Machu Picchu

Our whirlwind 20 days in Peru are almost over and everyone has had a great time here. The fatigue factor is a bit high, though. Peru is much larger than Ecuador, the third largest country in South America by land mass, and there is so much to see. We have been on the move quite a bit. Our blog postings and pictures are a bit behind, but we’ll post Machu Picchu now, and catch up as we can with the rest.

After visiting Cuzco and a number of the Incan sites in the Sacred Valley, including Moray, Pisac, the salt pans of Salinas, and Ollantaytambo (which we loved!), we headed via Peru Rail to Aguas Calientes. We arrived in the late morning, settled into our hostel and headed to the Museum at the bottom of the Machu Picchu mountain. There are no taxis in Aguas Calientes, nor does bus service stop at the museum, so we walked the two miles. It started to rain, of course. After some attempts to convince passing bus drivers to pick us up (we didn’t have our rain coats) we soldiered on only to find out that the museum was closed because of the anniversary celebration for the town. So, we explored what little there was of Aguas Calientes for the remainder of the day and then prepared to leave early for Machu Picchu the next morning.

The morning came early. We wanted to be at the top of the mountain for sunrise. That meant waking up at 4:30 AM, wolfing down a merely passable breakfast and then walking to the bus station by 5:00 AM. Here are some pictures of the kids at that hour. They were pretty excited about Machu Picchu and were able to summon some good smiles very early in the morning.

Even though it was low season, the crowd waiting for the buses was big and we made it onto the 5th bus of the day. We rode the bus up a dirt road with 13 switchbacks, as counted by Jack and later verified by him again from the peaks of Putucusi and Waynu Picchu (young mountain), to the entry gate of Machu Picchu (old mountain). While Kelli, Ainsley and Eliot waited for our tour guide, Jack and I walked across the grounds to the Waynu Picchu gate. Waynu Picchu is the mountain peak that can be seen in the classical pictures of Machu Picchu. The number of hikers on the trail to the top is limited to 400 a day, and we wanted to be sure to get tickets. (We’ll post some pictures about that hike soon.)

So, what was Machu Picchu like? We had all seen the fantastic pictures and read much about it. As the saying goes, pictures do not do it justice and words are insufficient to describe the grandeur and mystery that surround this wholly sacred place. The Incans built Machu Picchu and other structures so high on the mountains as to be nearly incomprehensible, especially when one considers that the building material consists of rocks so large that some weigh close to twenty tons. For most of the morning we were enshrouded in clouds, literally, viewing across the vast expanse to snow-capped mountain peaks, waterfalls, and a rushing river in the valley far below. We feel so fortunate to have experienced Machu Picchu. Being there for the sunrise and the entirety of the day, hiking through a glorious day in communion with Incan history, was truly a gift. From here we’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Climbing Waynu Picchu

At 10AM we waited in line at the Waynu Picchu guardhouse to sign in for the 1+ hour hike to the top of “Young Mountain”. While waiting we reunited briefly with a Dutch couple we met previously on Lago Titicaca and a US couple with a 4 year old son whom we met in Aguas Calientes. The Peruvian authorities had instituted a sign in/sign out process because someone “disappeared” a few years back. They are more careful now to ensure that everyone returns each day. They also confiscated food that people carried in their backpacks, including most of ours, which was later returned to us after the hike. I understand the desire to stop littering, but preventing people from carrying food during a strenuous hike is a bit loco if you ask me. We were able to keep a small package of crackers after Kelli told the authorities that a child like Eliot needs to eat during such a strenuous hike.

Anyway, the hike was quite steep at parts, but not too difficult or dangerous. The trail had the usual Incan steps most of the way and more modern cabled handrails at especially difficult stretches. Eliot on this segment of the trip has turned out to be quite the good hiker and climber. He really enjoys it and we talked a lot about hiking in Colorado with his cousin Teddy after we return to the states.

The entire hike took about 2 or 3 hours, with some well deserved time at the top spent soaking in the views and snacking on some chocolate. After returning down to Machu Picchu we had a bit of a picnic lunch with the llamas nearby and then headed off to hike the final stretch of the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate. Eliot was running on empty at that point and he and I headed down to the entry gate for a snack and some rest, while Kelli, Ainsley and Jack continued the hike to the Sun Gate. At the snack bar, there was a scene of yet another group of girls wanting to take pictures with Eliot. He was a true sport and smiled his way through every permutation of the five girls with him. Eliot with each one. Eliot with two of them. Eliot held by one in her arms. Eliot with four of them. Etc. It must be his “blondish” hair, fair skin and small size that attracts the picture takers. We continue to wonder aloud how Tess Johnson survived what must have been even bigger crowds, given her curly, true- blond hair.

In the end, we were really thankful to have received 5 of the 400 tickets to climb up Waynu Picchu.

Bus Travel in Peru - Our Luck Runs Out

We had great luck in Ecuador with our many days of bus travel.  In all, we took eight bus rides varying from one to eight hours in duration.  Bus travel in Ecuador is not luxurious;  some times it is downright uncomfortable and scary.  Not once did we experience a break down, delay or other issue on any of our trips, however.

I kept telling the kids that as our trip progressed, next to Peru and then to Argentina, the quality of the bus service and roads would improve.  In most respects that was correct, except in Peru when our luck with bus reliability finally ran out.

First, our bus from Nazca to Arequipa got a flat tire. It was a little bit after 6 PM and we were making great time heading South along the barren, desolate and desert-like Pacific Coast of Peru.  The scenery and vast, empty beaches were stunning.  Huge waves were rolling and there was empty desert in every direction.  All was great until we heard a sound like a small explosion. It was pretty clear that a tire had just blown. We wondered what that meant for our trip. Would we be stranded waiting for a repair vehicle or new bus? The driver pulled to the side of the road and stopped to examine the situation. He then started driving again. Would we just keep going with a flat tire on to Arequipa? No, we soon stopped again, this time in front of a typical shack like house on the side of the road. We were told that they would change the tire and we would be back on the road shortly. So, the two drivers got out the spare tire and changed the tire in no more than 30 minutes. Impressive! It ended up being a bit of a blessing in disguise as the stop allowed us to view a beautiful sunset on the Pacific Ocean. We also got a small peak at life in this region of Peru. Suffice it to say, life looked pretty tough. A ramshackle house made of many different materials, a turkey running around the yard and no electricity or running water, perhaps.

That was last Saturday and this past Saturday (yesterday) brought yet another long bus ride. This time from Puno (on Lago Titicaca) to Cuzco (near Machu Picchu). We had splurged a little and booked a bus line called Inka Express. This transformed a straight 6 or 7 hour bus trip into a 10 hour journey with an English speaking tour guide, stops at 6 archaeological sites along the way and a stop for lunch. Well, it didn’t quite work that way. We were again traveling through stunning scenery, this time in the high plains of the Andes headed up towards the high point of our journey, when we felt the bus lurch, slow down and begin to spew white smoke everywhere. We thought we had our second flat tire on a bus in Peru. The smoke kept coming, however, and we began to think that this time it was different. Again, they stopped the bus and got out to take a look. Our tour guide gave us an update and said that the bus had some engine trouble and that we would try to drive slowly for 15 minutes or so to our lunch stop and that the company would send us a new bus. So, we started moving again. He opened some windows to get us some air, but the smoke started coming in. The bus moved very slowly and the smoke just kept coming. It quickly became clear that it was not possible to drive the bus further so we stopped at a random spot along the road.

Most everyone had a good attitude about the situation and we then proceeded to wait for some help. Cell phones didn’t work so our guide flagged down the few passing vehicles and sent one of the bus staff in one of them to get some help. We played cards. We waited. We met some locals and nearly cleaned out the one small tienda that was clearly stocked for local consumption, not a broken down bus full of tourists. We waited. Kelli got a bit of a walk in. We waited. We met a very cute 5 month old girl. We waited. We observed some old political ads painted on the roadside. We waited. The kids did some homework and then after 2 or 3 hours a new bus showed up to take us on our way.

All in all, if this is the worst of bus travel in South America we still are lucky. We’ll see!

Islas Ballestas - near Paracas, Peru

We decided to take a short boat tour of Islas Ballestas on our way from Lima to Arequipa last Saturday. The bus ride from Lima to Arequipa is a mere 16 hours, so in order to take the tour and get to Arequipa that same day we left Lima at 4:15 AM. Ouch! ! We arrived in Paracas at 8:20 or so and headed straight for the harbor to catch our 8:30 boat. The tour lasted until 10:30 and we rushed back to the bus station to head to Arequipa, where we arrived just after midnight. Even though we traveled in relative luxury on a double decker bus, and on the 1st floor (sort of like 1st class on an airplane) for the last eight hours, everyone was quite exhausted. That said, as you will see from the pictures below, the day was worthwhile!

Volcano Antisana and Quilotoa Crater Lake

First, check out our new “Videos” page at the link at the top right hand side of the page.  We will post all of our videos in this one place, adding new ones at the top and letting the old ones move down.

It has been hard to keep up with postings on the blog. We’ve been a bit busy on buses and airplanes. We are now in Peru and we still have some more jungle photos and video from Ecuador to post soon. Two of the lasting impressions that we will have from Ecuador are the biodiversity of the country, one of the most diverse in the world, and the natural beauty at every turn.

Here are some pictures from our last weekend in Ecuador. JM’s good friend Andres took us to Volcan Antisana near Quito with his wife Rosanna and almost 4-year-old daughter Amelia. Antisana is a volcano of the northern Andes, in Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, at 18,871 ft. (5,752m), and is located 50 km SE of the capital city of Quito. We really enjoyed spending the day with them and the volcano and surrounding areas were breathtakingly beautiful. Thanks for the great day! We’re sorry that we didn’t get a picture of you to post here.

Here are some pictures from our Sunday trip to Quilotoa Crater Lake. Quilotoa is a dormant crater lake located high in the Western Cordilleras of the Andes, 35 km west of Latacunga. The caldera is oval shaped with a diameter of 2.5 kilometers and the steep crater walls drop in some parts more than 300 meters to the water level at 3500m. The lake is 240m deep and its water is alkaline and no fish live there. The lake itself was spectacular and the drive there and back involved the typically beautiful views of the Ecuadorian Andean landscape.

After the hike down to the lake, which was really more of a slide down steep sandy hills most of the way, all of us except Kelli rode back up on mules/horses. Local indigenous people walk the animals down and then walk beside them as they carry the tourists back up. It looked pretty tough for the animals, which didn’t please Ainsley at all. Our guide claimed that each mule only does it once each day, but that was hard to believe. I was most amazed by the husband and wife pair that walked up with Jack and me. As you will see in the pictures below the wife was carrying a young baby with her the entire time. Even though they are acclimated to the altitude it was a tough clime, I can only imagine what it would be like with a baby. Furthermore, at one point she shifted the baby so that she could breast feed it and afterward shifted it again to her back. The US has trouble at times with breastfeeding in public; this woman did it while climbing out of a crater lake to earn a few dollars. Amazing!

Rio Blanco Community

For the first three nights in the jungle we stayed near the community of Rio Blanco. Our rooms were in the area that they built for tourists, just a short 5 minute walk from the actual community. (See “Where We Stayed” for some pictures and more description of our accomodations.)

We arranged our stay through a group called RICANCIE, recommended by a brother of a friend who is a professor of spanish and latin american literature. Here is an excerpt from their website outlining their background.

“RICANCIE stands for Indigenous Community Network of the Upper Napo for Intercultural Exchange and Ecotourism. It was founded in 1993 with the goal to improve the quality of life for some 200 quichua families. Then as now, RICANCIE has taken as its primary objective the defense of the Quichua territory against encroaching mining and oil companies. Furthermore, tourist groups were being sent into these communities by external travel agents. These groups paid only minimal reimbursement fees and left behind trash and bad feelings, which led to conflict within the communities. With organized tourism activities, RICANCIE pursues a self-determined development path and offers new perspectives for our children. While RICANCIE continues to enjoy support of international organizations, RICANCIE is proud of its independence and all decisions regarding RICANCIE events and strategies are taken by a Concil whose members come from the villages participating in RICANCIE. “

On the first day, after hiking into the jungle for a few hours and having some lunch, we headed to the community where we met some of the local families and the kids played soccer with two of the local boys (more on that later). As you might imagine, the living conditions in the community are far different than anything we’ve experienced before. Most of the homes are mad of wood and very simple construction. They do have running water and one has electricity, but as you will see in the pictures below the 60 or so people living in the community have only the very basic necessities. My perception is that the RICANCIE project has brought them some level of income and ability to be more self-supportive, but it was really hard to determine. The families were all welcoming and apparently used to a limited but fairly steady flow of tourists through town.

Everything must be brought into the community by foot or mule, about a 2 hour journey. In fact as we hiked in that first day a 9 year old boy from the community passed us heading out of town on a mule carrying goods for the market. He then caught up to us on his hike back in and then later in the afternoon “kicked our butts in soccer” as Ainsley said.

On the second day we went into a family’s house for a yucca preparation demonstration. Yucca and bananas are still a primary source of food for all of their meals and they are nearly completely self sufficient in terms of growing all of the food they eat. It was quite eye opening to spend an hour or so in their kitchen and to take a turn at preparing some yucca ourselves. You will also see Eliot drinking a tea concoction they prepared that was supposed to help ward off the effects of his cold. He hates onions and yes, that was one of the main ingredients. Miraculously he drank most of it and as you will see did not enjoy it.

The community does have a small church and a primary school. The Ecuadorian government provides support in the form of a teacher and a house for them to live in. They also provide food which is prepared by a different family each day in the school kitchen. We joined the students one day as they were eating their soup and then during part of their class work. It was really great for our kids to see the school, interact with the children and gain an appreciation for what we have in our school systems back in the US.

The children in the community are taught in both Spanish and Quichua. They also learn a limited amount of English. The classroom itself is arranged with the desks oriented into three different directions and the teacher rotates throughout the day, teaching the three groups of different aged children. While teaching one group, the other two are basically on their own doing work. During our visit they demonstrated some of their English skills and our kids did the same in Spanish. Here are some pictures from that part of the visit.

Into the Jungle

I’m going to let the pictures do most of the storytelling here. Overall the jungle was amazing; teeming with strange insects, animals and beautiful plants. Ainsley, Jack and Eliot were fantastic hikers, trudging through boot deep mud, across rain swollen streams and were adventurous in every way.

Baños, Ecuador

We arrived in Baños Tuesday the 2nd of September after leaving Cuenca and enduring the marvelous bus ride of almost 8 hours through Ambato. Everyone was very sad to leave Cuenca which we found very comfortable and welcoming. The kids in particular were facing the fact that it will be hard for them to build true friendships during our vagabond travels. This was brought to mind primarily from the quick friendship they struck with Julian and Lizzie, the two children from Philadelphia who are spending the year in Cuenca. We heard many times “why can’t we stay in Cuenca for the whole year.” Well, the grass does often appear greener on the other side of the fence, but they will undoubtedly be happy to see the many places yet to come. Jack and Ainsley in particular are missing their friends, so any e-mails or comments for them from their friends are really cherished. We understand their reasoning and staying in Cuenca had some real appeal, but onward we went.

Even with the sadness and regret of moving on from Cuenca we were looking forward to Baños, one of Ecuador’s most popular tourist destinations. The promise of hot baths fed by volcano heated water, massages available throughout town and a setting deep in a valley with lots of hiking, horseback riding and other activities was enticing.

Arriving late in the afternoon we checked into Hotel Sangay, right next the Virgin Baths, which we quickly determined was a once grand hotel that has been allowed to become quite run down. The guidebook promise of a swimming pool, ping pong table, etc. was correct, but it just wasn’t a place in which we wanted to stay for long. We spent the night and the next morning Kelli headed off in pursuit of something better while I went to the baths with the kids. We found a very nice hostal for less money with great owners from Chicago and the best breakfast we’ve found in Ecuador. (You can read more about our lodging choices in the Where We Stayed section.)

Some quick observations about Baños and Ecuador. It is set in a deep valley alongside Volcan Tunguruhua, an active volcano that last spewed some ash in 1999. There are numerous waterfalls and spring fed baths throughout town, which is really geared toward tourism, both Ecuadorian and International. While much of the natural setting was stunning and reminiscent of other fabulously situated towns around the world, the town itself reminded us that we were in South America and Ecuador. Stray dogs roam the streets (Anna would be very sad to see that) and the fact that purportedly 60-70% of the population lives below the poverty line is clearly visible. It really is sad to see some of the conditions in which people live and work. Some of this has been brought on by the dollarization of their economy in the late 90’s and some people will tell you that the tremendous flow of money from oil revenues has not reached the people at all. In fact poverty has climbed since the 70’s. Add to that the pending vote on a revised constitution giving much more executive power to President Correa who is getting cozier with Chavez and the political and economic future of Ecuador may see many changes.

We will write more about some broader observations about Ecuador from our travelers and US perspective, but back now to our travel experience. Horseback riding was definitely on our minds as two attempts to ride in Cuenca were foiled by rain and scheduling woes. We headed out on our horses Thursday morning around 10 AM. The first hour or so was great for Jack and Ainsley, who both really loved riding, but it was the ride from hell for Eliot (riding with me) who moaned and complained almost the entire time. He was ready to go back from the first minute, poor guy. Our guide Jaime finally recommended that we put some of our long sleeve shirts down on the saddle to provide a little more padding. In hindsight it was so obvious. Eliot has no padding anywhere and the hard leather saddle must have been terribly uncomfortable. It worked like a charm and he was much happier the rest of the way. Jack and his horse Pirate of the Caribbean was perpetually at the front of the pack (even though we think Kelli’s horse was named Leader and seemed to fit the moniker at the beginning) with Jack constantly taking the lead and urging the horse to go faster with a well placed swap of his hind quarters on a regular basis. Just as on a bike or running, Jack seems to want to go faster and faster. Ainsley was pretty fast too, although her horse Bon Bon wanted to take snack breaks most of the time. Kelli and Eliot were happy walking and trotting and didn’t much enjoy the times when the horses picked up speed. I had to hold onto Eliot and the horse at the same time when the speed picked up and it wasn’t so enjoyable either. All that said, we did have a nice time on the horses.

Two of the other days we spent hiking through the mountains that surrounded the town. The first one on the southern side that led up to a Cross that is lit brightly at night. This was the trail on which we composed our get well video for Pop Pop. It was also the sight of an interesting sign and commerce. At one point on the trail we reached a side trail to the left heading to a rugged mountainside home (hut really) with a women hard at work in the field with a hoe. The side trail had a door like frame made out of logs on which was painted “You want a beer”. While that may have been true for me, we have packed insufficient water so we bought a few bottles of water from the little boy (probably not more than 7 or 8, who ran back to the house in his bare feet to make the sale.

The second day of hiking took us across the San Francisco bridge spanning the river. We climbed up the mountainside where we at one point were greeted by a local man who invited us to hike up the trail on his property to get a better view of the volcano across the valley. He is evidence of one thing we have found throughout Ecuador. The people here, whether friends and family of JM or complete strangers, are all very friendly and welcoming, especially with our kids. We continued on the hike for about 4 or 5 hours in total. At different points on this muddy and steep trail we crossed paths with men on mules heading to the fields and once a family and mule carrying quite a load. The views were stunning, but the volcano remained shrouded in clouds the entire time. Unfortunately, not once during our 4 day visit did the clouds reveal the upper reaches of the volcano.

The hot baths themselves were quite an experience. Again, an opportunity to interact with locals. We got many looks, especially from the older women, as we were the only “Gringos” at the pools most of the time. The kids loved all of them, the cold, warm and very hot direct from the volcano one. There was also cold water funneled straight from the waterfall through some piping that you could stand under to get refreshed. That reminded me a bit of my childhood cross country visit when on occasion my siblings and I would go from a cold swimming pool to a hot tub to experience the drastic difference in temperatures. The kids, even Eliot, participated in this with some joy.

Another special and unexpected treat in Baños was our discovery of a Swiss restaurant in town. The menu had the full complement of Fondue, Raclette and Rosti which we all love from our visits with the Engelters in Switzerland. We ended up going there twice which made us really long for our visit with them which won’t come until the end of our travels.

The other two special treats were the children’s park and the Whippet at the Hostal. All three kids enjoyed riding the zip line, climbing the climbing wall and joining in on a curious version of soccer played on a concrete surface with a small, heavier ball. They also loved hanging out with Simon the Whippet. Look for some pictures in the Where We Stayed section soon.

Well, I’m sure there is more to report, but Saturday morning came all too quickly as we boarded a jam packed bus for Tena and our trip to the jungle. More on that soon.

More Ecuador (Including Guinea Pig)

Finally our blog posting with Guinea Pig!

We have now spent more than 2 weeks in Ecuador and our blog postings to date have been about specific trips or experiences, but there is so much we see each day and so much to share that this posting is going to be a bit of a hodge podge of things, roughly in chronological order.

Visit with JM’s Mother

First, our trip to the markets in Paute, Gaulaceo, and Chordoleg with JM’s cousin Wilson his wife Lourdes and their son Paul is a bit overdue. That was two Sundays ago and also the day that we had a fabulous time meeting JM’s mother and enjoyed our most delicious meal in Ecuador at her house in Gualaceo. Our camera was not yet repaired and we forgot to take our back up camera, so we have just a few pictures to share.

They picked us up at 9 AM and we spent the bulk of the day driving to these nearby towns, visiting the various markets (fruits and vegetables, food and jewelry). The most fascinating market to most of us was the food market in Gualaceo where stall after stall sold all types of Ecuadorian “comida tipica” including roasted pig that was not that unlike NC barbecue without the sauce, although the entire pig including the head are more prominently displayed.

CEDEI Spanish School

Here are some pictures of the Spanish School we attended in Cuenca for two weeks along with a picture of the kids with Cesar, one of their three “professors”.

Eating Cuy (Guinea Pig)

We finally ate cuy on our last evening in Cuenca. We did so with our new Cuenca friends, a family from Philadelphia that is staying in Cuenca for the school year. Ainsley, Jack and Eliot made fast friends with their two children, Julian and Lizze. We really enjoyed getting to know them, learn about their school plans in Cuenca and sharing some meals and cervezas. The kids really enjoyed spending time together and ours were really sad to leave Cuenca and them behind. (The inability to build friendships outside of our nuclear family is certainly a downside to our on the move approach with this trip.)

So, what to say about the Cuy? No it tastes like chicken or other remarks here. It certainly is a meal that is unique. Sure, it tasted fine and had both an interesting flavor and texture. The skin was extremely crispy and a bit thick. Everyone at the table partook in the meal, some with more vigor than others as the pictures will show. Norm (the father) probably won the most adventurous cuy eater award for his approach to the eating the head. Eliot, probably the least for his one bite of meat provided to him already on a fork. But hey, he gave it a try.

Bus ride to Ambato

Yesterday we traveled from Cuenca to Banos, via a central town in the Andes named Ambato. The bulk of the journey, 8 hours in total, took place in a bus along the Pan-American Highway. I assure you that the use of the word “highway” is made very loosely. Certain stretches were nothing but rock strewn road, no pavement in sight, and usually at the most frightening moments. We were safe, but boy those drops off were mighty steep and a long way down.

I don’t think any of us were really prepared for the trip. We did ride the bus to Otavalo for 2 hours or so, but that was really mild in comparison. One of the questions from Ainsley before the trip was if the bus would have a bathroom. We weren’t sure, but were pleasantly surprised to see that it did. Then we saw the sign on the door, “Solo Damas”! They meant it. Not even the doe eyed Eliot with a full bladder was enough to convince the “ticket taker” to unlock the door for him. It was left to first Ainsley and then Kelli to brave the Urinario on the windy stretches of the bumpiest section of the Pan American Highway. Eliot was constrained to utilizing the small empty (gasp here for GG!) Coke bottle. He did a great job. Jack and John basically avoided drinking anything and were left to hold it for approximately 6 hours before we were given the first opportunity to exit the bus and use the banos. Ugh!!

Jack’s motion sickness, for which he is prone, was mild most of the way with the exception of the unpaved stretch. Thankfully, we needed no bags of any kind. He just hung in there as best as he could.

All in all, the scenery was stunningly beautiful, the driver was a bit crazy, and the bus crowded and at times a bit smelly. Probably a bit more than we bargained for, but in the end we arrived in Banos safe and sound. Where else can a family of 5 travel for 8 hours and pay a total of $37? What did we expect? Peanuts, sodas and a bathroom?

We are now enjoying the hot baths in Banos for a few days before we head to Tena on Saturday. Sunday morning we leave for the jungle for the next 5 days. We’ll post again before we leave Banos.

Thanks for all the comments and well wishes. We miss you all!

Parque Nacional Cajas

We just finished our 2 weeks of Spanish classes, 4 hours each morning. We learned quite a bit and that foundation will serve us well for our remaining 2 1/2 months in South America, but I must say that we are happy to be finished. The whole family has been up at 7 AM each morning for the last 12 days (including last Saturday and Sunday for trips to Cajas and Gualaceo) and we have been studying hard each evening. Learning a new language is not easy, especially for adults! So, today is really the first day since we arrived in Cuenca that we didn’t have homework or need to get everyone up and out of the house early. It feels good!

Last Saturday we went to Parque Nacional Cajas, one of the most beautiful natural sites in Ecuador. It is a mere 30 km from Cuenca and made a great day trip. The altitude ranges from 3,200 to 4,450 m and the temperature averages only 10 degrees Celsius. The park also is blessed with a significant amount of water. It has 230 lakes, many streams and lots of rainfall each year. In fact, the global warming experts theorize that it will receive more rainfall as time goes on.

We traveled to Cajas via minivan early Saturday morning with our guide “Kuko” who is a childhood friend of JM’s friend Andres in Quito. He was a tremendously knowledgeable, friendly and great guide. Our day ended up being a very cold and wet one and you will see that we were in and out of clouds much of the day. That limited our visibility somewhat, but it was still an incredibly beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thankfully, we were fairly well prepared, although tall waterproof boots would have been better than our short “hiking” shoes. (You will see some warming up and drying of socks/pants going on in the lunch pictures below.)

As a brief side note, a number of people have commented about the weather in Cuenca from our clothing in the earlier pictures. It has been unseasonably cool during our stay and we have been bundled up in layers most days. Very few if any buildings have heat here, as it is very near the equator. But, the altitude brings some fairly cool temperatures and we have had only a day or two of truly sunny weather.

Cajas is comprised mostly of Sub-Alpine Pluvial Forest and Alpine Forest, which is more commonly known in the Andes as Paramo. The scenery is very different than the Rockies in Colorado and extremely beautiful in its own special way. Much of the ground is covered by highland straw and other smaller plants that form a cushion that becomes its own water reservoir. The kids really enjoyed jumping on the sections of ground that reverberated under their feet as the water shifted around. We all enjoyed taking in the beautiful scenery, interesting flowers, strange “paper” trees that in forest form are reminiscent of a Grimm’s fairy tale and walking out in the wilderness after spending our early days on the trip in cities with buses, taxis, and lots of people. We would love to go back to Cajas, but probably won’t before we leave Cuenca.

Tomorrow we go horseback riding at a hacienda outside of Cuenca and are hoping for a nice sunny day. Regardless of the weather and studying we are truly enjoying our stay in Cuenca and will be sad to move on.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

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