We are back in Hotel Quito overnight after the most fantastic holiday of our entire lives. We are all agreed the past 8 days have been the most fantastic ever .... really unbelievable!
Once we reached the Yolita II yacht for our Galapagos cruise we had lunch and afterwards Washington our guide gave us a briefing of what to expect that day and allocated snorkels, masks and wet suits to those requiring them. Within an hour of lunch we were piling into the dinghys once more and on our way to Bachas beach for a wet landing. The sun was beating down from a fiercely blue sky, the sands soft and white, it was heavenly. For the first hour we walked the shoreline and saw sea turtles nests on the beach, hoards of crabs on the rocks, a flamingo lagoon and lots of sea birds whirling overhead. It was too hot that day for the marine iguanas. The only downside was the huge horseflies the size of locusts that were biting everyone with a vengeance. We then had an hour to swim and snorkel off the beach - even without snorkelling I could see several different fish in the sea. Then near tea time we were back in the dinghys going back to the yacht, where we were hosed down, our legs feet and shoes as we are not allowed to carry even one grain of sand onto the boat. Then we were handed a cocktail and offered hot canapes. And later at 7 pm a delicious dinner, followed by a Mojito cocktail each while Washington went over the coming events for the following day.
Monday morning we woke early and had breakfast at 7. We were given fantastic fullsome breakfasts - a different juice every day, coffee, fresh fruit, cereal, strawberry yoghurt, and ham, eggs, sometimes fried, sometimes scrambled. The juices so thick the straws stand up in them, blackberry being our favourite. By 7.45 we were in the dinghys and were taken for a ride in them, getting up close to the rocks of South Plaza Island so that we could see the sea birds and sea lions. The birds were blue footed boobies, swallow tailed gulls, frigate birds and others. We were sad to see a very injured sealion on the rocks who had been attacked by a shark, with blood all over the rocks. It made one slightly nervous being in an inflatable boat with such predators lurking below! Then we went to the shore and climbed onto a very narrow rock jetty to be among sea lions sleeping all over the beach. From here we set off on a long hike to see marine and land iguanas plus on hybrid (we were lucky to see that as there are only three in existence in the entire world). These animals permit you to go right up to them and even when a camera lens is put inches from their faces they are not in the least perturbed.
Having seen the female sea lions and babies, and keeping a safe distance from the dominant males who do occasionally attack, we crossed the width of the island to see the bachelor sea lion colony. When we went back to board the dinghy there was a sea lion on the rocks so we couldn´t get past. Even though Washington coaxed it sideways so we could pass it wasn´t a bit worried about us crowding past, just determined to regain its chosen spot.
We went back to the boat for coffee and biscuits and most of us grabbed sun beds around the decks to enjoy the sunshine until lunch which was yet another delicous meal. The food all week was superlative, apart from the odd occasion when beef was on the menu. At 2 pm most of the others went off to snorkel from the dinghy outside the bay. Being a non swimmer I am relying on Rosalind to provide the description of the Galapagos under sea world and will write more about this on a later occasion when I´ve had time to go through her notes. Washington offered to let me snorkel with a life jacket and under his guidance but I still declined as I´m too afraid of sharks.
At 4 pm we all piled into dinghys again and had a wet landing on Santa Fe island and saw loads of marine iguanas and sea birds on the rocks - on the dinghy ride across we saw sea turtles and a bit later a 7 foot shark swimming around the dinghy, which quite alarmed some of the others as they had been snorkelling near there a couple of hours before. It was another wet landing so I was scrutinising the sea as I scrambled ashore. On the beach there were tons of sea lions everywhere and we spent 20 minutes with them before setting off on another long hike following a very stony trail - one had to watch every step. We saw tall opuntia cactus trees and land iguanas as well as a different species of marine iguanas, lava lizards and many kinds of birds. Once on the walk a mockingbird flew out of a bush and landed on Rosalind´s head and I managed to capture a picture of that.Even the little ground finches kept pecking away even with us surrounding them. Returned to the boat at 5.30 to cocktail and canapes and sat out on deck watching the frigate birds and storm petrels until the sun sank into the sea and then had dinner following by Washington´s briefing of what we would see and do the following day.
Tuesday was my favourite day of the whole cruise. We were woken at 5.40 so that we could leave on the dinghys at 6 am sharp for Suarez Point for a dry landing - this being Espanola island. (Having arrived there after a 7 hour sail from the night before when the boat rolled considerably and at times one had to hang onto the mattress). We climbed out of the dinghys onto rocks to see marine iguanas and various sea birds and our first stop was at a blue booby nesting colony where it was really thrilling to see them up close, singly, in pairs or in groups, just a foot or two away and just as curious about us as we are about them. I´ve grown to really love this amazing bird - it is really pretty to look at with its markings, long beak and bright blue feet. They are amazing when fishing, as they position their wings like arrowheads and dive into the sea, bobbing up moments later gulping a fish. Sometimes they hunt in 2s and 3s with one of them making a whistling sound and they all dive in formation. We never got tired of seeing that each day. On this particular day it was great to see them in their nests, some of them with a white fluffy baby or two in the nest. We all got some great pictures. For the next hour and a half we followed a very rocky trail which required intense concentration not to twist ankles - once looking up at an overhead bird I lost my balance and keeled over sideways into the bushes! Next we descended a cliff which is one of the trails the sea lions use to go up and down to the sea, and here among rocky outcrops we saw the nazca boobies nesting, who are also really beautiful birds. Again they didn´t mind at all when we got up real close, even when there were chicks in the nest. Washington had purposely got us up early so we could enjoy all this without other tour groups being nearby and we couldn´t thank him enough at the end of it. This complete lack of fear on the part of the animals, and more especially the birds, is what makes the Galapagos experience so magical and thrilling.
Later on we came across the waved albatross nesting grounds - this is the only island where they can be found - and watching their love dance was an enchantment equally as beautiful as the blue booby love dance. This has to be seen to be believed it is so enchanting. When we came out by the cliff there was a blowhole - as the surf thundered on the rocky shore, the spray went up the blowhole and was blown 100 feet into the sky and then dispersed on the winds. On the high part of the cliffs was the area known as the áirport´ where the waved albatross run towards the edge and then launch themselves into the air. When airborne their wing span is enormous.
After this we followed the long winding rocky trail back to the beach and by the time we got there we were absolutely exhausted. It was 8.30 by the time we got back to the yacht where we all tucked into a really hearty breakfast. Ros and I sat outside enjoying the sea birds until 11 am when the dinghys set sail once more, this time for snorkelling from the dinghy. I stayed behind and relaxed on deck reading my book until they came back and then we all had lunch. We then had a couple of hours to relax before piling into the dinghys yet again and were taken to the shore to Gardner beach with a couple of hours to explore. The beach was full of sea lions and we walked a while and then relaxed a while. We were brought back to the boat just before dark and given hot spicy chocolate drinks and more hot canapes and we generally relaxed until dinner with Washiington´s briefing of the next day after that. We had an extra surprise that night too when a young gull landing on the platform at the back of the boat. A member of the crew called us out to see it and the bird walked among us for about 15 minutes until we realised it would never find its way off the boat so Washington picked it up gently and launched it over the side and we saw it fly away. That made a very fitting ending to a magical bird lovers day!
Wednesday began with snorkelling from the dinghy for those with wetsuits and kit. They did three dives from the dinghy around Devil´s Crown rocks, and were swept by the current to different areas on each dive. Rosalind came back so full of enthusiasm and looking the happiest I have ever seen her. They saw schools of different colour fishes, manta rays, some sharks.
At 9.30 am we all went by dinghy to Floreanna island where the sand is green tinged as it is full of lava crystals. We walked inland to another flamingo lagoon and then climbed to a viewpoint, and then continued on that trail until we came to another beach, a stunningly beautiful Robinson Crusoe like beach with white sands, pale aquamarine sea and clear waters. Paddled in the surf and saw rays and fishes. When we piled back into the dinghy later a playful sealion appears and was diving under the dinghy from side to side and then emerging and looking at us, it was so cute. We went back for lunch and in the afternoon went to Post Office bay where the whalers used to post their mail in a barrel. Afterwards snorkelling from the beach - Rosalind really loves all the snorkelling. Every so often I hear an underwater squeal when she comes across something fantastic, which always makes me laugh. It is great to see her enjoying herself so much.
Back on the boat we sat on sunbeds on an upper deck enjoying the sunshine. Around dinnertime we arrived and anchored off Santa Cruz island, and were given the opportunity to go ashore in the dinghys for a couple of hours. Ros and I spent the time shopping and later she went to the Rock for a drink while I wrote that last email in a nearby internet cafe. Ten of the others cruising with us disembarked the following morning with new arrivals joining us later in the day.
On Thursday we had breakfast at 6.45 and at 7.30 went by dinghy to the Puerto Ayora dock, from where we went in a series of taxis to the Charles Darwin Research Station where we spent an hour and a half looking at tortoises from the tiniest youngsters to huge ones 100 or more years old. We also saw some land iguanas in the coralls and watched a short film. We then had some city time shopping until getting the dinghys back to the yacht at 11.30 and then having lunch.
At 2.30 that afternoon we went back to the dock and then all piled into a bus which droves us into the highlands to visit the Chato Lagoon, about an hour´s drive away. This was to see giant tortoises in the wild. They have an area 15 km by 30 km in which to roam, as well as having access to the nearby Chato ranch. The foliage and trees etc in this part of the island are very lush and green. After a while we all left the bus and started a long hike around the Chato lagoon, picking and eating passionfruits growing wild along the way. Around the lagoon it was very muddy and we all got pretty plastered in it. We saw some really huge tortoises and took pictures. Finally at the end some of the others walked down yet another lava tunnel which led to a bar in the middle of nowhere. I was sitting there enjoying a cold beer and the profusions of flowers when they all emerged from the tunnel, and we all relaxed there a while. The views from this hillside bar restaurant were pretty awesome too. We finally got back to the boat just before 7, in time for dinner. Most of us went straight to bed after dinner, we were so exhausted after such an active day.
The 10 new arrivals were mostly from Belgium, with a couple from Holland one guy from Israel. On the evenings that followed they were quite noisy after everyone else had retired for the night in readiness for an early morning start next day. It made us realise what lovely considerate people the previous people were, a Turkish lady and her two sons aged 17 and 24 and the girlfriend of one of them, a Danish Mum with her two young teenage daughters.
Email sent when back in Quito from the Galapagos
We are in Quito for the night and as we are lucky enough to have an internet area in our guest house I am taking the opportunity to continue the story of our adventure as I don't know when another such opportunity will occur. It is already 10 at night and afterwards I have to repack my 3 cases and bags so that just one is needed for the next 7 days and we are paying to leave the others here until we return to Quito on 7th August. I am now going to continue where I left off on the Galapagos cruise.
On Friday, day 6 of the cruise we arrived at Rabida Island having sailed overnight and had breakfast at 7 as usual. Then we went in the dinghys for a wet landing on the red sands where sea lions were either resting on the sands or swimming in the shallows and calling to each other. We set off on another long hike, uphill to begin with and we could see another lagoon. The highlight of this walk was seeing the pelicans nests, several of them, and we could walk to within a foot of them and the nesting birds did not mind a bit, even if they had one or two chicks in the nest with them. Later we came across a female sealion on the sands near the sea with a one day old baby with her and as long as we kept two or three feet distance she did not mind us crowding around to take pictures. When taking the dinghy back to the yacht later we saw a penguin on the rocks. After lunch we piled into the dinghys again, this time landing on a different island that we had sailed to in the interim, this one called Chinese Hat because of its conical shape. Here we walked on lava rocks that stretched from the volcano down to the sea - very difficult to walk on in places. I managed this okay and then went and tripped over a small rock on the sands - Unbelievable! We sat on the beach a while and two mocking birds hopped around us, just inches away. Walking back we came across a beautiful Galapagos hawk sitting on a small hedge branch and did not mind a bit as we crowded round taking photos. He was beautiful with his brown plumage and beige and brown breast. Whilst on the beach Ros and many of the others went snorkelling further out, jumping in the sea from the dinghy and saw some reef sharks and manta rays and multitudes of different coloured fish, some of them in shoals. They even came across an octopus which allowed itself to be handled. They also saw the marine iguanas actually feeding on the algae on the sea bed, which is the principal part of their diet. Back on the yacht later we had passionfruit cocktails and the usual delicious canapes. Ros and I stayed out on deck enjoying the last of the sunshine and watching the frigate birds doing their usual wheeling and diving in the wake of the yacht. This was magical and all the while we were sailing to our next island, Bartolome Island. At 5.45 we piled into the dinghys again and were taken on a panga ride around the shoreline where we saw penguins. This is mainly the only island where the penguins go. I got a couple of pix but the guy from Holland sitting next to me had an amazing camera and got some great close ups so later I got his email address and a promise to email his best close up pictures.
When we got pack to the yacht I peeked in the kitchen and was happy to see the chef chopping up chickens for our dinner, as beef had been the main course at lunchtime and I had had to ask for some parmesan cheese to flavour what would otherwise have been boring boiled spaghetti. The food on the yacht is amazingly good, very wholesome and healthy. We all adore the fresh fruit juices each morning, the abundance of exotic fruits, strawberry yoghurt, muesli followed by savoury egg or ham dishes at breakfast, the three course meals at both lunch and dinner. Hopefully all the exercise we are getting with the island hikes will counteract all these lovely meals! In addition tea and coffee is available all day long plus jars of sweets to help oneself from, and plates of biscuits put out in the afternoons. We loved the life on board the yacht - especially Rosalind and me - and are quite tempted to come back again next year, or definitely by the year after. Realistically it is pretty well wishful thinking to hope to afford to come back in just one year!
These yacht holidays in the Galapagos are the most magical holiday one can possibly imagine, the joy of getting up close to the birds and animals is priceless, life on the yacht exciting, and for those who enjoy snorkelling and diving an even extra dimension can be enjoyed there. It is well worth every penny. The wild beauty of the islands and beaches takes your breath away and the lack of fear on the part of the birds and animals makes you feel really priviledged to have had this glimpse into their lives. Washington is so well informed and can imitate all the birds sounds and they react to them too. He also has an amazing sense of humour at times which is especially funny because he takes his job as warden really seriously.
We've seen lava lizards perched on sea lions who are happy with the arrangements as the lizard remove all the insects from their pelts. We've seen birds land on other birds heads out at sea so they can take a rest and the host bird doesn't seem to mind at all. Birds without oily feathers who cannot dive into the sea themselves lie in wait for other birds, grab them and shake them upside down until the fish fall out and they catch them in mid air. We love watching the storm petrols who are always wheeling and diving close to the waves and seem to alight for a second on a wave before taking to the air again. Quite often pelicans land on the dinghys when they are trailing behind us for a rest too and one evening even a sea lion came up onto the platform at the rear of the boat and took a rest.
Saturday, day 7 we arrive at Bartolome island and had a wake up call at 6 and were in the dinghys and on our way to shore by 6.15. We had a dry landing and walked on lava craters, seeing the lava formations and lava cactus - we climbed up really high to a viewpoint - there was a wooden walkway to make this easier but it was quite an exhausting climb to the very top, with five rest stops on the way with viewing platforms, but once there it was worth the effort because the views were stupendous.
As you probably know the Galapagos islands are very volcanic and the hot spots at present are Isabela and Fernandina islands with eruptions every two to three years. El nino comes every 15 to 17 years when they get continuous rains, the rivers get deeper, vegetation falls in and animals use this vegetation to travel by sea. This is how animals arrived in the Galapagos islands in the first place and each island has its own endemic species. We've seen several different marine iguanas for instance, which are different colours depending on which island they live on. Bartolome island is like a moonscape and dotted with grey green plants which is food for the lava lizards who live there - this plant is called tiquilia. Near the shore were mangrove trees as well. After breakfast most went out for snorkelling from the dinghy and saw sharks, rays, penguins and star fishes. I stayed behind relaxing on one of the leather sofas, reading my book.
Then at 10.15 the dinghys headed for North beach and from there we walked to South beach through sand dunes which was very heavy going underfoot and we saw trails where the sea turtles had come in from the sea the previous night to lay more eggs in their nests. We walked the length of the beach on the shoreline, me with my eyes peeled for sharks - as it was tempting to walk in the sea wherever it was sandy rather than rocky. We saw sea lions and navy blue type of iguana. I love those marine iguanas, the shape of their mouths is like a permanent grin. One lady was chased round a rock by a sea lion but the sea lion soon gave up fortunately. One must take care to give them two or thee feet distance as the occasional one will take umbrage and go into attack mode.
We walked back to North beach and there had 45 minutes to snorkel or swim before getting back into the dinghys and returning to the yacht for lunch. Next began a 3 hour sail to Santa Cruz island as soon as we were all back aboard. At 3.30 we went in the dinghys again, this time to Black Turtle cove. Instead of landing we went on a panga ride to see sea turtles, rays and sharks, mangrove trees and sea birds. This was absolutely amazing. Washington paddled with an oar deep into the mangrove trees, with us ducking to avoid overhead branches, and we drifted in silence at times and managed to see herons and sea turtles, which occasionlly popped their head above the water for air. We saw pelicans with their beaks full of fish, and other birds swarming round them to catch the fish that fall from their beaks when they expel the water before swallowing and blue footed boobies fishing in tandem, two or three together, then one would make a whistle sound and all three would dive into the sea at once and bob up again carrying fish. I could watch those fascinating boobies all day long. We also saw a baby shark in the mangroves, about two feet long. Then back to the boat for the usual cocktails and canapes and another delicous dinner later on, beef for everyone else but I managed to persuade the cook to find a piece of fish for me!
Day 8, Sunday our last day - sob sob! Washington got us all up early to maximise the morning. We had a quick breakfast at 6 and then went ashore on North Seymour island, with a dry landing on huge rocks which were pretty precarious to climb over but what a reward when we got the other side! Standing quietly we could closely observe those great and majestic frigate birds actually in their nests, the females who are black with some white markings. They just looked calmly at us from their nests and the males with their puffed up red sacs were hovering, their huge wings open and hovering just over the nests. To be this close was unbelievable and it was hard to drag ourselves away - it was a fitting climax to a fantastic perfect week. As we moved onward we saw many nests, the frigate birds nests giving way to blue footed booby nests, many with one or two chicks in them. The babies are beautiful with white fluffy down on them. All in all we had an hour and a half enjoying these fantastic birds before making our way back across the rocks onto the stone jetty and climbing into the dinghys to go back to the yacht for breakfast. Afterwards Washington took the others out to snorkel off a reef and Rosalind came back thrilled to bits because they had got up close to hammerhead sharks and she even took a picture with her underwater camera. Then it was a mad dash to get us and all our luggage ashore in the dinghys onto Baltra island, then piled into a bus to go the 10 minutes to the airport, where Washington rushed us into the check in queue - it was only at this moment when they were calling the last passengers for the 10.45 flight that we or Washington had realised that we four were on that flight, everyone else being on the 12.45 flight. As we were just 4, they let us through, and we had to run to departures and dash out onto the tarmac and board the plane. Moments after boarding the plane they shut the doors and were doing the safety drill. It was the fastest transfer through an airport that I have ever known.
We were all unbelievably sad when we took off and saw the Galapagos getting further and further away below us. Ros and I had seats right at the front with loads of legroom, 1B and 1C. We were fed a good meal once airborne and an hour later landed at Guayaquil. We had to wait 50 minutes on the plane there while it refueled and passengers disembarked and others got on. With the hour time difference we landed at Quito at 2.30 and when we walked out into the airport general, there was our man from Hotel Quito in the front waiting for us with our names on a board, and we followed him to the van for our lift to the hotel. I would recommend anyone visiting Quito for the first time to stay at this hotel because of this excellent airport meeting service. Unfortunately both times we were not at the hotel long enough to enjoy all its fantastic facilities but maybe next time will have more than single nights there. From start to finish the tour that Emily an Mauricio organised for us - from landing in Quito on the 17th to our last night in Quito on the 27th, everything went incredibly smoothly, with even Emily and Mauricio giving up part of their Sunday morning to escort us to the airport from Puerta Ayora, which would have been much more traumatic with the vast amount of luggage we were all trailing. Mauricio was amazingly strong carrying about 6 of our bags between truck and bus, bus and ferry, ferry and bus etc. We were so grateful to them both.
At the hotel we relaxed in our rooms for a couple of hours, mainly so that they could acclimatise to the altitude. In the end Layla and Carol decided to order dinner from room service, but Ros and I wanted to at least venture out and see a glimpse of Quito so we set out walking as it was still daylight and eventually came acoss a nice restaurant called Le Cassoulette and decided to have dinner there. The intention was to go into the icecream parlour two doors down for dessert afterwards but unfortunately it was closed by then. In Ecuador one can get icecreams in an amazing array of exotic fruits that europeans have never heard of. We had a delicious mushroom soup with croutons to start, followed by pork fillet in a fruity sauce with prunes accompanied by a potato gratin dish very like Dauphinois. By the time we walked back to the hotel afterwards we were too tired to do much more than sleep and Ros went on to bed, but Layla and I managed an hour in the free internet room before retiring.
Despite waking early on Monday, there simply was not enough time to enjoy any of the hotel's facilities. We met for breakfast in the rooftop restaurant and had a magnificent buffet breakfast which had everything imaginable on offer, whilst enjoying the magnificent views below us. Afterward I got the hotel to ring the Ormeno bus company and reserve two seats on the bus going to Trujillo on 7 August, saying we would come and pay for them on our return from Tinalandia on 31 July. Our seats on the bus are reclineable, the bus is air conditioned and there is a bathroom and meals service on board as well, so hopefully the 28 hour journey into Peru won't be too tedious.
Then we just had time to nip down and see the outdoor pool and gardens before reconnoitring in the lobby as Sergio from Tinalandia was coming to pick us up at 9 am. In the mad rush I forgot to buy the Quimera christmas CD tht I had seen in the shop the night before. At bang on 9 I walked towards the entrance just as Sergio was arriving in his big jeep and he wound down the window and called my name, Angela. I quickly called the others and soon the porters were loading our luggage whcih had been collected from our rooms and was all on a trolley in readiness, and an old man selling scarves came across and we ended up buying 5 between us because they only worked out at one pound 50 each and I knew they would be useful as extra protection against mosquitos in the rain forest and cloud forest of Tinalandia.
By 9.15 we were on our way but getting out of Quito wasn´t easy because there had been a landslide which rendered a bridge unsafe and the traffic was one-way with workmen in the road and this held us up about half an hour before we could get going but once on the way we so enjoyed the magnificent scenery. We were taking a road out of Quito which had the oriental cordillera de los andes on our left and the occidental cordillera on our right and Sergio pointed out the various volcanoes in the distance as we went. I cannot remember all of them apart from Pinchincha, Ruminahui and Cotapaxi. The countryside was very green dotted with farms and fields and grazing cattle or deep valleys and forested hills.
Nearly all the way we were following a zigzag mountain route with many dangerous bends, this being the Panamerican highway between Quito and Guayaquil and horrendously busy with lots of big trucks, buses etc and needed a really expert driver to get us there safely. Sergio drove very carefully and we were all so overwhelmed with the incredible views that none of us felt afraid. Tinalandia is about 2000 feet above sea level as opposed to Quito's 10,000 feet so as we descended the plants, trees etc became more and more exotic. One of the trees with the top covered in yellow flowers only flowers for one week a year so we were really lucky to be there at the right time. Finally after passing through the village of Allurquin we were turning off the road into Tinalandia.
Sergio had allocated us two huge ensuite rooms with a large shared balcony overlooking the valley below, complete with table and 6 chairs to relax in. We had half an hour to get settled in and then the walk down to the dining verandah below, about a kilometre, on a very steep, rocky and winding road with the forest either side. Lunch was great, really wholesome food but gourmet quality, a cheese crepe stuffed with diced onions, tomatoes and herbs to start, huge thick fillet steaks for the main course with a delicious potato accompaniment, and luckily they served up a piece of fish for me! Crispy fried banana fritters completed the meal, and we particualrly liked the oat seeded brown bread and their own churned butter each meal time. We were sitting on an outside verandah with bird life all around us, the odd gecko lizard and a continual background symphony of the multitude of insects and birds in the rainforest all around. Only two other guests were there whilst we were, a couple from Canada who were very keen birders who helped us identify many of the birds we saw in the days tht followed.
After lunch Ros and I decided to try and walk down to the rock strewn stream below but walked only about a half mile along the main road and gave up in the end because it was too dangerous. It was only a two lane highway with big trucks coming along, one after the other, no pavement other than a gulley we had to keep leaping into as each truck thundered past. We knew we'd probably get knocked over if we kept going so gave up and went back in the end. It was a steamy hot day and hard going, especially the long hike back uphill to our cabins, by which time I had had enough exercise for one day! We found just sitting on the verandah and watching the birds and butterflies was just as enjoyable. Dinner was at 7 pm and another delicious meal. We started walking down at 6.40 but darkness descends quickly here on the Ecuator and we could hardly see by the time we reached the verandah. Hurrying to get there before it was completely dark I managed to slip and land on my backside, but luckily onto earth and not rocks so it didn´t hurt. I bought a bottle of wine but at 25 dollars a bottle decided to make it last the 3 nights of our stay there, keeping it in their fridge. No one else was interesting in having wine. The background insect noise increased dramatically as it got dark, and despite not being an insect lover the atmosphere was fascinating and I decided to enjoy the ambience and not worry about what was out there in such abundance!!! We lingered after dinner over coffee and when we were ready, Sergio drove us up to our cabins in his jeep.
We slept really well that first night but woke in the night to a really heavy downpour that was still going on when we got up 4 hours later. Everywhere was dripping wet and walking down the rocky trail for breakfast was pretty hazardous but we managed without falling. The air was laden with mist and we could tell we were in cloud forest. Arriving at the verandah I was just in time to see two toucans eating papaya at one of the feeders, a beauty we later identified as the pale mandabilled araucari.
Mini email to say we arrived okay in Otavalo – will continue with Tinalandia soon. We arrived at Otavalo just in time for lunch today and it is the most beautiful place imaginable. Layla and I are both hoping we can persuade Rosalind to stay here the rest of our time in Ecuador.
We enjoyed our time in Quito yesterday. Sergio drove us right to the guest house where we are staying, Auberge Inn which is between the old and the new town. After checking in we had to get to the Ormeno bus company to pay for our tickets to Trujillo on 7 August, there to learn that our stay in Ecuador is even shorter than envisaged. Instead of leaving at 11 pm on the 7th it is leaving at 2 am, which means our stay here will end on the 6th. From there we retained the same taxi who kindly waited and then went to El Ventenal restaurant which had been recommended to us by Sergio and he had called on our behalf to book us a table. On arrival we had to walk along a path 300 meters and didn´t fancy doing so alone, but luckily the taxi driver accompanied us to the door of the restaurant and we arranged for him to come back for us two hours later.
The restaurant appeared to be suspended on stilts, high on a hill and from within the restaurant there was practically a 360 degree view of the whole of Quito and the Andes mountains above. It quite took our breath away and we wished we could have got there in time to see it in daylight. We had a magnificent meal, sea bass and shrimps in a coconut sauce with mange tout and rice, followed by a compote of ecuadorian fruits in a chocolate dish, accompanied by spiced icecream and decorated with a toffee flavoured basketweave of candyfloss, similar to what brandy baskets are made from. Absolutely magic. Afterwards we had time to go up even higher to another roof and take pictures. An armed guard with a gun stood outside the restaurant and when the taxi arrived accompanied us out to the road, keeping his hand on his gun the whole time. Although a fantastic restaurant open just 2 months the neighbourhood is a bit dodgy at night. Whilst dining the owner came and introduced himself and would have given us a lift back to the Auberge had we not already had the taxi booked.
We got back to our guest house around 10 and Rosalind went on to bed as we were leaving alot of our stuff in a lockbox until we return on the 7th so had to repack our stuff. By the time Layla and I finished on the internet at 11.30 it was too late to disturb Ros. I could not even find my alarm clock so ended up staying awake most of the night for fear of oversleeping as we had arranged for the taxi to come for us at 10.30 and before that we had to take breakfast, store our luggage, go to a bank. We had an excellent breakfast, incredibly cheap but wholesome and substantial, then walked to the bank which took about half an hour, stopping to buy some CDs on the way - I bought a triple CD of Ecuadorian san juanitos and hope it isn´t one I have already in my collection back home.
We then had to walk uphill back and hurry which was difficult in the high altitude. Luckily the taxi was late. Before leaving we booked a single room ensuite for Ros on the 6th, 7th and 8th, and also a room for Layla and me to wait in until we get a taxi at 1 am to the bus company. The taxi took us straight to the bus station and to the bus which was just leaving for Otavalo, and by the time I paid the taxi driver our luggage was in the bus and we were boarding and then it set off, about 11 am, and we arrived at Otavalo about 1.30 - once we left Quito behind we were in real andean countryside which got more and more beautiful and when we finally arrived we were already captivated. A 4 dollar taxi ride later we arrived at Casa Mojanda in time for lunch and it is so beautiful that words cannot explain. Our little house is divided into 3 areas so we each have our own bedroom plus there is a sitting room and kitchen, even though we won´t be cooking. There is even a rocking chair and beautiful antique wooden furniture and a fireplace.
We had a lovely lunch, with pineapple and watermelon juice, and then were taken on a tour of the whole farm which is completely sustainable with its own produce growing. Ros and Layla have booked massages for tomorrow afternoon but I declined, preferring to spend the money in the Saturday market. Ros is also going to go horse riding and Layla is considering giving it a try but I will probably just watch. They have some lovely dogs here too, one of them a dalmation called Macky who is so lovable. The dining room is fantastic, with lovely furniture and rugs and everywhere an andean theme with textiles, instruments etc, and pictures and there is a huge arched window and windowseat scattered with cushions on which to relax and enjoy the stupendous view. I sure hope we can persuade Ros to stay here until the 6th, instead of cutting our stay short one day in order to have time to visit Banos - which can be a feature of a future Ecuadorian adventure. Layla has been relaxing in the hot tub on the mountainside whilst I am in this beautiful library writing to you. I might just try out the hot tub myself now as Rosalind has gone off walking to visit a waterfall about half an hour away. Tomorrow she wants to buy painting supplies and do some water colours whilst we are here. Tonight after dinner we are getting a taxi into town and going to a pena to enjoy some live folkloric music. Tomorrow night we don´t have to go out as theere is an andean band called Ali Huayra who are coming to play here.
