Exciting Ecuador

We spent 10 days in Ecuador. It is a country of majestic mountains, looming volcanoes (many still active), jungle-clad hills, deep valleys and winding, winding roads. It is very green.

We arrived in the very hilly capital Quito, a World Heritage city. It is surrounded by volcanic peaks. The old town is full of centuries-old buildings. Here is the magnificent Catholic cathedral.

I loved the gardened squares in Ecuador where people gather to chat and relax. Here is Quito's.

 A few miles out of Quito and we came upon the Equator where we were given an informative talk.

Next stop was Otavalo, where there is a famous market. On Saturday it is evidently a whirlwind of activity but we were there on a Sunday and it was very quiet. Good for bargaining though.

A highlight for us was a visit to the Bellavista Cloud Forest, 70 kms from Quito where we saw unusual plants, flowers, frogs and birds, including a toucan! 

Off to the Amazon basin next along winding roads and jungle-smothered mountains.

We were at an eco-lodge overlooking the Napo River, so there was no electricity. It was lovely until there was a thunderstorm and the roof of our room leaked and wet all our clothes!

We did a junge walk and discovered lots of creepy crawlies as well as beautiful images such as this one of a butterfly (or is it a moth?).

We visited a village where a guide painted my face with berry juice.

We loved our accommodation near Riobamba. It was called the Hacienda Andaluza, the oldest part being built by the Spanish almost 300 years ago. 

One of those wonderful travel memories occurred when we came upon a livestock market. It was a totally 'South American moment': The colourfully clad Indigenous people were selling cows, pigs, sheep and horses. It was all a tumble of mud, animal noises, people shouting and trucks rumbling in to collect the purchased animals. We waded through the mud feeling very alien, though we were totally ignored.

We loved this image of a man and his family trying to get a pig to behave.

Finally!

Travelling on, we arrived in Banos the adventure capital of Ecuador. Everywhere were ads for white water rafting, abseiling, mountain biking, quad biking, flying foxes, mountain climbing. We settled for a cable car ride!!!! There was no adrenaline rush but it was good fun.

A little further on were the Inca ruins at Ingapirca. They were a little disappointing as there is not much left to see, although they are billed as 'the most extensive Inca ruins in Ecuador' - but it was interesting to see the remains of the old cobbled Inca Highway.

This was also our last chance to see the volcano Chimborazo. It had been under heavy cloud each day we drove along the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Our travel brochures showed it in bright sunshine against a cornflower-blue sky. No such luck for us. But it was good to see a tiny bit of it. 

Now for some animal shots....

A llama

A vicuna


Another llama

Guinea pigs roasting on a spit.
I couldn't bear to eat them after I saw this, though they are an Ecuadorean treat.

 Lucky for us we came across two carnivales: the first one was in a tiny village in the Andes where the boys wore colourful hats with huge fringes that obscured their faces, all the while stomping and beating drums.

The second carnivale was in Cuenca where each suburb entered a float, dancers and entertainers in an almost 2-hour long display. The music was infectious; the people exuberant and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Participants and bystanders alike sprayed foam over everyone. Can you see a man with a spray can in the top left-hand of the following photo? No one was immune and we copped our fair share. But it made us feel part of the festivities, especially as the people loved 'getting' a tourist!

We were nearly at the end of our holiday in Ecuador. On our way to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, we stopped off for a walk in El Cajas National Park. It reminded us very much of Tasmania.

Here we were at the highest altitude I have ever been: 4,200 metres. I had to breathe quite deeply. And it was cold!

Guayaquil did not excite us, but here are three different views of city sights. 

An iguana in a tree in Simon Bolivar park.

A glam singer at an outdoor concert.

A toffee apple seller.

And so ended our days in Ecuador.