Rainforest to Cloud Forest

 On Monday morning we departed the Amazon just as we had arrived - by canoe. Once safely onto our tour bus, we headed back to the highlands in order to reach Quito.  At our mid-morning restroom stop, near Archidona, we were able to try "rumi changa" which is either fish or chicken cooked over a fire inside of palm leaves (no, palm leaves do not add any flavor). 

While there Roque, our bus driver, proceeded to eat a raw chincha de chonta (the squirmy white grubs we keep seeing); I simply could not watch, it was too revolting to imagine eating one in such a manner.  Before we all climbed back onto the bus, Antonio bought some roasted "Big Ass Ants" for us to try.  When I asked him what they were really called, because I assumed he was joking, he said that was their name.  When I googled "Big Butt Ants in Ecuador" I immediately got multiple results, so the name is apparently quite common.  Anyway, grubs, especially raw, are a big, fat, "no, gracias".  These roasted ants?  Sure, why not?  

What did they taste like?  Well, I thought they tasted like crickets (thanks, Dad).  There's a story behind why I know the taste of crickets, but that's for another time.

Our next stop was near the town of Cosanga, at San Isidro Lodge.  The lodge is located in a cloud forest reserve and they are known for their variety of hummingbirds. Worldwide, a cloud forest is a rare occurrence "since the exceptional conditions that create these forests are only found in tropical areas with tall mountains." source  As in the rainforest, we again donned rubber boots, and after almost 10 years of packing the same rain poncho into my suitcase (and never having it on me the few times it would have been useful), I finally had it with me on the day of need!  As it turns out, my poncho was a one-size-fits-all sort of deal, and about 2 other people could have joined me inside.  I tied it in a knot at the bottom corner, in an attempt to reign it in and prevent me from tripping on it as we hiked, so between my shorts, tall rubber boots, and XXL poncho, I was looking quite charming! 

These frogs are full-grown!

Our guide's name was Edwin, and he was a knowledgeable gentleman, but alas, a large group of people who struggle to be quiet were following him, so we mostly saw only plants and a few frogs.  The drizzling rain and chilled air didn't create a desire to linger in the lovely cloud forest, so I was content to quickly return to the lodge for some warmth and protection from the elements - the prospects of lunch didn't hurt either.  We enjoyed our meal, and even caught a glimpse of some of the hummingbirds for which San Isidro Lodge is famous, and then we were back on the bus to resume our journey to Quito.

As we were arriving at our hotel Antonio offered to take anyone who was interested into the Old Town for a look around and a bit to eat.  Unlike his offer in Cuenca, most of the group joined the excursion and we were soon off.  The subway entrance was just across from the hotel, and was astonishingly clean.  When questioned, Antonio told us that it had been open for less than a year!  We entered Quito at San Francisco Plaza in Old Town - a world heritage site. 

Wandering past illuminated old cathedrals and down cobblestoned laneways with soft, glowing window displays, it was a lovely walk through town. 

 Antonio suggested we visit a spot he knew that had a rooftop bar with a view of Quito's entire Old Town. A warm drink and a snack sounded delightful, as it was nearing 8pm, so we all headed to Vista Hermosa. While some names don't fit a place, this establishment was aptly named, the views were lovely. While waiting for the elevator, Antonio told us a bit about Julio Jaramillo (his picture was on the wall and they had a large figurine of him in the lobby). He's comparable to our Frank Sinatra and was incredibly famous in Ecuador, and much of South America (listen to his most famous song, "Nuestro Juramento", here). 

The views from the rooftop were enchanting, so we all decided to enjoy something, whether soup, hot chocolate, empanadas, or a cocktail.  The fascinating part of our rooftop view was the visible contrast to the areas of the city enduring their scheduled blackout.  

And thus ended another day in Ecuador...we traveled about 140 miles:

Rainforest Hike and Poolside Afternoon

 I enjoyed my breakfast with Antonio, Roque, and Theresa while listening to the rushing river behind the din of conversation.  We were soon off to be outfitted for our morning adventure.  This mainly consisted of rubber boots and a life jacket, although the lifejacket was only needed for the boat ride. Antonio had advised us to wear pants, long socks, long sleeves, a hat, and lots of bug spray and sunscreen for this morning in the rainforest. After a quick jaunt upriver we were at the Misicocha Private Nature Reserve for a tour with our local guides, Caesar and Andrés.  The nature reserve is owned by the hotel and they're trying to preserve and conserve the rainforest in that area, as it takes a long time to regrow.  

The locals used the rainforest as their medicine cabinet, and one example is the tea we learned about yesterday, called guayusa (wahh-you-sah).  They believes that regular consumption helps to prevent snakes and mosquitos from biting you because you sweat it out and they don't like the scent.  Blessedly, we saw no snakes, but we did see a lot of spiders.  Can you find the spider in this picture?  When I was looking back through my pictures I almost deleted it because I thought I'd mistakenly photographed the ground. 

When I was looking back through my pictures I almost deleted it because I thought I'd mistakenly photographed the ground. In fact, there's an effectively camouflaged tarantula! 

The hike, overall, was less than 2 miles in length, but what it lacked in that respect it made up for in altitude, as many spots were very steep, and the hike was generally upward for the first half.  We all hiked together for the first half a mile, with lots of stops to view spiders, bugs, interesting plants, etc. They told us that the Amazon Rainforest has more trees than all of North America combined, which seemed accurate when I learned that they estimate that the Amazon Rainforest has "390 billion individual trees". But, when I tried to check that against the number of trees in North America, the US Forest Service conducted their FIA (a.k.a. “America’s tree census” they estimated "nearly 300 billion trees in the United States", which wouldn't even include Canada, which is largely forested as well.  

Either way, Britannica declared the Amazon Rainforest " is the world’s richest and most-varied biological reservoir".  Caesar spoke English so he did the explanations and Andrés scouted and searched for the bugs and insects to be pointed out to us.  We learned about the Remo Caspi tree, which is a hardwood resistant to termites, and the Iron Palm (the "chonta palm" - remember those grubs from yesterday's escapades?) which has extremely hard bark that they used for spears and blow guns, and even the Walking Palms (the Quechua people use the young roots, which have protective spikes, as sandpaper).  Shortly before our group split into two (one group for the "difficult" hike and one for the "less difficult, thought not easy" hike), we all had to try out the tarabita. This basket-like cable car, which only holds one person, sort of ziplines you from one part of the forest to another over a canyon. Caesar and Antonio went first (Antonio took photos of everyone as they came across), and Andrés ran the cables, ensuring we all stopped on time.  Although I do not enjoy this sort of adventure normally, I think the basket made me feel safe enough, and the journey was short enough, that I actually enjoyed it.

Only 5 of us chose the difficult hike, and it really wasn't difficult, though it was hot and humid.  We arrived back at the starting point for our hike and waited for the remainder of our party to traverse the remainder of their trail.   

View from the "top" of the hike

 The reward of the hiking adventure (for those willing to accept it) was taking off our rubber boats and climbing onto the balsa wood rafts waiting for us in the river.  Although I enjoy being on the water, the raft was not the reward. The sun was searing down on us in our long sleeves and long pants and the guides told us we could jump in the river.  I hesitated as first, why be stuck in wet clothes, and the water was very muddy.  After recognizing I was returning to the hotel and could change right away, and my but was already wet from sitting on balsa logs tied together, I also jumped in the swiftly moving water.  Glorious!  Relaxing, refreshing, we stayed in the water, floating in front of the rafts, until they made us all climb back on (to ensure we could then transfer into our motorized canoes for the final leg of our journey home).  No photos of our rafting as we'd all handed over our electronics to be stowed in a drybag safely in one of the canoes.

As I was not interested in any of the afternoon's optional tours, I decide to relax by the pool and enjoy some extended free time.  We all enjoyed lunch together and then by 2:30pm everyone was off again for ziplining, a butterfly farm, or an animal rescue tour.  When I returned to the pool (having followed proper sunscreen protocol - the high altitude of Ecuador and its location near the equator make sunburn extremely likely) there was only one family and they didn't stay more than half an hour.  Solitude and sunshine, just what I needed by day 7.  A French tour group arrived around 4:30pm and many of them were soon in the pool.  I had already finished my book ("Josephine Baker's Last Dance" - can't really recommend it, but she lived quite the life) when the group arrived, and with the sun beginning to set the mozzies were coming out.  Yes, some Australian slang still sticks with me, so that's 'mosquitos' for anyone who hasn't read my Australian Adventures.  I had failed to bring any bug spray with me to the pool and decided that scrubbing off my sunscreen and giving my hair a wash was a good way to kill the last hour before everyone else returned and we all had dinner together.

This video (which I found online) gives you a glimpse of our hike - they're at the same nature reserve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpf7EwRtlj0

The Devil's Cauldron and the Amazon Rainforest

 We awoke to a stunningly clear morning, which only added to the allure of this remarkable hotel.  The dining room's attractiveness was not diminished by the sun's illumination, and the breakfast options were displayed across an array of antique stoves.  As we exited the hotel, we were met with a striking view of Mt. Chimborazo across the street from us. For those who love a fun fact, if you measure from the center of the earth, Mt. Chimborazo is the highest mountain on earth!  Although a dormant volcano, when we turned our backs to Chimborazo, across the valley we could see another, active, volcano that was sputtering ash clouds into the sky. Ecuador is part of the Pacific's "Ring of Fire" and currently has eight volcanoes in its territory.  On our drive to Rio Verde we were able to see several others due to the clear skies: Carihuairazo, Cotopaxi, and Antisana.  Roque pulled off at an old train depot and we were able to get off and take some photos of Chimborazo, as well as managing a group photo.

We reached Rio Verde (a small "town" outside of Baños) around 11:30am for a visit to El Pailon del Diablo (the Devil's Cauldron Waterfall).  Despite the drought, the waterfall's location on Rio Pastaza ensured we still enjoyed an awe-inspiring view of this 262-foot tall cascade.  Part of the reason for the name, so we were told, was that people often came here to commit suicide! Of the two viewing routes, we went on the suspension bridge route, which also is the route that keeps you driest. 

The "hike" was very easy (which I am allowed to say because I am the youngest person on the tour by at least 18 years), and only took about 10 minutes.  We were able to see spectacular views of the waterfall and saw double rainbows in the cascade's mist on multiple occasions.  Lots of photo opportunities; from standard to quirky, we saw many inventive poses. 

We returned to the bus and headed to a gas station with a rest area to enjoy our boxed lunches. Our next destination was the Quechua (also spelled 'Quichua' or 'Kichwa') village of Tiyuyacu (tee-you-yah-koo) to learn more about their community.  The women there showed us what they do to "survive" every day.  Their village is located on the Napo River, which feeds into the Amazon.  We were now in the rainforest region, and true to its name it began to pour as soon as we reached the Tiyuyacu hut for our presentation.  Since it was raining we didn't walk down to the river to watch them pan for gold, but they showed us a little bit of the process under the protection of the shelter.  Antonio explained to us the damage done, illegally, by those who bring heavy equipment to the riverbanks to dig up gold.  The equipment is very expensive for the average Ecuadorian, and the fines are steep if you get caught, but the opportunity (and likelihood) for a large payout lures in many people.  In addition to panning for gold, they showed us how they make a "chicha" drink from yucca/cassava, and also how they make pottery. In addition to the chicha, we were also taught some about Guayusa Tea. The guayusa tree is native to the Amazon rainforest, is commonly cultivated in Ecuador, and the Napo province is one the largest producers of the trees.  The Quechua people use guayusa tea in religious and spiritual ceremonies, and although it has many health properties it is high in caffeine and should be consumed in moderation.

The Spaniards came here looking for gold in 1541, and the local people who traveled with the Spaniards brought the process of making clay to this area.  The ladies use dried gourd pieces to shape the clay, and after they decorate it they'll bake it for about 2 hours before coating it in resin. I'm sure the grubs in the top left of the photo collage caught your attention, and no, I did not eat one! Chontacuro, a beetle larva or grub known for its unique taste and appearance, is a delicacy that’s nutritious, delicious, and well-loved by the locals.  The word 'chontacuro' comes from Kichwa, where 'chonta' means palm and 'curo' means larva, grub, or worm.  The ladies roasted them over the fire, and will use the fat drippings from the grubs as a kind of "Vick's Vapor Rub".  Blessedly, by the time we finished at the Tiyuyacu village the rain had subsided to barely a mist, and we gingerly made our way back through the somewhat muddy terrain to the waiting bus.

Our hotel for the next two days was located on the Napo River, and required a small motorized canoe transfer (the vehicle ferry isn't exactly insured, so they don't take the tour bus across the river).  It was only about 10-15 minutes long, but was very pleasant and made me extra appreciative that the rain had ceased. 

La Casa del Suizo (located in Ahuano) reminds you of a tropical jungle lodge. With the individual buildings linked by concrete pathways lined by palm trees and flowering shrubs, there were a variety of accommodation styles, but I was located in a duplex-style cabin.  My room had a lovely balcony, with a hammock, facing the river.  It had no windows, only screens to keep out the bugs, so the rushing of the river made it sound as though it were continually raining.  Other than no air conditioning, it was completely modern in all its other facilities and the ceiling fan at night kept enough air moving that I never thought twice about the lack of AC.  With time between our arrival and dinner, I decided to enjoy the beautiful pool, as did many of my tour mates.