Into the jungle

A trip into the deep jungle. Once again it was possible to get to a whole new climate zone within a short distance from home. A drive of 5 hours over the mountain and down into the amazon basin to Lago Agrio.
This smallish town is THE entry point for oil companies exploring the resources in the rain forest. So far a big national park is off limit for the destruction, but the encroachment has begun, very sad future for these beautiful areas.

Canoe with 12 tourists

We parked the car in this small sad looking town and were picked up in a minibus heading two hours east to a river where the real trip started, 2 - 3 hours downriver in motorised canoe to Jamu Lodge (Armadillo lodge), where we stayed for 2 nights with hiking and canoe trips into the steamy wet and  fascinating jungle.

snake bird

and they could jump

crane

swimming in the middle of the lagoon where (they said)
anacondas and caimans did not come

amazing flooded forests

main lodge building with restaurant

a cold drink and a hammock, not bad

Small anaconda, just about 4 meters

walkway to the river

shoreline of lagoon with caimans (saw them only on night trip, shining eyes)

sunset in one more paradise

parrots all over the place

capuchine monkey

Tarzan's territory

spider monkey

dolphins on the road??

   Another great experience and reminder why I don't appreciate very, very hot and very, very humid climate, everything damp, mildewy, rotten, and sweaty insect bitten bodies. We were down in only 300 m.o.sea level, so tropical in true sense, and incredible that these rivers drain into the amazon river which then run with this small fall all the way to the Atlantic.

one off the bucket list

Our weekend trips continue to be great experiences. A couple of weekends ago the school had a four day weekend. We had decided to spend one night at Quilotoa Crater, an old volcano where the crater now is a beautiful lake, we hiked the crater rim last year with Sarah, this year it was just a one night stop-over on the way to Salinas, a small village south of Chimborazo.

Saturday afternoon while we were hiking a bit around the crater lake, we could see the Volcano Tungurahua, which is close to Banos and about 75km from where we were, erupt.

Next morning cloudy no sights of the nature wonder. We drove down to Salinas to visit a village known for its small cooperatives making salt, coffee, textiles, chocolate and the best cheese I have tasted since last time I had good Danish products of that sort.

On the trip to Salinas we took the back roads, small one lane muddy, slippery and at times rather scary down and up mountain sides. 130km which took a whole days driving. But it was worth it, beautiful scenery and the adrenaline rush when clinging to the hillsides did make one feel quite alive at times. The end was Salinas very picturesque little village

Two days were the plan for Salinas, but the thought of maybe seeing a volcano in full eruption (an experience that's been on the bucket list) was too much. So off to Banos and a Hacienda we know with full view of the volcano from the windows of the rooms.

We got our wish, impressive sights and the sounds and occasional rattling of windows from the eruptions all night were incredible.  One do feel small and insignificant when nature shows its might.

Next morning the car and leaves on bushes and trees were covered in a thin layer of ashes, and as always we are the lucky ones, we can pack up and leave while people living there will have to deal with cleaning up and living with the consequences of natures fury including very, very dangerous air quality for days maybe weeks.



Quilotoa crater lake



Tungurahua seen from Quilotoa




Going down to a village 'way down there' and then up other side, means short distances take long-long time

heading down to get salty water for salt production




bringing milk to the cheese factory



drying mushroom,,and laundry



Salinas village (quaint, isn't it?)




Chimborazo with a vicuna (wild relative of llamas
Highest mountain in Ecuador 6310m, on the top, due to the curve of the earth, one is the closest to the sun possible on this planet

picnic on the paramo

Volcano seen from hacienda room

On a role with posts, EH?

Just after New Year and before school started up again on Monday the 6th, we decided to visit a few markets south of Quito. we booked at a nice hacienda with a great view to Tungurahua Volcano just outside Banos. This volcano has erupted twice  while we have been stationed in this country, last year at this time, while we were in Banos with the kids, did not see it due to overcast days, and again in July, while we were away on holidays. Should it happen again, and thinking about my own experiences and not of people living near the  volcano, I hope it will happen, we will book into same room with front row seating at hacienda Manteles.

Cotopaxi volcano seen just as one leave Quito on the Pan American Highway

We visited the Thursday market in Saquisili, a small town with markets on all 4 city squares and an animal market on the outskirts of town

Sherry negotiating on baby llamas, $100 for one. Although they are cute still too big to bring home in the car, so we walked away

Ilinizas volcano in the background

breakfast

A walking supermarket, anything you need from cooking oil, toilet paper, toothpaste, cleaning chemicals, candles, matches

reused old tires, those buckets can hold water

street kitchen

the view of Tungurahua from room at Hacienda

Second day of the trip, we drove up on the paramo in Llanganates national park

 

On the way back we came through a village, Pillaro. Here they have a festival each year during first week of January, a parade of men and women in costumes with devils masques. One legend says that many years ago the village chief got tired of young men from the neighbour village coming to steel the young women, so the chief created the devil masque to scare the intruders. Result anyway a very colourfull parade twice daily for a week.