I made reservations: the same mistake I’ve made before. What seems like a reasonable drive on the map turns into a long, harrowing drive on roads not meant to be hurried. Having no idea what we were signing ourselves up for, we made reservations at a lovely hotel in Sucúa. We discovered the seemingly straight Troncal Amazónica along the east side of the Andes, was anything but straight and the road bed, anything but good. Washouts, potholes, unpaved bits, and road collapses were frequent. Google’s predicted travel times were wishful thinking.  After the fact we learned that we had sped through some of the best bird watching opportunities in the area. Alas.      

Brief stops to see roadside attractions gave us a chance to stretch our legs.

We came upon a mall in the middle of nowhere. Not a nearby town in either direction. We needed a break and a coconut ice cream, so pulled in. In the ice cream shop, three workers were having a birthday party for themselves. I took a selfie for them with their phone before they scooped our ice cream. After finishing our treat, we looked around the mall. We can only imagine it was some Chinese entrepreneur’s idea of a great concept. Build it and they will come?? There was no other soul in sight…anywhere. There were closed shops, a theater, and an outdoor garden area as well as very deluxe bathrooms. But no customers.

Finally reaching our destination well after dark, we were the only guests at the hotel. We were so exhausted after our nine-hour marathon dash, that we extended the one-night stay into three. One day we explored the town which is a soulless, mid-sized city.

On the main plaza is the requisite fountain with the normal Christian theme and plaques commemorating the 16^th century conquest of the natives by the kindly, beneficent Spaniards. (sarcasm intended) It took two centuries to throw off the Spanish yoke…not until 1822 did Ecuador obtain its independence from Spain after a brutal war. At that point it joined with Panama, Colombia and Venezuela in a combined confederation which lasted eight years. In 1830 Ecuador emerged with complete autonomy when the confederation imploded.

 

Some street pictures of Sucúa while I rant about what has happened to Ecuador.

Ecuador was a shining example of what a well-run Latin American country could be, until the pandemic upended its tourist industry. The government bases its economy on mineral and oil extraction plus tourism. When they started bargaining with the Chinese for expensive infrastructure projects, they paid with oil. When the price of oil dropped, the government found itself in the dire straits it remains in today. Now besides monetary woes, the cartels from neighboring countries are moving in, causing all sorts of mayhem. And that is my short answer to why the roads have deteriorated so badly in the last 7 years.

Next we toured the local wildlife reserve, Finca el Piura, which our hotel hosts suggested. An excellent idea!  They even led us there so we wouldn’t get lost. It’s a quirky mix of reserve, farm and events destination high above Sucúa. Take a photo tour of the finca with me.

 

 

There are several ponds on the property with dragonflies in residence. These two species are familiar to us in Colorado. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time now to move toward Quito and home with a quick stop in Tena, a jumping off spot for many Amazonian adventures. But before we go, the view of Sucúa from the front lawn of the Finca.

 

 

We stayed only one night in Tena before heading to the airport in Quito. Leaving the Troncal Amazónia at Baeza, we made one quick stop to check out the area where we previously saw the Cocks of the Rock on their lek. But it was not to be. We saw nothing, so sadly turned west and over the Andes once again. We bid Adios to Ecuador and to the readers who have joined us on this blog.