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Glover's just back from Ecuador & Peru - Part 1 Ecuador

Glover's just back from Ecuador & Peru - Part 1 Ecuador

Old Aug 2nd, 2008, 12:49 PM
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Glover's just back from Ecuador & Peru - Part 1 Ecuador

So, Ok, we didn't go to the Galapagos this time around, maybe next. Still we had a great time two weeks in Ecuador, where we focused on nature.

June 30: Got what we thought was great price on TACA for open jaw flight from DC to stopover in Quito to Lima and back to DC. Under $600 per person. TACA was great in every way. Efficient and they still have food on flights! Not bad food either.

Used Hostal Santa Barbara in Quito as our base. A great, charming, reasonably priced little hotel near New City in Quito. It's an old estate and lovely. We spent just one whole day in the old part of Quito, so my memory is fading, but lots of lovely old colonial buildings and churches. And a few small interesting museums. We managed to get "high" several times. Had lunch at PIMs at El Penecillo (mirador and statue) near by. Lovely view, nice restaurant with decent typico food. Took taxi there (through crummy neighborhood) and walked back down to centro from other side (though surprised a couple of our later guides who thought this area rather dicey). What we didn't know didn't hurt us. .. Also rode the teleferico - cable car that climbs up nearby mountain. Fun - with fantastic views of the city - and then some interesting paraimo to explore once there (though take care with your reaction to altitude). Had a really nice dinner at restaurant called La Mosaico on side of yet another mountain next to Quito. Even more beautiful view looking down on lighted Quito. Cute place, balcony, nice food. Another memorable meal was at the very tiny and very casual Chandani Tandoori in New town, recommended in Lonely Planet book. We had great Indian food soup to nuts and 2 giant beers for $14.10 for 2!!

July 3 - took taxi to the VIP airport for transport from Quito to Coca. Were met by our Napo Wildlife Center guide Roberto Cedeno and other folks going our way. Quick and smooth flight to the oil town of Coca and then a short ride on an old open bus to boat dock. About 12 or so us take a motorized canopy boat down the Napo River about 2 hours to a side creek. The wildlife center has its "warehouse" on the creek. There we changed to several dugout canoes and smaller groups. 4 of us birdwatchers took our time with the excellent Roberto being paddled down the creek another couple hours. Fabulous! Even the little sudden shower we got on the way.

Creek eventually takes us to lovely isolated oxbow lake where the wildlife center is located. It's a dock, about a dozen cabanas, a dining room and some staff quarters.

We loved this place, which is now totally community owned and managed.
Activities were well coordinated and efficiently run and we felt very well taken care of/tended to.
Food was simple, local, and tasty.
We did a 4 night stay. Had a comfy cabin with high thatched roof, porch,and view of lake. Nice comfy bed with mosquito net (though no probs there with mosquitos). Every day we went out twice - early in am and later in pm with Roberto - either hiking or in canoe or both. Visited two clay licks to see parrots. So interesting and saw lots. Spent some time on platform in canopy on NWC's property. Way up!! Saw the most beautiful bird there: a paradise tanager. Glided through the jungle in canoe in the dark. Across lake under fabulous clear skies. Saw an anaconda on a tree near the creek. Saw a tarantula in a tree hole at night. 5 kinds of monkeys (including beautiful golden manteled tamarins), 100s of bird species - including zillions of that remarkable bird the hoatzin.

Wow- it was hard to leave that place but we had 3 great weeks still to look forward to - and another nice paddle/power boat trip back to Coca. Though we did end up cooling our heels a few hours when our flight out of there was delayed. . oh well.

Back to Quito and Santa Barbara. Had a nice dinner at La Choza down the street. A place clearly geared to guests of surrounding hotels. Huge, but pretty, and food was good. Great live music. "Silbo" music - an amazing whistler - a hard and a guitar. We bought the CD.

Next day we were picked up by driver to take us to our next destination the El Monte lodge in Mindo in cloudforest. We stopped at the Mitad del Mundo (equator) on way. Nice drive to Mindo. Arrived mid afternoon and met by our guide Javier. He puts us on the pulley swing and sends us across narrow rushing river. Then points us to our cabin. We loved the way this property was laid out. Maybe 6 or so cabins here - all along the river more or less. Behind them is a huge garden - interesting in itself and then a really beautiful large open lounge and dining area and kitchen. The owners live above the lounge area. From our earlier correspondence with them we figured they'd be out front meeting and greeting - but as it turned out we caught only a fleeting glimpse of one of them. So, at least while we were there, this place was much more laid back and casual in its organization/orientation than Napo. But that was ok. And not very many people here. Maybe a dozen of us at dinner one night and only 3 of us guests our last night. The food here was wonderful - focus on vegetarian/whole grains/etc. They have only solar electricity. No refrigeration. So only fresh food, and room temp beer. Next to the river they've channeled river water into a pool and also a hot tub. We never got around to getting in - figuring that pool water was going to be pretty cold. .. but it was lovely. It's just a really lovely, nicely thought out property. Our young local guide Javier was our companion during our stay. We went out with him each day on different hikes. He had no scope or anything and is still studying birds etc, but he was very good at spotting things and by the end of our stay we'd seen 200 bird species. Also from El Monte we went one day -REEALLY early - to a nearby farm property to see the cock of the rock birds (which we did). The owner/family has developed ability to "call" the several species of antbirds that inhabit the property. This was very fun: "willy, willy, willy. Venga, Maria." we saw several. The rolling farm property is gorgeous. They have 6 hummingbird feeders that were just a constant buzz . ..

Ok, I'll continue this later. . .
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Old Aug 2nd, 2008, 01:03 PM
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Wow glover, sounds like a pretty phenomenal trip thus far! I'm really looking forward to the rest...
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Old Aug 2nd, 2008, 02:19 PM
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Wonderful report, please continue!
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Old Aug 2nd, 2008, 07:44 PM
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Ha ha, for a start I just reread my missive - meant to say that the musical group we heard in Quito had a "harp" not a "hard." I won't even go there. .. .

And the birds the farmer was calling were antpitas not antbirds - two different species. More later...
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Old Aug 3rd, 2008, 10:05 AM
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Finishing up here my Ecuador piece of the trip report.

After our 3 night stay at El Monte we returned "home" to Hostal Santa Barbara in Quito where the wonderful Gloria had arranged for her friend Guierrmo to drive us to Otavalo the next day. - the big market day for Otavalo. Interesting to see the market as always, clothing of the local folks, crops for sale, items on display (we hadn't tired of these at this point). Bought a few small things - including two rather interesting abstract paintings by a local painter. ..After a couple hours at the market we went off to visit Lake Cuicacoche, a beautiful crater lake nearby that we had virtually to ourselves. Sadly, it was cloudy day so the lake didn't show to its best advantage - but nevertheless a beautiful spot. Then it was back to Quito. Had a delicious dinner at the lovely Mare Nostrum Restaurant - but, like other restaurants we tried in Quito - we got lonely. .. most places were empty. Perhaps it was the early hour we went?

Next day Guierrmo picked us up again for trip to Cotapaxi volcano.
Really nice, interesting drive out there. Stopped first at Hacienda Cienaga - wow what a gorgeous place that is! Might be fun to stay there .. . . Alexander Von Humboldt, my husband's most recent hero, stayed there. It was built in the late 1600s. Our stop was to meet another driver with a 4 x 4 to navigate roads to volcano. Wild and bumpy road. Weather changes moment to moment as we drive. We drive to 4300 meters and now have fabulous view of the peak - clear and cold. Our new driver Luis is ready (thanks!) with coca tea, gloves, sunglasses, and ski poles for us. All of which we gladly accept to make the 300 meter climb up the the refugio near the snow line - with many others (it's Sunday after all). Straight up. . . quite challenging in dry gravel and thin air. But we persevere and are rewarded with more spectacular views from refugio where we have hot chocolate and sandwiches. Hearing that the alternative zig zag trail is a longer but gentler on the knees way down we take that option back. This was very fun and invigorating - such a perfect day for it!

Next up Peru....
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Old Aug 19th, 2008, 05:33 PM
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topping this for pnp who's on way to Ecuador . .
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Old Aug 19th, 2008, 05:42 PM
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Gee thanks, glover. I can see that you've planned out a nice itinerary for us once again! I never mind following right in your footsteps, so when we get ready for Eduador, I'll be in touch. Sounds fabulous. Especially the birds, of course. Finally got my husband on board this time, and I think he's going to be a pretty good contributor! Anxious to hear more!
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Old Aug 23rd, 2013, 04:02 PM
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Thanks glover..shillmac did you ever make it?

It would have taken me ages to read back through all the trip reports to find this one in 2008!
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