Frog concert in mindo

Outside our cabin in Mindo,  I am having a drink and listening to the simply amazing sounds of the small frogs here.   They have set up a series of ponds and gardens that draw orchestral frogs at night and an incredible variety of birds during the day.  Breakfast is delicious and it all feels very private.   I went on a 5 mile hike today and saw one person,  a farmer that was putting his cows away for the night.  I didn't see many birds, but I went very late, but I did find a lot of fruiting plants along the way, about half of the ones fro  my fruit salad in the morning.  

There actually is a "frog concert" in Mindo and the hotel, Mindo Lago, is associated with Yellow House somehow,  cousins or something like that.  I didn't think the frog concert itself was worth the $4.50, but I liked the thimble full of wine we got and the man's explanation of the project.  Basically,  they are trying to save frogs and restore the local ecosystem.   They expanded a pond into a lake, then reintroduced local flora and first tried to bring frogs in, which they didn't go for.  Frogs from higher up the mountains went back up, ones from lower went back down.   Over 8 years, they improved the space to "invite" frogs in and now they have more than 12 kinds in less than an acre.  Eight years ago, there were 2.  And so, I really don't mind supporting the project a little.  

If you don't speak Spanish,  there's not much to pick up, it seemed like there were no English speakers there.

Wifey is laid low at the moment with some nausea thing and had taken everything we had except something to stop her vomiting.   Gratefully,  I have always had great luck with pharmacists down here.  It'll cost you pennies and really sort out what ails you.  again,  Spanish is very useful here.  I was getting a bit worried as we need to travel in a day or so and, of course,  she's feeling like hell.   If the meds weren't working,  it might mean a doctor or the hospital,  which is just not what we want.  We're insured for every

So while she maintains her first hours without vomiting,  I am lying I  a hammock,  listening to the frog pond next to our cabin.  Between the crickets and various buzzing insects and the tree and water frogs, it's an amazing sound.  I swear,  whoever records those Nature Sounds meditation CDs would never have to look beyond Ecuador.   Maybe they haven't.

Lindo mindo, Ecuador

After the long haul to mindo,  we finally got to our cabjn at the Yellow House,  an incredibly clean set if cabins just outside the very small town of mindo.   I am very gkaf to be here, so wifey can see the cloud forest.  It's very different from yanayacu (15 degrees warmer, at least), but it helps solve one of my nagging concerns whole traveling in that I am almost always thinking, "Wifey would really love this."

After falling asleep to the sound of tree and pond frogs chirping,  I woke up, did some yoga, and soent time having coffee by the incredibly active hummingbird feeders.  There are at least 16 species here and there must be several hundred if the right next to the main cabin. 

Bus travel, part 2

We're waiting to catch our bus to Quito tonight and then on to mindo,  a ride that might take us 16 hours with the Quito connection.   Gladly,  it looks like we travel into the north terminal,  which will make our connection easier.

A fellow traveler warned us that they would not allow backpacks inside the bus, which means my camera and other more expensive gear would ride below.   I am prepared to argue our way on.  Never mind that there's not much space on these buses for a 6-foot tall person,  I am not going to be worrying about my gear. 

An 8pm bus means a likely 2 movies blasted in Spanish for our "enjoyment, " shut off at midnight until dawn.  I really hope it's a better choice than the tsunami disaster flick we watched on our way to the coast, where a red cross worker actually handed me a pamphlet and a coloring book on what to do if a tsunami hit the coast here.  Trying yo prepared, clearly,  but it helped us to make our decision for a hotel on a hill, I'm sure.

Buses to Quito seem to be much less comfortable than guayaquil-based buses.  A disappointment as we'd pay twice as much for comfort.    Chile, Argentina,  even Peru,  all have much more comfortable buses available for longer hauls.  Not sure why Quito hasn't done that yet, they seem ready for tourism in almost every other way.

Different pictures of animals from this trip

I'll try to get captions,  but it doesn't seem like the mobile app supports them.

Comments are open

Should have done this a long time ago.  Anyone can comment.   Go nuts,

More animals from Galapagos

Some more animals from Galapagos., the land iguanas from Floreana,  giant tortoises from Santa Cruz and Galapagos sea lions,  which seem to be everywhere there.

Whales at Puerto Lopez

What an amazing trip out to isla Plata.   One of the best short excursions we've taken and it felt like a bargain at $40.  Whales leaping out of the water right next to the boat, watching va mother humpback whale teach her baby to jump, bird colnies, snorkeling and a nice basic lunch.  Fantastic.  The company was called Palo Santo and they were some of the better guides we've had.

We got picked up at the hotel at 9am to go to the office,  where we were fitted with life jackets and marched through town to the docks to take off in a small cabin cruiser.   There were 16 of us on board, including captain and guides.  By comparison,  the interisland Galapagos ferries packed 25 and more people on these boats, then added crew and guides.   A cozy trip I'm glad I've bought motion sickness pills for.  At 25 cents each, it's a bargain for a three hour tour.

By comparison,  the isla Plata trip was pure comfort.  We got out into the bay and were immediately in search of whales.  Within 20 , minutes,  we were getting closer to the acrobatics of several males that were being called to by a female.   Females have no vocal chords, so she slaps her flukes on tge water repeatedly and the males respond by leaping out of the water dramatically.   We got so close that you could loudly hear them slapping down onto the water before being sprayed with the mist from the splash.  I was lucky enough to get out on the bow of the boat for a prime view and some great pictures with my large SLR camera. 

After half an hour of non-stop showing off from the whales,  we left them to go for our hike on isla Plata. 

We were also visited by about a dozen sea turtles while we waited to get on shore.  Sadly,  our guides threw them lettuce,  which really isn't what they typically eat, but it was amazing to see them come so close.   We've seen a lot of turtles down here and I am still not bored of them yet.

Once we got on land, we decided to take the highest trail to see blue footed boobies nesting and a colony of frigate birds, many of which had their red throats inflated in an impressive display I'd been wanting to see since Galapagos. 

 

ATMA, the women's hat collective outside cuenca

We had a great trip out through the beautiful countryside surrounding Cuenca to get to an all female owner hatmakers.  These women could use some publicity:  their factory is just outside the beautiful small town of Sig Sig.  The women at the tourist office in town didn't know about it and I had just read about it in passing,  hoping to support a much more sustainable kind of business that the other hat factory we had been in previously.  

As we arrived in the town, you could see local women casually weaving hats and the knowledgeable indigenous women at the factory helped us with every step, including sizing hats to my own hard-to-fit, gigantic head.  the prices here were much better than places in town - Quin's custom fit fino was only $40 and mine was less.  We got very individual attention and a quick tour of yhe factory.   More important to us wasbthe fact that the money from the sale went directly to these ladies.  

Favorite street sign in town

I have no idea what parking regulations are like, but I love the street sign.  I wonder whose dreary desk job it is to make sure this is put in the right place...

Puerto Lopez, whales and the beach

This is what we can hear as this quiet town rolls up the sidewalks long before 11pm on a Sunday night...Chickens really have been a defining sound while we've been here:  the Andes in the north and south, Galapagos,  the coast,  chickens.   Folks don't live too far apart from their food.  Even in Quito,  where the guy on the roof opposite our hostel had a pretty sizeable chicken coop, with rooster crowing. 

Puerto Lopez has been really nice.  The main drag has a kind of rough charm about it, but the beach and ocean views have been amazing.   staying at maremonti,  our b&b, has made all the difference.   It's up above the town, providing amazing views.  Our hosts have been so pleasant,  it really feels like we're leaving too soon.  our room is a private room with its own bathroom, a screened in porch so that the last things you hear (after the noises of the road and the chickens die down) is the slow, constant roar of the ocean.  Bird songs from 5-10 different varieties of birds start the day.  

This place has one of the best views that I have seen in a hostel.   The town is a bit tough to get to, though flights and buses aren't too far, but the 10 hour overnight bus ride to Quito might discourage some.  It's closer to guayaquil and would be a great way to pass several days along the coast.

The main draw to this town right now is whale watching and the beaches, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it expand.   the whales here are the most unbelievably acrobatic that I have ever seen.  That's reason enough to come.

Coming to a stop Manglaralto, Ecuador

Basically, the reason we came to this town is not here.  The one place that we decided we would go well out of our way to visit no longer has that reason to be here.  Unfortunately,  the lady that ran the place became ill 2 years ago and the restaurant closed. 

La Calderada, the restaurant Anthony bourdain said was fantastic here, is closed.   What is here is a lovely,  superquiet hostel and a town without a restaurant.   Maybe if we hadn't spent the last few days chilling out, it would be cool.  But what we really want is a reason to be somewhere,  like whales and Puerto Lopez.

Our hostel,  the manglaralto sunset hostel,  is excellent,  the owner is a great host, but the combination of off season isolation and our own interest in being closer to the natural attractions nearby will have us moving 15 miles up the road to Puerto Lopez tomorrow, which will be that much closer to Machalilla national park, where wildlife and some of the coast's only remaining raw forest exists. 

The Pacific waves breaking on the beach a block away is yhe defining sound of the area and the temperature is a perfect 70 degrees,  but it's maybe just a bit too quiet for us at the moment.   We had a nice ceviche and an overall very average meal at Caeda del Sol in Libertador Bolivar,  where we were the only people there, closing the restaurant before 7pm.  It was a 15 minute,  $2 cab ride away, right on the beach, but still not doing it.  I felt sure it would be better in season,  but with the 2 of us, it wasn't good.  We then went onto a beachside bar with just us and the bartender.  

That day, the bartender told us that whales were sighted right off the coast, some 15 meters out and the whole town came to a stop to get a good look.  We then shut that place before 8pm.  If we had a bit more time  or if there were just one decent place in town,  we would spend more time.  This seems like an excellent place to just slow down.

Creepy clown trashcans

These things are all over,  someone's idea of encouraging people to throw out their trash,  but at the same height as a young child, I'm pretty sure it's inspiring a nation of coulrophobics (people with a fear of clowns).  I know they creep me out..,

Chevere, etc.

I am starting to pick up local bits of dialect here in Ecuador and more of an appreciation of the people and the country.   Every culture takes a little adjustment if you're going to spend any time there. 

Hospitality is excellent here, but people also seem to be wrestling with an influx of inconsiderate and entitled expatriates,  which must make for some difficulties when dealing with foreigners.   A little Spanish and a warm Buenas Dias/tardes/noches and folks open up pleasantly.  

The food here can be excellent,  if you're a little open minded.   Sticking to tourist friendly foods We had a delicious roast pork in one of cuenca's markets today.  We went to the 2nd floor of the Mercado 10 del Octubre and were met with scores of small stalls featuring a great variety of local foods for a buck or two.  What we were most drawn to were the 8 large roasted pigs out on display,  one at each station arranged in a semicircle around cafeteria style seating .  A woman stood behind each one with a young girl as assistant,  smiling behind the partially dismembered, perfectly roasted pigs.

Usually,  I look to see is moving the most product and as Dona Isabelita had already racked up another roasted pig's head, I rightly assumed she was moving a lot more than the others who were still working on their first.  She offered us a small sample,  warned us that a plate was $3 and we took our seats.  Beautifully roasted pork was laid over melty roasted potatoes,  a small salad with tomatoes and onions over a bed of hominy and delivered to our table.  Probably one of the nicer lunches I've had here.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying their food and were a bit curious about the only foreigners in the place.

 

Homero Ortega & hijos, the Panama hat

Today , we took a tour of one of the Panama hat companies here in cuenca.   Although these hats originally were crafted along the coast jn places like montecristi,  they moved production to Cuenca many years back as it's a mhch more consistent climate and they're able to make the hats more regularly.

How they got named "Panama" hats is a little unclear,  but most people seem to blame Teddy Roosevelt,  who often wore one of these hats while surveying the construction of the Panama Canal.  The name stuck, much to Ecuadorians dismay.

We learned quite a bit about the materials and the processing,  how they're made and how to tell top quality.   It seems that they don't weave most of these hats there by themselves, but have a large network of area weavers that bring in their finished hats to sell to the factory.   These are bought mostly unshaped and unfinished.   Then craftsmen and women at the factory bleach and shape the hats.  It's a process that can take a long time,  cheaper hats can take 2 days, superfinos can take 2 months,  extremely high quality ones can take 6 to 8 months.  

As I already own 2 nice quality straw fedoras, I at least wanted to have one that's a different style.   And while the factory$280 superfino actually seemed like a bargain and having a hat freshly finished off the 100 year-old hat press to exactly my size, I can't make sense of owning 3 straw fedoras.  Even if I really wanted to.

The pretty city of cuenca

We've been enjoying cuenca a lot in the past few days.  It's a good city, calm and yet vibrant at the same time.  Locals have some sense of style,  streets are very clean, architecture is very interesting and there seems to be enough locally and culturally happening to keep it vibrant.  

There are some interesting museums here, like the Inca ruins in town and and a very good small museum of native peoples, with nearly 5000 pieces from many of the civilizations before the Spanish conquest.   I would have liked to have a bit more information about the pieces,  but it's one of the more impressive collections I've ever seen.  Well worth a visit to understand the diversity of the cultures that existed here before the conquest first by the Inca and, within a century,  by the Spanish.

The fine weather,  the scenic city and the overall very amenable place to be here has been drawing many expats down here.  Americans in particular,  are settling here in large numbers,  but many are simply not being good neighbors.

Really, it is ecuador, they do speak Spanish here.

  

Bus travel

It's 10:30pm, our overnight bus has just left the south terminal of Quito and I have the second GI Joe movie blasting in Spanish past what my noise cancelling headphones could possibly neutralize. 

The moment the bus leaves the terminal,  the bootleg DVD is on and blasting.   It's hospitality here, it seems.   We've walked into several quiet restaurants only to have the TV turned on the moment we sit down.   

At least the bus arrived,  while late, in the wrong slot and with 2 other buses trying to use the same slot, causing a good amount of general chaos.   people bumped around, there was various shouting of destinations,   The only calm center of which was a young woman and her rooster, who both looked extremely self-posessed in the moment.   it looked very well-kempt, The bird's shiny feet took a light grip on top of a mattress and box spring someone was moving by bus, i take it.  It wasn't in a cage, a bag or a box, whatever you are supposed to use to transport roosters in, just hanging out with the lady, waiting for a night bus.

People jostled about,  got their bags on, and we scrambled about and onto the bus.  The woman,  her rooster and the mattress remained perfectly still as we rolled out of the station.

I envied that chicken in that moment.

Marine iguanas

As the world's only swimming lizard (not sure why they don't count turtles), the marine iguanas are weirdly amazing.  On our last day, we went walking out to Tortuga Bay and saw a huge colony of giant seaguanas, as I was calling them.  They usually camouflage with the black volcanic rocks of the beach that you really have to watch your step.

A few odd things:  they sneeze a lot, to get salt water out of their systems, they have huge tails and swim with that, like little aligators (which are lizards that also swim, not sure where they get this "only swimming lizard" thing from), and are vegetarian,  diving down for sea kelp to eat.  I was lucky enough to snorkel with them on a few occasions.   Never got bored of those guys.

Not quite with the 21st century

This image explains how connectivity is jn Galapagos.   And really, many people would prefer that it be much, much less connected than it is.

Return to Quito, the Ecuadorian sense of timing

Leaving Puerto Arroyo to get to Quito is a bit of an undertaking.   The flight itself is reasonably short,  but between point A and B, you have a pile of connections to make and as nothing goes off on time here (i've read that the! Ecuadorian lateness is famous even in latin america), it can be incredible.  There was so much waiting around that by the time we got our luggage in  Quito,  I had finished a book of Galapagos history that I started at the bag check in line in aeropuerto Seymour in Galapagos. 

Leaving the hotel, we got a taxi across the island to the ferry across the channel to the bus to the airport to the line for check in to the line for security to the line for boarding to fly to guayaquil to wait for refueling to fly to Quito to wait for bags to get a taxi to get stuck in traffic to finally getting to the hostel in Old Town, where we had to explain the directions to our driver.  Not one of these interaction went off smoothly or on time, lines were at least 50 people long and there is simply no sense getting angry about it.

When at last, we arrived at the hotel after nearly 2 confusing hours getting from the airport to old town, we dropped our bags and went to eat, after having nothing since breakfast.  Luckily,  this is the neighborhood I took a little food tour in a few weeks back, we went for chicken in peanut stew, beers,  some little beef and potato croquettes and the real winner, caldo de 31.  The caldo de 31was clearly a local favorite, though the owner warned us off: "people like you don't usually like this, " she said apologetically.   

We were sold.  A delicious pho-like broth with scallions and the perfect amount of heat with a mixed bag of cow's organ meats,  from brain to tripe to kidneys to liver with veggies.   Amazing with a little lime and roasted corn.  Afterna long hungry day, it was amazing.   The whole meal cost us $8.  Joy.

Abruma con gastos, nickeled and dimed

There are many reasons, I have been told, but we keep getting pegged for little fees and costs all over the place in Galapagos.   While the place itself is truly amazing and I am geeked out by things I see all over, little fees keep popping up and everyone has their hand out.  I don't care if it's 50 cents to take a water taxi to the boat, it's just that one time it's 50, then 70, then 50, then a dollar.  It seems dishonest.

We paid a dollar $10  Galapagos tax on mainland Ecuador,  then another $100 Galapagos park fee when arriving on the islands by plane, which is just fine.  Then, we went to Isabella,  the big island, and there was another $5 fee, which is not a big thing, but no one mentions it until you land  at the dock.  a bit annoying after the 2 1/2 hour thrill/terror inducing speed boat ride (we did ride on top, which was very cool.  Thank you, weird nameless Ecuadorian motion sickness pills!), but not really a big thing in the end.  However,  when we left 2 days later, that fee was now 4 times as much:  it was now $20.

On night, we paid $12 for 2 crappy rum and cokes, which again would be fine, except the place was crappy, service poor and ambience lacking.    The next night, we mixed our own rum and cokes, sitting on the beach at sunset, having this incredible beach to ourselves.   At dusk, a small group of sea lions gathered at the shore and played around.  It was amazing, and basically free.

Our long walks to lagoons, trails, and to see animals, were amazing and free.  A great contrast to the watered down 2 for 1 drink specials all over.

Isla Isabella and a recovery day

It can really catch up to you, even when you are on vacation.   Some days, you need a slow start.  We went to a mangrove swamp yesterday,  populated with small sharks, fish, rays and sea turtles, then made out way south from baltra to Puerto Ayora.   On the way, we saw the massive land tortoises of the highlands.

There are a lot of microclimates in the Galapagos and the misty, green landscape of the highlands offers a lot more for the more than 100 year old beasties.  We visited a farm and for $3, we got boots and entrance to the park, where we saw more than a dozen turtles that were simply huge.  Worth stopping by to see.

Today, we'll take another speed boat to Isabella.   I've already taken some motion sickness tablets.   Normally,  it's just not a problem,  but I am not trying to win a tough guy contest here,  no nausea and added perk is that they make me a little drowsy so I can just sleep while we bang on the water like some cheap carnival ride.  Every so often, you'll get a glimpse of something beautiful,  like a bird or the islands, then it's back to bangbangbang for the duration.

Isabella's main town puerto villamil is pretty much an outpost, but it has  been expanding.

Sally lightfoot crabs

I love these little guys.  So brightly colored,  they store water and pass it through their gills so they can stay out of water for extended periods of time. 

Also, they are supposed to be extremely tasty.  Everyone says that they don't eat them anymore, but they all talk about them longingly.  

"They were so delicious, " our guide said.  "...and everywhere,, really.   But never again will we eat them."

Coconut radio

From the moment we arrived in Galapagos,  things were very confusing.  We had paid for a last-minute ticket and a guide would meet us at the airport.   

An itinerary would have been very helpful.   What we had was an email, on company letterhead,  that basically only told us that we had a ticket on the boat and that a guide would meet us at the airport.

A guide met us when our flight arrived.  He would take us to Puerto Ayora and then to the Darwin Center, where they raise the massive Galapagos tortoises.   It's not a long walk from the hotel, in a straight line along the coast.   You would need to be creative to get lost.  We had a guide.

After some talk of turtles,  we tried to determine what would happen the next day when we were due to meet our boat.

"We were told by the office in Quito that we would meet our boat in Floreana.  Does anyone meet their boat in Floreana?"

"No, but it's possible.  You should go to Floreana," said our guide who claimed to have 35 years experience on these islands, in this town, even.

"Floreana has no port.  The biggest port in Galapagos is here in Puerto Ayora.   Are we meeting our boat in Floreana?

"Yes, it's possible.   I will check with the agency."

"But are we meeting our boat in Floreana?"

We waited to hear back while the island's Coconut Radio went into full effect.  

"You have dinner included in your package.   No hard drinks."

"Um, okay.  Dinner is nice, but where do we meet our boat?"

"Still not sure,waiting to hear back.  Someone will come to your hotel tonight, 7pm."

A guide showed up at our hotel by bicycle right at 7pm to escort us to a restaurant that was 300 meters from our hotel in a pretty straight line along the main strip.  We told her we could make it by ourselves, where do we meet our boat?

"Tell them you have a reservation,  no hard drinks.   Someone bwill be here at 7:50 to meet the boat."

"So we meet the boat here?"

"Someone will meet you here to take you to the boat at 7:50am."

A delicious dinner goes by, then breakfast.   then 8am.  Eventually,  a taxi shows up with another guide.

"We're meeting our boat, the Tip Top III?"

"Yes,in Floreana. "

"Does that happen? "

"It could," he said.Similar responses from the man at the docks, the man piloting the boat, everyone. 

"The agency paid for a one way trip to Floreana.   There is a hotel there,  you can ask them."

The lady at the hotel had no Iidea who we were or why we were there.  "No one gets picked up here.  It's very strange, " she said.

We sat down, had a beer and enjoyed the views.  After about 45 minutes,  she returned. 

"Your boat is in Puerto Ayora.   It leaves tonight.  You need to go back," she said,  shrugging. 

The port at Floreana. 

Hiking, snorkeling, etc.

This morning, we awoke at a mooring off Santa Fe island, home to a large sea lion colony, a unique land iguana and several bird species.  These islands really feel desertlike in this season, completely dried out.  The beach was loaded with a very loud bunch of sea lions barking while frigate birds saoled by and blue footed boobies dived after fish.  A very amazing start to the day.   After our morning hike, we had some coffee and returned for snorkeling.

One of  the big downsides to our trip to Floreana was that we did not get a chance to rent wetsuits.   The water was in the high 60's, I'd guess.  Definitely enough to cool you off.  Absolutely freezing my ___ off for 40 minutes, but so worth it as small fish and dozens of sea lions twirled and played in the water with us, nipping at our swim fins and zooming in super-close, spinning upsidebdown to get a look at us and chasing fish. 

After we clambered off the zodiacs, a quick shower and dry clothes was all I needed.  We sailed on as frigates landed on the decks, waiting for lunch as we waited for ours.

Chinese hat island

It is strange to be one of 3 passengers on the boat, it makes for some odd mealtimes and yet a lot of peaceful time along.  More importantly,  it means that we quickly and easily get to sites, often having them mostly to ourselves until some other larger group shows up, which is invariably 6 times our size. 

Until then, we explore without any distractions or with a bunch of pale Australians in the shot. 

This morning,  we arrived near Chinese Hat , had a nice breakfast and then hiked the island,  taking in the ubiquitous sea lions,  Sally lightfoot crabs and marine iguanas.   I'm looking forward to seeing these swim as we snorkel noff the same island.  

The island and the ones nearby are stark and volcanic,  black landscapes.   As the island opposite,  Isla Santiago,  expanded massively a little over a hundred years ago, no vegetation has really had a chance to establish itself.   There is a small island of vegetation and candelabra cactus surrounded by bare black basaltic lava.  On the land, nothing lives  except the occasional marine iguana and a very rare Galapagos penguin.   Under the water, it's very different:  alive with all kinds of fish taking advantage nof the many small nooks the lava created as it cooled.