Honeymoon in South America: Part 3

Ecuador - The Middle of the World

Mon, 5 Jul 2004 16:44:45 -0700 (PDT)

Dear friends and family...

It´s that time again...eventually!! I know, I know... we are a bit on the late side with this episode but c´mon guys...we´ve been busy!! ;-) In fact, there is so much fun to be had out here we felt we were running out of time so have extended our tickets by a couple of weeks...it had to be done! We are due to arrive back in reality on August 12 (sigh). Anyway, without further adieu, herewith the next epic email on the Marinowell adventures! ( And it´s a looooooong one!)

It was farewell to hot and steamy Costa Rica and southwards (and upwards - quite literally!) to Quito, a sprawling Ecuadorian metropolis bordered on all sides by the cloud covered peaks of the Andes - and resting on a plateau at an altitude of 2800m. Took a few days to get aquainted with the lay of the land and to acclimatise....this altitude thing was a bit new to us. Decided on a gentle walking tour of colonial Quito´s cobblestone streets which link it´s 400 year old churches and plazas ...AND encountered the welcoming street parade of Miss Universe pagent contestants!! Plenty of jostling through crowds of Ecuadorians all eager to catch a glimpse of the global beauties, us Marinowells clinging to our belongings for fear of the ever efficient pick pockets we had been warned about! We did get a good look at the lovely ladies...sparkly perfect teeth and lots of big hair...and the inevitable throwing of roses to the mere mortals in the streets!!

Still in our acclimatisation mode, we decided on a litle day trip out to "Mitad del Mundo"...the equator. Latitide 0 00´0´´. Middle earth as we like to call it! Lots of jumping between hemispheres and general fooling about. " Get back to this hemisphere right now..!" Been there, bought the fridge magnet and sent the postcard from the Equator Post Office!!

From Quito we headed out north to Otovalo, famed for it´s indigenous artesian markets on a Saturday. Us Marinowells do like a spot of shopping! (Have since purchased "the extra bag" to carry the booty.) We started the day with a turn at the early morning animal market which was a real hoot! Scraggly looking sheep being dragged around by tiny Ecuadorian ladies, wriggling piglets wrapped up in sacks and tied onto the back of some dear toothless old lady, renegade cows, a couple of wiry guys trying to lift a huge fat sow into the back of a truck etc...and a whole lot of muck and mud! Pure mayhem. Watching the local Otovalon Indians poke, prod and haggle over their live wares was most amusing. Therafter, we headed in the direction of the craft market and did our bit for the Ecuadorian economy! Some like to end market day with the 3.00pm cockfight. (Ahem. Matt and I do not support blood sports.) While in the area, we stumbled on a little town known as the leather metropolis (yes, metropolis). Purses, coats, wallets, belts, whips, chaps (In your size, Horrus!) and gazillions of gorgeous handbags. (Girls, we are talking handbag heaven!!)

Now, I think food in these parts warrants a little mention. They do eat some weird stuff ...tronquito (bulls penis), yaguarlocro (soup with blood sprinklings), and the infamous cuy (guinea pig)... an extremely popular delicacy dating back to Inca times!! Not uncommon to see these little guys turning slowly over the open coals, complete with little paws, head and teeth etc...after the "vigeron" Nicaragua experience we Gringos (as we have become accustomed to being called!) managed to skillfully avoid confrontations with all of the above. Our "no carbs after 6pm" rule has gone out the window...it is not unusual to be served rice, french fries and bread in one meal. Atkins nightmare, guys. On the plus side, fresh fruits abound and we have encountered some deeelicious juices which have kept us going through these dark, gourmet starved times...blackberry and passion fruit mix being the most yummiest to date!

Next on the itinerary... downwards to sea level ...and onto the BIG one... It was time to put on our snorkels, fasten our flippers and surrender our wallets! We were off on an 8 day cruise of the Galapagos islands - a treasure chest of endemic plant species and numerous animals found nowhere else on the globe and which prompted a medical school drop out, by the name of Darwin, to propose his theory of Survival of the Fittest. Coincidently, my 32nd birthday fell in this same week - could be worse places to celebrate, eh? It was a phenomenal experience (James&Hayls: worth every penny as you said!) Apart from marvelling at the geological aspect of these volcanic islands we had some amazingly close encounters with the wildlife. We swam with the ever playful sealions. Snorkelled up close with enormous turtles and the ocassional shark! (Eeeek!) Stepped over blue footed boobies and their eggs, some with chicks just days old. (Watched their comical mating ritual up close...the male boobies lift up their blue feet to show the females how attractive they are! They look like they are doing a little jig!)Avoided the salty sneezes of the godzilla-like marine iguanas, the only species of marine iguana in the world. (These guys were my favourite!) Gawped at the bright red balloon breasted male frigate birds as they tried to attract the attention of females flying overhead. Marvelled at the virility of Diego, the saddle back male tortoise singlehandedly responsible for regenerating his species! Felt sorry for poor old Lonesone George, a huge Pinta tortoise and the last of his species! (You´d feel lonely too!) He is housed in the Charles Darwin Centre with two lovely lady tortoises, genetically his closest relatives. But unlike Diego, George ain´t interested in any nooky! Clambered over a fresh lava field...only 100 years old. Admired the grace of the waved albatross with an enormous wingspan of 2.5m. (This is the only place in the world where they nest.) Drank in the stunning views of Sullivan Bay and Pinnacle Rock, probably the most scenic and thus most photographed area of the Galapagos. Walked hand in hand with my man on beautiful, pristine beaches..some of the finest pure white sand, some a shade of green and some of red owing to the mineral content. Basked in the sunshine on our sun loungers on deck. (Matt got told off by the older kiwi lady for knowing better than to spend time in the sun!)
All in all a splendid week and a real highlight of our little excursion to date!

After sun, sea and wildlife we flew back to Quito for a night and then headed south by bus in the direction of the teeny Andean village of Chugchilan, in an area relatively untouched by technology or tourism - in other words, the middle of nowhere! The village is home to the much loved Black Sheep Inn. (Altitude: a breathless 3200m.) Our bus chugged and rattled along a dusty road winding through the most spectacular Andean scenery. Streets were replaced by fields of hay and the area seemed to be populated by more sheep than humans ( kinda like New Zealand, huh?) Small indigenous villages were hidden among patchwork fields and the vast jagged rock faces of the Andean peaks. Arguably some of the very best scenery in all of Ecuador. The Black Sheep Inn lived up to all it´s rave reviews and recommendations (Thanks to Pearl, Steve and Robbo!) Set in terraces up the side of a mountain, it practices permaculture, serves yummy organic vegetarian fare, all loos have toilet roll-dropping views of the Andes and the cosy rooms are equipped with woodstoves to keep you snug and warm at night. Dinner was served family style around a big table which always lead to interesting conversation. We met some great people there...the husband and wife Canadian geologists who worked contracts through South America, the feisty, spirited Irish lass travelling solo and the vacationing pale, retro cool English couple (complete with massive aviator shades!) And of course, there is always a token dork. This one bored us all with his fear of contracting salmonella through eating soft boiled eggs. (Imagine going through life and never having Eggs Benedict!) Believe it or not, he worked for Accenture New York!! You can run to the middle of nowhere but you just can´t hide, huh? (I might add he also showed very dismal knowledge of the entire Accenture rebranding process when quizzed by others at the dinner table!!!)

Took us a day or two to get acclimatised again. It didn´t help that our room was at the top of the hill! But it had simply awesome views of the mountains, plateau and canyon so we put up with the breathlessness! We warmed up with a gentle hike around the ridge above the inn, taking with us a special Black Sheep Inn picnic which we enjoyed overlooking the canyons and valleys below. And then it was time for the hike we had come all this way to do. Caught a lift to "the top of the world"... to the SPECTACULAR Laguna Quilatoa (a massive, emerald coloured crater lake high up in the Andes) with the people mentioned above (minus the dork) and proceeded to walk partly around the crater rim and then back to the BSI. The mostly downhill hike took about 4 hours and was so amazing. All was going well until we neared the end and embarked on the final assault...a rather "meaningful" ascent out of the canyon. Battling the altitude it felt like it would never end. Matt and I were both toast after that!!

You will remember we were in the middle of nowhere - the only bus out back to civilisation was at 4...in the morning!! (Us Marinowells are not morning people!!) A couple of like-minded non-morning people approached us to share the costs of hiring a local taxi which would leave at 9.00 am. An attractive offer we could not refuse! We decided to cough up the $8 each ( as opposed to the $2.50 bus fare) and opted in. Imagine the Marinowells complete dismay when a dusty old cattle truck (yes,a cattle truck!!) arrived to take us on the 3 hour trip. The front seats were already occupied by a couple of locals so it was in the back for us. Our most solubrious form of transport yet! Not! Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

We survived the cattle truck ride...barely. (So, there is clearly NOT a lot of glamour in this backpacking stuff, in fact it is devoid!) The truck did not even drop us in town but dumped us on the Pan American highway with our backpacks! Flagged down a passing bus and headed for Banos, a backpacking mecca and jumping off point for visits to the Ecuadorian jungle. (Although we were saving our jungle trip for Peru.) The town is nestled in between lush, green mountains and is a lot warmer than the Black Sheep Inn! (Jase de Ace:Those brekkies on the terrace at Plantas Y Blancas made "2 dinners Matt" a happy man.) Feeling a bit energetic after our hike, we decided to embark on the mostly downhill (notice this recurring term!) 70km bike ride through the "avenue of waterfalls". A convergence of tropical weather and rugged terrain have made this area a waterfall breeding ground. All was going well until we hit torrential rain about 2 hours into the ride. Clearly the reason why there are so many waterfalls. Normally not this active at the best of times (!)...we agreed that we were not really having the greatest time. Maybe the die-hard mountain bike types would have continued but the weather got the better of us and we abandoned ship. Bedraggled and soaked to the bone, we hitched a lift back into town.

We continued south following the "Gringo" trail for a few days until we reached the city of Cuenca, another of those Spanish Colonial cities and capital of the Panama hat industry. Presidents and hollywood stars have sported the hats - an integral part of 30s and 40s American style. And in the 20´s, made famous by the gangster types. Even today there is a model called the Capone! Tracked down one of the oldest factories in the city and had a good look around. And had a good deal of fun trying on the various shapes and styles in the factory boutique!! Guys - I was born to wear hats!

From Cuenca, we made our way down to Vilcabamba, a "sleepy hollow" little town with year-round warm weather and beautiful scenery. It is also known as the "valley of longevity" because of it´s high percentage of residents who live till over 100 years old. Scientists have been studyng this place for years in search of the fountain of youth!! Subsequently, it does atract some strange earthy types. We checked into a charming little spot set in the hillside..."Mother Earth" hostel and spa! (See what I mean!) Another of those great places serving delicious organic fare on the patio overlooking the valley and lanscaped gardens. The new silver haired Californian owner delighted in telling us about UFO sightings (as in flying saucers and bright lights) that occured earlier in the week. Before telling us about her experimentations with San Pedro, a hallucenigenic cactus juice she had as part of a "Back to Mother Earth healing ceremony"! (I told you they were weird here!) Anyway, we got the room at the top again...had to climb up a steep hill to get there but the views again were fab...and the rooms just gorgeous!! Who expected to come accross a 4 poster bed and a bathroom the size of our room??? Upon arrival, we were drawn to a strange but beautiful mountain standing guard over the valley - Mandango. We enquired about hiking to the top (us Marinowells were on an energetic roll!) and agreed to give it a go after breakfast the following day. But the arrival of a Kiwi couple and a few glasses of red wine at dinner somehow changed our destiny. Morning broke and a spot of self indulgence overtook us. Matt headed for the pool and bar area to watch one of the Euro 2004 games...and madam here high tailed it to the spa for a 3 hour pamper session of mudpucks, salt scrubs and hose downs!! And then we gazed at Mandango from the comfort of our hammocks! What are honeymoons for! (PS there was another UFO sighting the night before we left. Believe it or not!)

And so now...the Marinowells are honeymooning in Peru having just spent 3 nights in the Amazon jungle at a rustic little lodge. Much fun to be had but very muddy, muggy and buggy! The mozzies were positively evil and us city kids were happy to high tail it right outa there by the end of our stay! But more on Peru and other jungle stories in the next mail from Matt.

Lots of love to you all!!

Ange and Matt
xxx