Our Last Travels

                     
As soon as our school days came to an end (literally... catching a night bus on the last day of school), we met up with our friends Justin and Renee for some more travel in Ecuador. After reuniting in Quito ( it felt really good to see friends from home after 10 months), we headed out to Mindo, a quaint little town located in what is known as the cloudforest. The climate is rather tropical, and it´s known for birdwatching. We were extremely lucky to view 3 different types of Toucans and a lesser known but more rare Guan. We were also mesmerized by the variety of hummingbirds that allowed us within a  foot or less of the feeders.

Hiking in the cloudforest

A booted racket tail hummingbird

At the butterfly gardens in Mindo

  After Mindo, we made our second trip out to the Secret Garden Cotopaxi, the lodge is located at about 11,000 feet so we switched from tanktops to sweaters.  Once again, we had good fortune -- sunny, clear skies for amazing views of the surrounding mountains. The addition of a hot tub with  a view of snowcapped Cotopaxi which glowed in the moonlight was a plus!

An early morning view of Cotopaxi (19, 388 feet) 

After Cotopaxi, we decided to head back to  lower a elevation and warmer weather. So, we headed toward the Orient, or jungle region of Ecuador. In Puyo, we took a cool rainforest walk in Parque Omaere with an American expat biologist who educated us about the medicinal plants of the area and the local indigenous tribes, played with some monkeys at a local monkey refuge, and entertained ourselves in the evening at an outdoor heavy metal/punk rock concert (lucky again because Justin is a fan of metal). After Puyo, we headed down to Cuenca where we parted ways.

 At the monkey refuge in Puyo

With only a week left now in S.A., we were determined to make it down to Peru. Our goal was altered slightly by the fact that we were seeking a quiet beach experience before coming home, but we found ourselves on the beaches of Peru during the largest holiday of the year, Peruvian Independence Day. Nonetheless, it has been quiet, for the most part, and relaxing, without a doubt. Being rather early risers compared to the late night party crowd, we have been able to take quiet, almost solitary walks on the beach in the morning.  Our bungalow at Kon Tiki is perched on the hillside overlooking the ocean with our own  private space for sitting, reading, sleeping in the hammock. Although Ben contracted some stomach bug after our first night´s seafood dinner, it hasn't damaged the experience too much because we have done alot of nothing...perfect for relaxing and reflecting before our homecoming.

A view from our bungalow in Mancora, Peru