Thursday, July 7, 2011

A short but very tiring day, and full of fun!

We went on our tour of Mindo Cloud Forest, although there were no clouds (I know that's not why they're called that!).  This was, perhaps, the clearest day we've had so far; we actually saw Cotapaxi volcanoe when returning to Quito!  We hope it's this clear tomorrow, when we go to Cotapaxi, with our coats!

Before getting to Mindo, we stopped at Volcanoe Pululahua.  The last time it erupted was a long time ago (I say this because I forgot exactly how many years our guide said!).  The crater is filled with homes and farms - guess the residents don't excpet another eruption soon.

At  Mindo, we visited a small place that grows orchids, has a butterfly enclosure, and lots of feeders for hummingbirds.  There were lots there too, and much bigger than the ones we see in our backyard in Huntsville.  I hope the ones that come through won't desert us when we get back, we didn't put out any food for them before we left.

We then went down into a valley that drops to 1,250 meters elevation to see a waterfall.  It does not compare to a lot of falls in the U.S. but it was pretty.  Our guide told us that folklore says the water has healing powers so Jenny put her hands in the water, hoping it will cure the burn she received when taking toast out of a toaster oven during our first stay here (in Tumbaco). I told her ointment would work better. :-) It was definitely a much longer trip up from the waterfall than getting to it!  The mountain is steep and steps are cut out of the mountain so it made for a difficult time breathing and physically demanding just climbing back up.

Then, the ziplining!  Our first time and it was exciting.  I thought I'd be able to take my video camera but we had to hold onto the harness with both hands so I left it with Daniel (our guide).  We went on three different lines, each about 300 meters.  On the last one, going back to our starting point, Jenny stopped before reaching the end (I think she figured out how to brake!) so the operator had to go out and get her - no biggie, just a little humor.

We stopped in Mindo and ate a nice lunch, then headed towards Quito.  We stopped at the Equator monument, built and dedicated by the French, and took a couple of pictures.  Next stop, the hostal around 4:30, where we've been ever since.  As stated in the beginning, a very tiring day; Jenny didn't even want to  go out for dessert at our favorite place - La Union.

It was a beautiful, clear day - perhaps the clearest one since we've been here.  On the way back to Quito, we had a clear view of the top of Volcanoe Cotapaxi, although there was cloud cover from part way down to the bottom. I tried getting a picture but my cameras just don't have the zoom capability to show it.  We will have some postcards of it though, as well as other places we've visited or going to.  I hope it's clear tomorrow because we go to Cotapaxi Volcanoe and park.

We made hostal reservations for Manta this evening so we're all set for that short, one night trip on next Tuesday.

That's all folks!  Hope you'll tune in tomorrow for our exciting trip to Cotapaxi!