Ecuador

Ecuador:

Land of the Equator

(21 October – 8 November 2009)

Our border crossing into Ecuador was the easiest yet. We would have finished in less than 30 minutes except for the paperwork for Ewok and Amadeus (Figure 1). Of course, this took over an hour.

Figure 1. Ewok waits for her Ecuador visa.

We drove south on the Panamerican Highway to the Equator, the real one (Figures 2 & 3). I say this because there is a place just outside Quito that is called the “Mitad Del Mundo” (Middle of the World). It is where French scientists in the 18th century determined the Equator’s position (Figure 4).

Figure 2. Sharon straddles the real Equator.

Figure 3. The Equator by my Garmin GPS off by only .003 minutes (Garmin error).

Figure 4. The wrong Equator with Juan Francisco, Miriam, Mateo, y Sharon.

We arrived in Quito, at the house of Miriam and Juan Francisco Carrera, on 22 October. They are the parents of Juan Pablo, Nicté’s boyfriend. Miriam and Juan Francisco put us up in their house for a week, and showed us Quito (Figures 5 & 6). They are wonderful people.

Figure 5. Quito at night.

Figure 6. Juan Francisco at a BBQ.

We left Quito (28 October) to drive south to Baños de Ambato where we will meet up with Gary and Karla. Baños is a town of thermal springs. We stayed at Monte Selva Hosteria for two nights, 28/29 October. The town is a tourist attraction (Figures 7 & 8).

Figure 7. Cathedral at Baños.

Figure 8. Monte Selva Hosteria in Baños.

Our next stop was at the quaint little town of Alausi, where there is a train that takes you to “El Nariz del Diablo” (the devil’s nose). Gary, Karla, Sharon, Ewok, and I are just in time to catch the train on 30 October (Figures 9 to 15). The train ride is considered to be quite exciting, and many tourists find it a highlight of their visit. Prior to 2007, one could ride on top of the train for a full experience.

Figure 9. Alausi Train Station.

Figure 10. Conductor on the train to Devil's Nose.

Figure 11. Train to Devils Nose, the tracks in the valley.

Figure 12. Alausi train to Devil's Nose, Gary and John.

Figure 13. Picking the Devil's Nose.

Figure 14. Safety on the tracks.

Figure 15. Safety on the tracks, maybe a few new ties?

It was late when we got off the train, so we made it only as far as the Inca ruins of Ingapirca where we camped for the night (Figures 16). Here we met Eddie and Bridget, a couple from Switzerland who have been traveling in South America for the past four years. They have a fantastic “motorhome” for their trip (Figure 17). Their motorhome is a huge 6X6, custom built.

Figure 16. Camp in parking lot at Ingapirca.

Figure 17. The Swiss motorhome of Eddie and Bridget.

In the morning, 31 October, we examine the Inca ruins. It supposedly is the northern-most Inca ruins known (Figures 18 to 21).

Figure 18. Ingapirca Ruins.

Figure 19. Cooking area in the Ingapirca Ruins.

Figure 20. Observatory and temple of the sun at Ingapirca.

Figure 21. Gary, Sharon, Ewok, and John at entrance to the Observatory.

We drive on through the Andean Highlands to Baños de Cuenca. The highlands are home to many indigenous people and interesting photo opportunities (Figures 22 to 25).

Figure 22. Andean field worker.

Figure 23. Andean women herding milk cows.

Figure 24. Two women by the roadside.

Figure 25. Roasting pig along roadside.

When we arrive in Cuenca, we decide to spend a couple of nights in Baños (31 October & 1 November leaving on 2 November), another thermal hot springs town. We are allowed to camp at Hosteria Durán for two nights (Figure 26 to 28).

Figure 26. Our camp at Baños de Cuenca.

Figure 27. Volcanic Dike at Baños de Cuenca.

Figure 28. Church in Baños de Cuenca.

After two days we move to Cabaños Yanuncay in Cuenca (2-5 November). Humberto, the owner, allows camping. There is a French couple in a Peugeot camper and Eddie and Bridget, the Swiss couple we spoke of before. Gary and Karla went to Parque Nacional Las Cajas. We wanted to go, but they do not allow pets. We have Ewok and Amadeus. We did get a feel for Las Cajas as we drove the road to the entrance (Figures 29 and 30).

Figure 29. Vista from the road to Las Cajas National Park.

Figure 30. Entrance to Las Cajas with sign indicating no pets.

Our stay at Cabaños Yanuncay is nice but unremarkable. We spend a lot of time looking in the city for propane and other necessities. Cuenca is quite beautiful (Figures 31 to 34).

Figure 31. Central Cuenca with Plaza San Francisco in foreground.

Figure 32. Panama hat factory in Cuenca.

Figure 33. John with a $260 Panama hat.

Figure 34. Camp at Cabañas Yanuncay in Cuenca.

On 5 November we leave Cuenca to drive south over a Gima Trojillo Pass at 3500 m. Just south of this pass we see a brocket deer crossing the road (Figure 35). We drive on to the small highland town of Saraguro where we have lunch (I have cui, guinea pig). The town was settled by people displaced from their original homeland by the Incas prior to Spanish takeover. It is a colorful town (Figures 36 to 38).

Figure 35. Brocket deer crossing road near Gima Trojillo Pass.

Figure 36. Saraguro Church.

Figure 37. Saraguro Woman.

Figure 38. My lunch of cui (guinea pig).

We met up with Gary and Karla at Loja. We decided to drive into the Amazon side of the Andes to a town called Zamora where there is a nice lodge, Cabañas Ecologicas Copalinga. It is run by a Belgium couple. The area is just outside Podocarpus National Park, and is a birder’s paradise (Figures 39 to 45).

Figure 39. Squirrel Cuckoo.

Figure 40. Speckled Chachalaca.

Figure 41. Kestrel.

Figure 42. Orange-Bellied Euphonia.

Figure 43. Magpie Tanager.

Figure 44. Green Honey Creeper.

Figure 45. Blue-necked Tanager.

We leave Copalinga after two days to drive to Macara on the border with Peru. We are able to find a camping area in a military base. The Comandante says it is OK to camp at his base. It is quite comfortable (Figure 46). The next day (we cross the border at Macara into Peru. Along the river on the Ecuador side we see squirrel monkeys playing in the bamboo (Figure 47). The dry forest around Macara is dominated with the Cebo tree (Figure 48).

Figure 46. Camp at Macara military base.

Figure 47. Squirrel Monkeys at the Macara border with Peru.

Figure 48. Cebo tree (what the locals call it) in dry forest near Macara.

Ecuador was a pleasant surprise in South America.

Sabores: America Sur

Starting in Cartagena, Columbia I continued to collect some samples of the cuisine we enjoyed along the route through the Americas. South America was the beginning of a new culinary adventure. We totally enjoyed the foods of Columbia!!! In Ecuador Miram and Juan feed us too well, we got to try lots of local food (awesome fruits, corn and more). Of course, in Peru we tried the pisco sour. The following i-photo sabores cover Columbia through Peru.

Sharon
December 2009
Villarrica, Chile

Colombia

Colombia:

Land of Contradictions

(30 September – 21 October 2009)

Our flight to Cartagena, Colombia went without incident (Figure 1). Poor Ewok, unfortunately, was quite uncomfortable in the baggage compartment. Amadeus went with us in the cabin. We collected our luggage and went to customs. Everything was OK, but we had to register Ewok and Amadeus. Of course, this took two hours.

Figure 1. Landing at Cartagena airport.

We finally arrived at our hotel “Balcones de Badillo” just at dusk. It is expensive ($90/night), but we have no choice with the “mascotas”. It is nice and centrally located in the old town (Figures 2 & 3).

Figure 2. Badillo Street from the hotel.

Figure 3. Hotel Balcones de Badillo (yellow building).

Our vehicles are scheduled to arrive on the 1st. We go to the shipping agent (King Ocean) with Nino and Jason (the other people who shipped with us) to see if everything is alright. It isn’t. Our ship has changed and it did not leave port on schedule. The clerks did not know when it would come. We should have predicted this. Not to go through all the details, as I did when we shipped out of Panama, I will cut it short (Figures 4 to 13). It took 7 extra days to get our vehicles. They were late by 5 days in transit, but then the clerical errors, buck-passing, and detailed paperwork cost us 2 additional days. Another couple we met was in and out in one day, on schedule. The difference (and it seems confirmed by talking to others) is that they used a shipping company and not a shipping agent. NEXT TIME!

Figure 4. John Waiting in King Ocean Agency.

Figure 5. Gary in Aduana waiting for paperwork.

Figure 6. Secretary in Aduana telling us what paperwork we need.

Figure 7. Waiting for paperwork in the wrong office.

Figure 8. More paperwork.

Figure 9. Waiting for more paperwork.

Figure 10. We have the paperwork. Now we wait for the cars.

Figure 11. Oops, not quite, there is more paperwork.

Figure 12. . Finally my car is free, almost.

Figure 13. My car is about to leave the port (started at 0800 hrs, finished at 1955 hrs).

Our stay in Cartagena was twice as long as we had anticipated. However, we are learning to not anticipate and just accept. Cartagena is a beautiful city (Figures 14 to 19).

Figure 14. Gary and Karla in front of a Wiskeria.

Figure 15. San Felipe Fort in Cartagena, not in the movie. That was in Puerto Rico.

Figure 16. Badillo Street in Old Town from our balcony.

Figure 17. Lunch in Old Town.

Figure 18. Cartagena fish market.

Figure 19. Bocagrande in the newer town.

We finally leave Cartagena after a 9 day wait for our cars. We drive the Pan-American Highway south. After two days driving we arrive in Medellin. We find the Rio Medellin Ecological Reserve where we camp for the night (Figures 20 & 21). It is a nice, but heavily used area south of Medellin.

Figure 20. Camp at Rio Medellin.

Figure 21. Sharon, Gary, and Karla at our camp at Rio Medellin.

On 12 October we head to Manizales. The road is very scenic, and we find a nice fruit stand (Figure 22) to buy fruit. It is a beautiful city but hard to drive in the town. We look for a place that will accept pets (one of our continuing problems). Gary’s car, Paco is having trouble again (Figure 23). We manage to make it to Chinchina, where we find a very fine coffee finca with a hotel, Hosteria Del Café (Figure 24). We stay two nights while Gary has Paco repaired.

Figure 22. Fruit stand along the road to Manizales.

Figure 23. Gary working on Paco.

Figure 24. Coffee Finca Hosteria del Café.

Sharon and I head on to Salento where a small hotel, The Plantation House, has been recommended. When we arrive, we find it is run by a Brit named Tim. It is a basic hotel used mostly by backpackers. It is early so we decide to drive up the road toward Nevados National Park, Bosque Cocora. We find several hotels just a few km up the road. We stay in one, Hotel Mis Bohios, for the night.

The next day we drive up to the end of the road to find nice camping areas. We return to Salento to look for Gary and Karla. They are having problems with Paco again (Gary is the eternal optimist, always thinlking the problem has been solved). We tell them about the camping areas. We meet there late in the afternoon. The camping is quite nice (Figures 25). The mountains surrounding the camp provide good views of Cloud Forest (Figure 26) and the Colombian National Tree (Wax Palm, Figure 27). The Bosque Cocora has several hundred species of birds. I was able to capture only a few of them on digital (Figures 28 to 34).

Figure 25. Our camp at Bosque Cocora.

Figure 26. Cloud Forest and the Moro from Trail.

Figure 27. Wax Palms, the Colombia National Tree, at Bosque Cocora.

Figure 28. Mountain Mot Mot at Bosque Cocora.

Figure 29. Long-tailed Slyph & Collard Inca at a feeder.

Figure 30. Black-thighed puffleg.

Figure 31. Sparkling violetear.

Figure 32. Sparkling violetear & Black-thighed Puffleg in fight display.

Figure 33. Sparkling violetear in display.

Figure 34. Long-tailed Sylph at feeder.

After three nights camping we head for the city of Popayan. It rains hard (I knew it would, as I am the eternal pessimist). Gary and Karla head off east to find camping. Sharon and I take a room at Hotel Colonial (they take pets).The next morning we drive on towards Pasto and Laguna de la Cocha where we are to meet up with Gary and Karla.

We arrive in Laguna de la Cocha late in the afternoon. It is a beautiful lake high in the Andes. We drive around to find a place to camp or a hotel that takes pets (that is always a problem). Finally, we find Chalet Guamuez (Figures 35 to 38). They have rooms (no pets allowed) and cabinas (pets allowed). We take a cabin for two nights. They have internet, so I email Gary. He has broken down again back in Popayan. The problem is the oxygen sensor. They have to send to Cali for the part. They will, try to join us tomorrow.

Figure 35. Laguna de la Cocha view from road at 3260 m.

Figure 36. The grounds at Chalet Guamuez.

Figure 37. Sharon in the chalet restaurant.

Figure 38. Laguna at sunset.

Obviously, Gary and Karla do not make it. After two days we leave the Chalet Guamuez and head to the Colombian/Ecuadorian border at Ipiales. The crossing there is very easy. Our total mileage in Colombia is 1131 miles. Colombia is a big country.

Our introduction to South America was spectacular.

Los Sabores de la Ruta

Starting in Oaxaca, Mexico I decided to collect photos of the cuisine we enjoyed along the route. The following i-movie covers Oaxaca through Panama.

Sharon
October 2009
Panama


I have not been able to post i-movies since Guatemala but I have continued to work on it. I am now posting compressed files but the overall quality of the i-movie is reduced significantly. I will continue to explore and update later.