The Last Days
Well, this is the end of the journey...for now. We all have one last night in Ecuador and then we leave for Miami in the morning. Ecuador, you have treated me well!
After finishing up school, we had some vacation time in Baños and and Chugchilan. Baños gets its name from the volcanic hot water springs that are mineral-rich and plenty hot! It was a perfect place to be for a few days after school was over. The locals like to get the local hot spots when they open at 4:30 in the morning. I experienced the hottest water in the baths at that early morning time...stars and planets shining and the sun making another run at feeding the earth.
But first I must backtrack....
Me and my host family, from left, Jose, Anita, Fernando, Magus, and Lu Rodriguez. They were super sweet folks and I send many thanks their way for the warm hospitality and loose reins!
We went to la cascada de la Virgen de Agua Santa, basically a gorgeous waterfall named after the Virgin Mary, who was supposedly spotted there by people in this quite Catholic town. As usual, the pictures do not do the truth any justice.
This is one of the pools filled with hot mineral water. It is just below/beside the waterfall that you see in the above pics. A truly blissful place to sit as the stars glow and the waterfall lulls people into more relaxation.
One day, Sheena, Jenny, Nick and I hiked up a steep trail that led to the cafe del cielo (cafe of the sky/heavens)...on the way, we saw some gigantic ferns that are the size of trees...these fiddle heads were huge!
This is a shot from the trail, and if you click on it to enlarge you can pick out the old and new football fields, the church, and even, just under the tree on the left, the UFO Disco tower...that is, unfortunately, not in business. What a shame.
This is a shot looking west-ish from the cafe on the mountainside.
Back in town, overlooking the el Rio Pastaza...the sheer drop-off you see here was very common geography for this area, and really most of Ecuador.
Sheena and I rented bikes and headed east along a steep and curvy route that showed us lots of deep gorges and far-falling waterfalls. A memorable and invigorating day, to be sure.
After leaving the bubbly bath town, we headed deep into the countryside and had the pleasure to stay at a well-known eco-hostel called the Black Sheep Inn. This place sits in Chugchilan, about 1.5 hours from Zumbahua. This radical solace had composting toilets, super awesome vegetarian food, and wonderful wood-work and art....and they conserve, re-use, and care about water and waste...rare in this country!
Here is a shot of Sheena tugging back the zipline...the property is set on a nice hillside and they have probably 10-12-15 buildings, mainly for lodging, but also gardens, greenhouses, a sauna and kiddie hot tub, kitchen and a yoga studio....a truly beautiful place.
This is the nicest pic I have put up yet, me thinks...thanks to Sheena for her little Fuji!
This is Lago Quilotoa, a volcanic caldera created some 3,000 years ago by a huge explosion and then a massive collapse....it is still active and Sheena, Nick and I swam over to some bubbling warm water, after swimming through frigid sulphury/salty water.... The hike down was steeeeeep and the hike up, with a pack full of lunches and rain gear, was sweaty and slow.
The aliens must like this place for its ability to reflect their shimmering space signals.
And to complete the travels, we went to the market in Zumbahua and got to witness the neatest market to date; mainly indigenous people and anything from music to clothes, yarn to tostados (my favorite), live chickens to very dead bull testicles...the list goes on. I was psyched to see so much bustling commerce and a seeming bounty of fruits and vegetables...and, yes, an array of flesh, as well.
OK, I hope that this overwhelming last post can be enjoyed. I am anxious to get back to the snowy mountains and be with family and friends! Take care and enjoy the winter...and if you are going to visit Ecuador and want to ask some questions, fire away!
North America, here we come, rejuvenated and enriched!
Much Love!
Cory
After finishing up school, we had some vacation time in Baños and and Chugchilan. Baños gets its name from the volcanic hot water springs that are mineral-rich and plenty hot! It was a perfect place to be for a few days after school was over. The locals like to get the local hot spots when they open at 4:30 in the morning. I experienced the hottest water in the baths at that early morning time...stars and planets shining and the sun making another run at feeding the earth.
But first I must backtrack....
Me and my host family, from left, Jose, Anita, Fernando, Magus, and Lu Rodriguez. They were super sweet folks and I send many thanks their way for the warm hospitality and loose reins!
We went to la cascada de la Virgen de Agua Santa, basically a gorgeous waterfall named after the Virgin Mary, who was supposedly spotted there by people in this quite Catholic town. As usual, the pictures do not do the truth any justice.
This is one of the pools filled with hot mineral water. It is just below/beside the waterfall that you see in the above pics. A truly blissful place to sit as the stars glow and the waterfall lulls people into more relaxation.
One day, Sheena, Jenny, Nick and I hiked up a steep trail that led to the cafe del cielo (cafe of the sky/heavens)...on the way, we saw some gigantic ferns that are the size of trees...these fiddle heads were huge!
This is a shot from the trail, and if you click on it to enlarge you can pick out the old and new football fields, the church, and even, just under the tree on the left, the UFO Disco tower...that is, unfortunately, not in business. What a shame.
This is a shot looking west-ish from the cafe on the mountainside.
Back in town, overlooking the el Rio Pastaza...the sheer drop-off you see here was very common geography for this area, and really most of Ecuador.
Sheena and I rented bikes and headed east along a steep and curvy route that showed us lots of deep gorges and far-falling waterfalls. A memorable and invigorating day, to be sure.
After leaving the bubbly bath town, we headed deep into the countryside and had the pleasure to stay at a well-known eco-hostel called the Black Sheep Inn. This place sits in Chugchilan, about 1.5 hours from Zumbahua. This radical solace had composting toilets, super awesome vegetarian food, and wonderful wood-work and art....and they conserve, re-use, and care about water and waste...rare in this country!
Here is a shot of Sheena tugging back the zipline...the property is set on a nice hillside and they have probably 10-12-15 buildings, mainly for lodging, but also gardens, greenhouses, a sauna and kiddie hot tub, kitchen and a yoga studio....a truly beautiful place.
This is the nicest pic I have put up yet, me thinks...thanks to Sheena for her little Fuji!
This is Lago Quilotoa, a volcanic caldera created some 3,000 years ago by a huge explosion and then a massive collapse....it is still active and Sheena, Nick and I swam over to some bubbling warm water, after swimming through frigid sulphury/salty water.... The hike down was steeeeeep and the hike up, with a pack full of lunches and rain gear, was sweaty and slow.
The aliens must like this place for its ability to reflect their shimmering space signals.
And to complete the travels, we went to the market in Zumbahua and got to witness the neatest market to date; mainly indigenous people and anything from music to clothes, yarn to tostados (my favorite), live chickens to very dead bull testicles...the list goes on. I was psyched to see so much bustling commerce and a seeming bounty of fruits and vegetables...and, yes, an array of flesh, as well.
OK, I hope that this overwhelming last post can be enjoyed. I am anxious to get back to the snowy mountains and be with family and friends! Take care and enjoy the winter...and if you are going to visit Ecuador and want to ask some questions, fire away!
North America, here we come, rejuvenated and enriched!
Much Love!
Cory
posted by Cory at
12/14/2008 11:57:00 AM
4 Comments
