an Indian market that was like a flea market where indigenous people sell blankets, sweaters, art & crafts, etc.. We brought a bunch of souvenirs. Youssef enjoyed haggling with the vendors to negotiate a better price for all of our purchases. We also went to the middle of the earth where we stood on the equator. When we arrived at our hotel we contacted our tour company for our rainforest tour and found out there was a mix-up and our tour would not arrive back until that Friday, which was after our flight home was supposed to depart. We had to change our plans and go on a shorter tour of the rainforest in a different location. This meant we had to get up early and endure another 3 hour drive (sigh!).
When we arrived at our tour I was told that I could only take 1 small bag on the tour. At this point we had 2 suitcases plus a duffel bag that we needed to store all of our souvenirs. Quickly, I tried to decide what to take. Meanwhile, Youssef left on the bike portion of our tour with our guide and other members of our tour. After I got it together, I met up with him by taking the tour van to the area where we would go white water rafting. As we squeezed (and I mean squeezed) into our wetsuits, we were prepped how to paddle and what to do if you fall in. All eight of us ( including 2 guides) got into our boat and took off. The waves were large & cold and our driver (guide) was crazy ( in a good way). About half way, we hit a very large wave that capsized our boat. All of us went into the cold river. The lady to my right landed on top of me when I hit the water & her weight pushed me under. When I came up I was going down river head first on my stomach. This is not the correct position mentioned in our safety briefing :0) . I panic (even though I am a good swimmer) and start to hyperventilate. I am rescued and put in the other boat. All the other people in my boat including Youssef ride the rapids on the upside down boat. Later they flip the boat over & I return to the boat to finish the ride. It was fun (except for the near drowning). Youssef thought the flipping part was fun. Yeah, real fun!
When we arrive at our camp in the rainforest, we are informed that this is not our camp but it is the "base" camp. Our camp is the up the mountain and we have to carry our bags. It was a long walk straight up and I thought I was going to die. My heart was beating 90 mph and I could not breathe. Later, I would count the steps to our camp (274) . OK, now I know why I was dying & I realized how much I need to work out when I go home. Boy, did I feel like a wimp! Later, we ate a meal prepared by our guide and he told us some stories. He (Juan Jose) was very funny and kept us entertained. Before I went to bed I had to use the restroom which was in a little building. I went with my flashlight into the bathroom & turned around to find the light switch. I saw tons of ants on the wall and realized that they had crawled up my pants and made it all the way to my shirt. I had to run into our room and take everything off. There were ants everywhere. I was wondering what was going on since I already had a spider in my pants at the hacienda. Boy, I was not having good luck. The next day we rode down the river in a dug out canoe. I was thankful that it did not tip over. Later, Youssef went on a 4 hour hike to a waterfall. I knew I was not in good enough shape to make the journey so I stayed behind at camp. The last day, Youssef hiked to a different waterfall while I napped in the hammock. It rained. It rains everyday in Ecuador, sometimes more than once.
When we returned to Banos, we found a nice little hotel owned by some Americans. The next day we got up early to eat breakfast. We wanted to catch the early bus back to Quito. When we got in the taxi the driver said the road was closed. When we returned to the hotel, we found out that there was a large mudslide and the road (the only one in or out) would be closed for several hours. The owner told us that they had had a major volcano eruption in August 2006 and that since then they have had problems with mudslides. Later, we were told that the road was open but after we got about 10 mins down the road the closed it again and we were stuck on the bus. The driver played a Shrek 2 DVD that Youssef had. He played it in English but all of the people on the bus watched it even though most of them didn't have a clue what was being said. I met two nice Canadian ladies at the hotel and they were on the same bus as we were which helped to pass the time. Our trip back to Quito took about 6 1/2 hours instead of 3. It was a long ride! The next day it was back to the US. It took us 16 hours to get home including the drive from Miami. I wouldn't have minded staying in Ecuador longer but I was glad to be home.
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