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.

The pleasures of Patagonia

We arrived in Punta Arenas, at the southern end of Chile (the world's southern-most city at 53 degrees south), a port and stop-off point for trekkers and Antarctic travellers. It was a five-hour drive from here to the Torres Del Paine National Park where we spent four days. Anticipation was high as we drove towards our destination.

We stayed at the Patagonia Camp, a misnomer if ever there was one, as this was, in fact, a luxury resort. Twenty yurts are discreetly hidden on a hillside overlooking Lago del Toro and snow-tipped peaks. Gourmet meals were served and the Chilean wine flowed freely.  I became addicted to Pisco Sours (a Spanish brandy liqueur with lime juice, egg whites and bitters).
Spot the yurts in the following photo.

A range of activities was offered, from wildly adventurous extreme sports to gentle strolls. We opted for three walks rated easy-to-moderate. It took us an hour to drive into the park, with tantalising glimpses at every turn. At the park entrance we all hopped out for a photo op.

Walk 1 took us around Lake Nordinskjold. Here are some random shots along our walk.

The lake was sparkling in the sunshine. We had been warned to take ponchos, warm hats, gloves, fleeces and  down jackets to ward off the extreme cold and howling winds. As it turned out we got warm sunshine, a blue sky and not a hint of a breeze. Methinks the mountain gods were smiling on us.

Walk 2 was a one-and-a-half hour steep climb. On the way, our guide Ignacio spoke to us about the vegetation.

Great views at the top.

A view away from the lakes and snow.

Walk 3 was the Fauna Walk.

A guanaco, native to South America.

A fleeing fox

Not a great shot, but I spotted two condors resting in a rock crevice.

We climbed a steep incline and came upon an overhanging ledge where Indigenous people had painted hand stencils and figures of men and animals, over 6,000 years ago.

On our last night, we had a lamb feast!!! It had been slowly cooking all day.

The next day we were taken back to Punta Arenas from where we would fly to Ecuador. We had a lovely meal at this restaurant, a former corner shop.

Note for those interested in history: When we were exploring Punta Arenas we came upon a chapel. In 1916 Ernest Shackleton had arrived in Punta Arenas after rowing with two of his crew to get help for his remaining crew who were stranded on South Georgia Island. Shackleton and his two crew had been picked up by a Chilean ship and taken to the port. A plaque outside the chapel said that Shackleton gave a series of talks here to raise money for the subsequent rescue of his crew.  I liked the idea that I was walking in his footsteps.