Nerves of Steel Part 2

 Well I almost made it back but I didn't. I slowed down again and as I couldn't lift my head up (really not sure why) I didn't see them throwing a rope for me to catch.

Well I stopped short then started sliding backwards towards the middle and there I floated 10,000 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER. I didn't panic (I couldn't do anything anyway) so I looked at the river and the valley until I was pulled back up by my rescuer. I had no idea how they rescued me or anything until I saw the video. The fellow never said a word to me and I couldn't look up to see. I really don't know if I was there for five minutes or ten.

The rescuer is heading out to me. I am the far left orange "blob"

Here the rescuer is almost to me

This  is my first attempt to come in before I slipped backwards

This photo indicates more happiness than I felt LOL.

I am really not too sure of future zipline adventures!

Next we went to the Devils Face Falls. We had to walk down to the river and then up the other side to the base of the falls. It was a long way down.

By the time we got to the base of the falls we were wearing our rain ponchos (much needed by then as this part of Ecuador is the beginning of the Amazon Rain Forest.

Getting behind these falls required our superior spelunking skills (going into caves) which of course we have none! For a short while we were on our hands and knees (in our ponchos) occasionally bashing our heads against the roof as we navigated the relatively short passageway. 

The climb out took all of my remaining energy and I was definitely the slow donkey on that hike.

We stopped in town and purchased some local taffy-like candy. It reminded me of the small red and black wrapped candies we used to get (as kids) on Halloween.

We also stopped at a special town where Jaime treated us to a famous fruit flavoured ice cream (think fudge sickles but a hundred time better)

It rained on the way home and we arrived at 730 PM

Nerves of Steel. Body of old man!

 This is the second attempt at this blog post. This is part 1

Jaime picked us up at 0700 and we were on our way to Banos (Ban yos). We treavelled the same road as yesterday for about 90 minutes before heading east up into the mountains.

We travelled through some indigenious towns. The women wear beautiful traditional clothes.

The fruits and flowers that could be purchased at roadside locations were fantastic and Caro purchased a few kinds of fruit. Incidently 24 roses could be purchased for one dollar.

We saw huge amounts of sugar cane and later in the day we were able to watch some being crushed and then we purchased some. It tastes wonderful.

The scenery in these mountains is spectacular (the same as yesterday.

First major stop of the day was a cable car across the river valley. After a bit of nerves we enjoyed the ride back and forth.

The photos are slightly out of order but I can't figure out how to rearrange them tonight.AARRGGHH

Immediately after finishing on the cable car we drove down the road a very short way to one of the numerous ziplines here (this town is very well known as an adventure style vacation location).

For $10USD each we decided (with "some" trepidation) to "go for it"

Suiting up in all the safety gear went smoothly.Cameras and anything else that could fall off a person were placed in zippered pockets. Eye glasses had string attached to hold them on. We were instructed on what to do and then (starting with Jaime,then Caro,then me) we were loaded like a flying Superman for our individual trips (both directions).

Soon it was my turn (gulp).Off I went ,sort of enjoying the view at (maybe) 10,000 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER. OK only a few hundred meters ( I am not sure and couldn't find out from the internet tonight)

I was slowing down too soon at the far end and they had to throw a rope for me to catch and then I was pulled in.

Going back I was again the final one. Now I am a pro at this and it should be good.Right??

Go to part 2 of todays blog.

Quilotoa volcano

 Today we went on a 12 hour excursion (0730 to 1930 hrs) with a small group tour company. 

Pick up went  smoothly and soon we were driving the long length of Quito before entering the countryside southbound on the Pan American highway. We were fortunate to see Cotopaxi volcano in the distance and it is continuing an eruption that began four months ago. We couldn't get a decent photo from the bus however tomorrow we are going past it again. Fingers crossed.

Once we got off the main highway we switch-backed UPPP into the mountains,eventually arriving at a very high plateau. 

I am not exaggerating when I say this drive through the highlands is one of the best drives we have ever been on. Simply breathtaking! Every corner we went around had amazing scenery. We were about 14000 feet and there were villages along the way and fields that stretched all the way up some of the mountains. So many photographic locations.

When we were getting close to the volcano the driver stopped at a very small tourist store ("Come on in and buy some souvenirs"). The guide brought out small samples of a local moonshine product called "Canelazo". It was pretty good.

We were in a double decker bus and this time the guide told us that whoever wanted to ride up top could do so so I quickly added a layer of clothing and up Caro and I went (with just about all 14 tour guests coming up as well).

It took me 10 seconds of driving to realize I was greatly underdressed!   BRRRR

Ten minutes later we were at another stop so I layered up more and put my tuque on.

It is a bit hard to tell in this photo but in the middle is a gorge cut through the lava and pyroclastic flow from the volcano's last eruption 1800 years ago.

The lake in the caldera of this volcano is stunning. The photo don't do it justice at all.

It is five kilometers wide and has a trail down to the bottom. Unfortunately there are also horses to bring people back because at this altitude (12,746 feet down to the lake at 11542 feet) some people cant get back  on their own (and the cost for the horse ride is $10 so it isn't a big problem for tourists).

We walked down a little ways before turning back because there was getting to be more horse poop. Of course there was a photo op with an alpaca, Too beautiful to pass up that!

Upon returning to the top Caro bought some street food which she had wanted too before so she didn't pass up the opportunity this time.

This is a white corn roasted over charcoal and smothered in cheese and mayo.

I had a taste and enjoyed it too.

Later we ate at the restaurant the guide took us to and we each had Ecuadorian food  and fruit juice.

We had to wait a long time as part of the trip includes sufficient time for those who wish to walk to the lake snd back (2 1/2 hours).

The fog came over the lake about 2 P.M. but that didn't impact us. Our three hour drive back was foggy and rainy pretty much all the way.

Another wonderful day

Below are three close up photos of some flowers I liked. They are not that big (an inch or or so),

A bucket list completion

 Today is another one of those "never to be forgotten" days that we are lucky enough to have on many of our adventures.

"Our guy" Jaime picked us up about 0845 for our fun filled day. 

We started by going to the TeleferiQo (Sky tram) and we proceeded into the clouds about 3/4 of the way up the mountain. Quito is situated at 9350 feet to begin with and after getting off at the top we walked up to the very top which is at 13287 feet, While up there in the fog we took the opportunity to go on the swing set (which is the thing to do while there).

We get seniors discounts too (OK I am cheating by 4 days but close enough!)

Next we drove out of the city and stopped at a famous location which is an indigenous reserve located down inside an extremely fertile volcano floor (it last erupted 2000 years ago).

Next stop, THE EQUATOR,

There is the famous location of the equator (as designated a long time ago by the French scientists) and this has been built up as a large touristy area with many shops etc. and while we did go there (and took a few photos) we first went to the REAL EQUATOR which was determined (by modern GPS technology) to actual be located about 200 meters away

And here we are !!

The guide at this location was really good and she gave us a very good description of the indigenous peoples of the country and had many displays including something I have never seen before, a shrunken head of an approximately  12 year old boy from about 150 years ago. It is a little bigger than the size of my fist.

After several cool displays we went to the equator and after everyone had taken their photos...

we did little experiments exactly on the line that we really neat. Here is Caro trying to balance on egg on a nail. Neither of us could it (and neither could anyone else on our group). Of course the much practiced guide did it in a few seconds .

A VERY neat experience.

I have now completed what I call the fours corners (not really corners)

Firat I went with Dad to the  farthest north town in the world Longyearbyen(800 miles from the north pole).

Next Caro and I went went to Ushuaia Argentina (the farthest south town in the world) and this past year Caro and I were in Greenwich England and went to the 0 degree longitude line.

After returning to the city Jaime took us to the Jesus statue on the mountain near us.

Jaime is expensive (by our standards) at $160USD (cash only)  however he is so good and so wonderful that we have booked him for two days from now for an all day trip to Banos (the experiences with him are worth the cost)

I had (foolishly thought) that $1000 USD and credit cards would be sufficient for us on our trip but Jaime is getting a large portion of that (and we are just started)

When we returned to the hotel at about 4 PM I went "on line" to get tickets for our January 24th flight however I had an hour of aggravation with slow internet and a wonky airline website. Because our next two days are 10-12 hour tours we HAD to book today otherwise we would be booking on Monday for a next day flight which would be expensive. About 515 PM Caro went to the front desk and after chatting with the fellow there she got the name and location of a travel agency. Out the door we flew and we arrived 25 minutes later (rush hour traffic) at 545 PM with the agency due to close in 15 minutes. They were wonderful and got us set up for the Jan 24th flight however it took them an hour. We thanked them profusely and I note that they did charge us $90USD for their services but it took a huge load off our minds!

Upon our return we went to an area near here FULL of restaurants but we didn't see anything that grabbed us so we walked 5 or 6 blocks back to the place we went last night for another fabulous meal. While eating Caro noticed a religious procession at the church nearby. She went to watch (getting good video in the process) while I ate and watched her food grow cold!

Another great day!

First day in Quito

 Arrival, and immigration shortly thereafter, was extremely quick. Our driver Jaime was waiting. The hotel had asked me a couple of weeks ago if we needed a ride (at our expense, $30USD). This was the same price as a regular taxi however this fellow is a private guide/driver and was perfect for finding out information about the city.

It took an hour to get to the hotel San Francisco de Quito and they gave us our room right away.

After a quick breakfast we went to our room and had a two hour nap.

The historical part of this city is gorgeous and is typical of old cities that were begun by the Spanish. We walked for quite a while ending up at the Basilica before turning around and heading back down to our hotel area.

We noticed a three man group of guitars playing wonderful music. We decided to watch and listen for a while and because of that we lucked out and found a FABULOUS restaurant. A few meters from the group was a place called San Ignacio which had chairs and tables outside for eating and drinking. We ordered a beer (for me) and a glass of wine for Caro. We told the waitress Nazareth that we wanted only Ecuadorian drinks.

We were chased inside by a downpour but that was very lucky too!

We ended up having soup but more importantly the waitress told us the story of the building which was amazing. She got one of her fellow co-workers to show us the wine cellar and while down there he explained how the building had originally been built and told us interesting stories about what had happened there (it had a tunnel from the basement to a nearby church so folks needing protection could escape through the tunnel to the sanctuary of the church)

After leaving there we went back to our hotel room and after I bit I felt ill with chills and  a headache. Basically I laid in bed until 6 PM. when Caro and decided to go back to San Ignacio restaurant where Nazareth again served us. This place specializes in Ecuadorian food so naturally that is what we ate. It turns out this restaurant is very famous and government ministers come there (and apparently the president has as well). The food and service is awesome and we hit the jackpot!

Trying again

 We got another text in the middle of the night stating our new flight to Vancouver was delayed 25 minutes. This was no problem.

Lisa dropped us off at the airport (Thanks Lisa) with plenty of time to spare. We had been unable to check in on line so we thought we might have had issues at the airport however everything fine.

The flight to Vancouver went smoothly. The plane was only 2/3 full at best.

We had to check in with AeroMexico in Vancouver. Looks like Air Canada (yesterday) did us a favour by asking AeroMexico if they would accept us. AeroMexico is not a member of Star Alliance (which Air Canada is) so there must have been some "behind the scenes" discussion on how AeroMexico would be paid (as our ticket price stayed the same).

We made it through security and to the gate just as they started loading the flight to Mexico City. They took their time loading so ,as it turns out, we had 20 minutes to spare.

The flight to Mexico was good with Caro and I having three seats to share between us. Immigration was worrying slow (so much so that I thought we would miss the next flight). However after 20 minutes more immigration people were on hand to process us.

The flight to Quito was only a quarter full. We left at 1230 AM and arrived at 6 AM (a one hour time change as we went from central to eastern time zone).

Caro didn't sleep at all and I managed to get a (suspected) total of two hours of very lousy catnaps.

South America-here we come

 Didn't even make it to the airport. Air Canada texted in the middle of the night concerning freezing rain warning in Toronto. Our Toronto,Bogota,Quito flight was in trouble!

As it turned out our original plane had mechanical issues and was three hours delayed getting to Toronto and landed 1/2 hour after the Bogota flight took off. It didn't matter as we contacted Air Canada to  change our plans. There was no possibility for flights the next day on our original routing so we asked if we could be booked through  Mexico City and we got lucky.

We were only delayed one day.