OK, back to posting about a trip from 8 months ago... this is quite painful, but this is the last post!
A quick flight... a short drive... and soon we went from the heart of the jungle to the thin air of Ecuador's mountains. We rented a car from the airport and drove to El Chaupi where Fernando, a friend of Dres runs the Hostal Andes Alpes. We only had a day in the mountains with him, so we just went on a half day stroll up to the Refugio on Cotopaxi.... actually it's closed as the volcano is too active, so that's about as high as you can get these days.
Here's a soundtrack for ya. Loved going to Mars Volta shows in college...
He's got a nice view...
The next morning after a quick run we went up to Cotopaxi National Park.
second highest in Ecuador at 19,347 ft! Cotopaxi is quite active and has erupted more than 50 times since 1738.
The last eruption lasted from Aug 2015 to January 2016...
And since then Cotopaxi has been officially closed for climbing.
no trees... Lorax sad...
This made the trek quite windy.
Almost up to the refugio...
Huzzah!
Tea at the hut to warm up. I think I had every single layer on that I brought.
The Jose F Ribas Refuge was built in 1971 and updated in 2005.
Elevation of 4800 m! Almost 16,000 ft. From the jungle to 16,000 ft... quite a difference. One the draws to Ecuador it this ecological diversity.
Not sure who this was, but he was important... and came with an entourage.
Including a few of these guys.
Wild, wild, horses...
after the hike, we bid farewell to Fernando and drove back to Quito.
Returned the rental car...
And made it to the White House (Estadio Casa Blanca)! I love going to soccer games in foreign countries...
For some beer with ice...
and some Ecuadorian food tipico...
Barcelona vs LDU Quito
That's the LDU Quito fan area... lots of flares...
after the game we got some street food...
This might have been the best meal of the trip...
and soon enough we were back home with our boys....
During our time in Quito we talked to a few travel agencies to figure out what we should do for a few days to splurge a bit... and we decided to go to the jungle. There were many operators offering tours, so we shopped around and found one that fit our schedule and worked with our budget. There are several Jungle Eco Lodges in Ecuador, and we chose to go to Cuyabeno, one of the more popular spots with half a dozen eco-lodges next to each other. I think the experience is pretty similar at any of the lodges, some being nicer and more expensive, others being more budget, but all offering similar tours and experiences... which I'll talk about below. We decided to go to Jamu lodge, which was a very clean, nice lodge... we'd recommend it to any one.
Here's the previous posts... and one final one coming up!
We got on a long overnight bus ride (where I got my camera stolen), while car sick... take the flight! So worth it... but made it out to Lago Agrio (Nueva Loja)... where there's really nothing here. Oil industry and now Jungle eco tourism.
Loading up for the 2 hour boat ride to the lodge at the Cuyabeno Bridge.
The nests of the Caracara... I believe
There are 5 indigenous tribes in this region of the Jungle... represented here.
we're on a boat!
The boat ride down provided a glimpse of all the animal life we were going to see...
jungle turtles
Cormorants
After unpacking, settling down and having a beer, I felt much, much better...
For sunset we cruised up to Lago Grande(along with 20 other boats) for a quick swim... and some bird watching.
We went on a night hike that night (really only 400 yard) from the lodge, but this was one of the more interesting activities we did. There were so many hidden insects everywhere! Crazy...
This guy was HUGE!
Back in our room we decided to use the mosquito net...
Pink Dolphin lodge
There are also some native settlements along the river. No doubt these places have been highly affected by tourism. We had mixed emotions about that...
Banana tree
Crazy mushrooms
A local lady took us out and showed us how to make some of their traditional foods...
we found this guy hiding in the leaves...
Griding up the Cassava roots...
Curiously
Cassava does contain some poison... but I think once you cook like this, it's ok? Not sure...
And Voila! Your cassava tortilla...
With tuna and salsa from a can..
Kim testing out the blow dart gun
Drying out some cassava
Recycling and compost? Really?
Chickens everywhere!
Natural paint...
The pooper
Then the shaman came by and guided us through some of their basic beliefs and
Shaman pic.
Back at the lodge... I got to check out the view from the pooper.
Map of the area...
More monkeys!
Second sunset. Is sunset at Lago Grande always this pretty?
Bats on our roof...
Ugh oh... Kimbo needs to have a "War Eagle" talk with this guy...
Circumzenithal arc in the Jungle
On the flight home... our friends got the stewardess seat.
