Hola Amigos!
Tungurahua Volcano, ready to erupt the next day
A few more pictures before leaving Canoa and the coast. These near Machalilla Park.
Catch of the day.
Pacific Parrotlets
Hermit crab
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Fisherman trying to elude a thief and get his catch to shore.
Before we left the coast we joined park guides boating out to Isla de la Plata.
Arriving at Isla de la Plata, (Silver Island)
Sea turtles greet arriving guests at the island reserve. One must go with a group; private travel and camping on the island are prohibited. It is billed as the next best thing to the Galapagos. I wanted to see Blue-footed Boobies. While the Galapagos comparison is an enormous stretch, there were Boobies and lots of Magnificent Frigatebirds.
Turtle greeters.
Blue-footed Booby pair
Juvenile frigatebird
One last Booby chick
Breeding season is over in April so the visible numbers weren’t as impressive as earlier in the year. A couple of late nests still had young. After the guided hike, we snorkeled in warm, turbid water. The reef is hammered, but there are some beautiful fish lingering near the shore rocks.
Leaving the west coast isn’t easy. You have to drive south through several beach tourist towns to Guayaquil, the major port city of Ecuador, before heading inland. It is dry scrub in that SW corner. Of course, we spent several hours driving in circles in Guayaquil (the map situation is dismal) before being rescued by a kind native who guided us out of the city with his car. We probably should have stayed there, it is purported to have a lovely city center. Turns out there are almost no overnight options between Guayaquil and Cuenca. We were shocked and heartened to see a magnificent hotel in a dump of a town, Puerto Inca, just when we were despairing.
Puerto Inca hotel at the crossroads.
Puerto Inca
Puerto Inca work in progress.
On to Cuenca through Cajas National Park. The clouds were so low and it was so cold, we just kept driving. (Freezing at the equator is a shock.) Later we returned to the lower section of the park for a lake stroll.
Lower Lake
Apparently wild llama in the park highlands.
Cuenca is a lovely old Spanish city with narrow, cobbled streets, a lovely plaza with requisite cathedral, and horrid traffic jams.
The climate is mild, the higher Andes nearby, and the population mixed. There are many indigenous people, Spanish descendants, and ex-pat N. Americans. Carol liked it so much she may decide to move there for a year.
Gilded altar area of main cathedral.
A modest Christ
A very old church interior. Catholicism is the traditional religion, but the evangelicals are making big headway in Latin America.
Old town colonial Cuenca
Very modern Cuenca
I wasn’t sneaky enough for this pair. They don’t like getting their pictures taken. I felt bad about this one.
With others I was luckier.
Market ladies. There are many indigenous groups in Ecuador.
Overview of Cuenca.
Colorful native
The police line up for inspection before heading out. They seem to be young and helpful, at least to tourists.
The Spanish architecture and flowers along with the temperate climate make Cuenca a delightful city to spend some time in. Apparently many ex-pats think so.
In the surrounding countryside are many interesting smaller, agricultural communities with large indigenous populations. We chose Gualaceo to explore before taking the next side trip….
Highlands above Gualaceo
Tilling the mountain soil the hard way. Many have wooden plows pulled by cattle. Few have tractors.
Modest earthen hut of the highlands.
Main plaza, Gualaceo
Huge rhinoceros beetle
Optical store sign.
We gave a ride to town to this pair. Notice the size of the woman compared to our small car. A picture was the price of the ride.
My most enthusiastic model.
Gualaceo is known for its weavers.
…to Jima, a very small village with only one hostel.
Milk cans waiting on the roadside for pick up.
Milk cans going to central loading spot on the way to market.
Jima generations walking home. Grandparents frequently tend the children while parents work.
Southern yellow grosbeak, one of many new birds.
Door to nowhere.
Overview of Jima and its cemetery.
Roadside pork roast. Everywhere we went they had organic local pigs roasting. They would tear off chunks to sell. It’s delicious.
Craig and I took a side jaunt further south to Zamora and the very wild and remote Podocarpus National Park. We stayed with a wonderful multi-lingual Belgian couple who have a lodge quite near the park entrance. The birds, insects and wildlife are spectacular.
Inca Jay; a raucous beauty.
The paradise tanager is one of several species of colorful tanagers. The different species often all flock together in the same trees.
Squirrel Cuckoo
The 88 butterfly
89 butterfly
Most of the 130 hummingbird species in Ecuador are stunning.
Butterflies are spectacular
Varieties abound
Yellow-tufted Woodpecker
These common orchids grow on tall stalks.
Heliconia; one variety of hundreds
Hot lips flower
Could I leave without a dragonfly?
It was a challenging trip back to Cuenca to pick up Carol…
OH NO!!
(Our short-cut on the map ended up being over a muddy 80K road under construction by a Chinese company so they could begin mining in the area. Chinese mining interests in the country are worrisome because of their lax environmental laws.
However, the vistas made the drive worthwhile.)
Deep, deep, green valleys of the Andes.
Back in Quito we turned in the car, got dropped at the airport early afternoon and waited for our after-midnight departure.
Interestingly and conveniently, Ecuador uses only US money. All those dollar coins the Americans spurned are now the mainstay of Ecuadorian currency. It is handy not having to use a different monetary unit and bother with exchange rates.
