I am officially done in Ecuador and now in Peru. Here are the highlights from my last days in Ecuador.
Early in the week (April 14thish) I finished up my stay in Baños, recreation capital town of Ecuador. I showed up on a Saturday night on Easter weekend and the streets were packed. Getting off the bus I happened to make a travel companion, Mike from Texas, 24 year old south america veteran. He had been on the road for 7 months (thats right mom, mine wasnt for so long after all)! During the 3 days in the “the bathrooms” I went on a big 8 mile hike, climbing 2000 feet, but saw some great views. I also came across a farmer that gave Mike and I a tour of his home and farm (sampling the fruit too). The day following the hike I was planning on taking a leisurely, supposedly very commong bike ride to a small city called Puyo, gateway to the Amazon jungle east of Baños. Turns out 65km equates to 40mi and it was almost all up hill! I was beat when I got to Puyo and had to hail a bus back to the hostel in the dark with my terrible, 5 phrase spanish.
The next day, Mike and I decided to head to Latacunga, a mid point for our different adventures. It was about a 4 hour bus ride towards the coast where we got a cheap hostel and prepared for the next day. He ended up going on a hike-bus, 4'day trip around a circle of small towns that was very well known among backpackers.
I instead got on what was suppose to be a 6 hour bus ride to Quevedo, another small town where the Defaz family was located. THey were the family of my co'worker Janet Defaz and had agreed to put me up for a 4 days and 3 nights. The bus ride ended up being a crazy event! It was a very windy, dirt road with many pot holes. It was only wide enough for 1 vehicle but cars coming in both directions. At the top of the mountain pass we encountered fog so thick I was expecting a crash... i dont know how we made it out of there without one! Once the fog cleared we encountered a 3 hour delay due to mud slides and the consequential construction. That was a true test of my patience and as a result, I was dropped off in Quevedo in the dark with no idea where I was. In fact it turned out there wasnt even a bus stop in central Quevedo and the bus just stopped when I started making a fuss in again, terrible spanish.
At the Defaz family´s home, I was treated like a king. I was put up in a huge room, ate their food, and got to use all their stuff! Over the four days I got to know Janet Defaz´s (Tatiana´s sister) friends, coworkers, and family. I especially enjoyed joking and playing with Janet´s 9 year old daughter, Marialexis. In the short 4 days I was with the Defaz family, I visited a Dole banana plantation (walking away with a free box of bananas), hiked the "siete cascada" a series of 7 huge waterfalls with a barbeque and natural waterslide at the end, and taught english as well as talked about engineering to various classes at a local school owned by Janet. Unfortunately on the hike I slipped and fell backwards into a shallow pool ruining my camera. Also somewhere along the way, my sunglasses and a credit card was nabbed by someone. Not sure exactly how it happend. So my pictures stop after the waterfall :( until I can get a new one.
The only reason I was looking forward to leaving Quevedo was because the intense heat and humidity. I am now in Cusco, Peru arriving a few days ago where the climate is much cooler. The elevation is so high it´s almost as if i was standing on top of Mount Hood (almost, but not quite). I will write more very soon about the bus trip and Macchu Picchu which starts Saturday, 4-25.
Thanks again for reading and check out my pictures section.
