Ecuador is definitely a land of stunning contrasts. The past 5 days we travelled from the bustling city of Quito to the picturesque & freezing cold Mt Cotopaxi, and then on to the hot lowlands of the Amazon Jungle.
We have had some fantastic experiences the past few days – it has just been a sampler of what Ecuador has to offer, and I think you could definitely spend a long time here getting to know this little country. Has been interesting to come from westernized, orderly & structured USA to colourful, vibrant and relatively chaotic Ecuador. Different sights, smells, customs, language, tastes and attitudes...and has been a treat to explore it all.
We joined a tour group to Mt Cotopaxi on Wednesday– the world's highest active volcano, at nearly 6000 metres. Unfortunately as we are on such a short trip, it wasn't possible to acclimatise to the altitude and climb to the top of the mountain successfully, without having a heart attack. :-) So we compromised, and got up to 4950m instead, and that was far enough! Lungs were gasping for oxygen and we were definitely a little dizzy & unsteady on our feet. Our transport to the mountain was on a very old rickety Land Rover, in to which they crammed 8 of us, including some Aussies and Spanish chicas. Our guide, Marco explained the landscape to us and gave us some background on the area. Kind of reminded us of Mt Ruapehu at home – rugged and wild. The dodgy Land Rover made it up the sketchy road, amazingly enough, and we started our hike up to the refugio. Blisteri
ng cold wind and snow in our faces was a bit of a shock after 3 months in sunshine!! Defrosted with a chocolate caliente in the refugio, then battled the winds to check out the glacier. Could hardly see a thing, but that was cool. We were excited to be in such a challenging environment. We then were given a 'mountain bike' to make our way back down the mountain, for about a 15 km journey. I use the words 'mountain bike' in the loosest possible terms. I know we could be considered as bike snobs, but these bikes were completely hopeless – crap brakes, crap suspension, crap gears....arrgghh! Brent was appalled. Made us appreciate our lovely bikes! Interesting journey down through the blizzard, negotiating the ruts with our slick tyres, and down in to sunshine at the bottom. Then a 2 hour long trip in the Land Rover through crazy traffic, and drivers that appear to totally ignore road rules. Fortunately we had a good driver who only made us gasp a few times :-)
ng cold wind and snow in our faces was a bit of a shock after 3 months in sunshine!! Defrosted with a chocolate caliente in the refugio, then battled the winds to check out the glacier. Could hardly see a thing, but that was cool. We were excited to be in such a challenging environment. We then were given a 'mountain bike' to make our way back down the mountain, for about a 15 km journey. I use the words 'mountain bike' in the loosest possible terms. I know we could be considered as bike snobs, but these bikes were completely hopeless – crap brakes, crap suspension, crap gears....arrgghh! Brent was appalled. Made us appreciate our lovely bikes! Interesting journey down through the blizzard, negotiating the ruts with our slick tyres, and down in to sunshine at the bottom. Then a 2 hour long trip in the Land Rover through crazy traffic, and drivers that appear to totally ignore road rules. Fortunately we had a good driver who only made us gasp a few times :-) 
Lots of fun, and great to be up in the mountains.
The next day marked the beginning of our adventure to the Amazon Rainforest. Had no idea what to expect, and didn't really know what we were in for, so felt a bit nervous! However, it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip so far. Definitely on
e to include on the 'memorable list'! The journey started at 7am to the airport, where we caught our little plane to Lago Agrio – the gateway to the Cuyabayo Amazon Rainforest region. Stepped off the plane in to a sauna - phenomenal humidity and heat, which was a bit of a shock after the temperate climate of mountainous Quito. Well, we were only 25 
e to include on the 'memorable list'! The journey started at 7am to the airport, where we caught our little plane to Lago Agrio – the gateway to the Cuyabayo Amazon Rainforest region. Stepped off the plane in to a sauna - phenomenal humidity and heat, which was a bit of a shock after the temperate climate of mountainous Quito. Well, we were only 25 
miles from the equator, so hardly surprising! Hopped on a mini bus along with 6 other westerners, and travelled along a bumpy and dusty road to the start of our river journey. The Aguarico River was huge, surrounded by thick rainforest and dotted with primitive huts and tiny remote villages. No roads past this point! Travelled for 2.5 hours on a motorised canoe which was fun....along the Aguarico and then a sharp left turn down a smaller, darker river called the Cuyabeno. This would be our h
ome turf for the next few days. No sign of life for about 25 minutes, then we all of a sudden make another sharp left turn in to 
seems like a forested bank – but turns out to be a narrow opening to a muddy lagoon. 2 minutes later we come across our home. Dracaena Lodge. 8 huts. 1 central communal hut. 5 or 6 staff. No power. No communication. No luxuries. However it had everything we needed. Our accommodation was a simple open hut with its own toilet and a cold water shower (which was just water from the river!) Plus a couple of beds with the ever-essential mozzie nets over them. The heat and humidity was pretty intense and a bit stifling at first, but we slowly got used to it. We were treated to a lovely candlelit meal (not sure what we ate - the lighting was pretty dim!) and then off on our first explore in to the dense jungle! We both thought we were pretty relaxed, but, turns out we were far from that. The slighest thing that touched us...a branch, leaf, other person, etc...would make us jump a mile. This was a night time walk, when the jungle comes alive! We had our very own Mowgli, the jungle boy multi-lingual guide; and a Spanish speaking naturalist too. Huge insects that defied belief, and a few that were most unexpected, including a crab (eh?)! Brent held a tarantula too. I didn't. That thing was scary looking! The jungle was pretty noisy at night, so the earplugs became an essential component to ensuring a good nights' sleep. And the mozzie net. Surprisingly not a huge number of mozzies though, thank goodness, as we were a bit anxious about malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever...not the most pleasant ailments to say the least! One of our neighbouring huts had a German couple in it - and they found a snake in their shower eating a frog! (see pic) Pretty cool, but glad it wasn't in our bathroom!
ome turf for the next few days. No sign of life for about 25 minutes, then we all of a sudden make another sharp left turn in to 
seems like a forested bank – but turns out to be a narrow opening to a muddy lagoon. 2 minutes later we come across our home. Dracaena Lodge. 8 huts. 1 central communal hut. 5 or 6 staff. No power. No communication. No luxuries. However it had everything we needed. Our accommodation was a simple open hut with its own toilet and a cold water shower (which was just water from the river!) Plus a couple of beds with the ever-essential mozzie nets over them. The heat and humidity was pretty intense and a bit stifling at first, but we slowly got used to it. We were treated to a lovely candlelit meal (not sure what we ate - the lighting was pretty dim!) and then off on our first explore in to the dense jungle! We both thought we were pretty relaxed, but, turns out we were far from that. The slighest thing that touched us...a branch, leaf, other person, etc...would make us jump a mile. This was a night time walk, when the jungle comes alive! We had our very own Mowgli, the jungle boy multi-lingual guide; and a Spanish speaking naturalist too. Huge insects that defied belief, and a few that were most unexpected, including a crab (eh?)! Brent held a tarantula too. I didn't. That thing was scary looking! The jungle was pretty noisy at night, so the earplugs became an essential component to ensuring a good nights' sleep. And the mozzie net. Surprisingly not a huge number of mozzies though, thank goodness, as we were a bit anxious about malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever...not the most pleasant ailments to say the least! One of our neighbouring huts had a German couple in it - and they found a snake in their shower eating a frog! (see pic) Pretty cool, but glad it wasn't in our bathroom!
Day 2 started early, at 6am with a trip in the canoe again. Saw 5 different species of monkeys from the boat and lots of birds, including toucans, snake birds, kingfishers and macaws. The guides were pretty adept at knowing where to look! Was pretty proud of myself though, as I was first to see the Yellow Handed Titi Monkeys - YEHH! Not that it was a competition of course. Also saw heaps of pink and grey freshwater dolphins, that look quite different to normal dolphins, and are very unique. We then hiked for about 3 hours in the rainforest, looking for more species and also to learn more about the medicinal properties of the forest plants. Saw lots of different things, and even had the opportunity to try a few - including drinking from a tree log...and snorting a garlic-like concoction (from a plant) up our noses - apparently good for clearing sinuses! Definitely made our eyes water and woke us up - and we had the pleasure of smelling garlic all day long! Seemed to keep away the bugs though :-) Afterwards we went fishing for Piranhas - neither of us caught a thing (including the other tourists), but the guides caught about 6 - so we got to see their snapping sharp teeth that seemed capable of biting off a finger.
Day 3 we went to a local tribal village called Playas de Cuyabeno, where we walked around, tried out some tropical fruits off the trees, and drew war paint ( natural ink from an indiginous plant) on each other's faces. As a result, Brent had the Harry Potter lightening bolt on his forehead for the rest of the day. :-) Also visited one of the family's homes in a basic hut, where we had a traditional lunch and we watched them make cassava, the local 'bread' made of manioc - okay-ish but blander than plain rice crackers, and desperately in need of sweet honey to make edible. But cool to try.
Checked out their 'Birdwatching Tower' later in the day. Now I am not afraid of heights - but this thing gave both of us the willies. It was 9 stories high, appeared to be totally wonky and on the lean, and the wood seemed somewhat loose in places. The guide said 'It's ok, it's very safe, it has been here for 15 years...' EEK, 15 years of rotting wood. But we survived, although didn't see heaps of birds. Did more wildlife spotting that night in the boats, to see 'Kaimas' - the local alligators. Only about 1.5 metres long, they're pretty piddly small by comparison to Aussies Crocs but they were neat to see! We did actually do some swimming in the river too, and our guide assured us it was safe....but, on reflection, maybe we were deluded with jungle fever :-)
Day 4 we had an epic long journey back to Quito - boat, car, plane and taxi. But it all worked out, and we are now safe 'n' sound in our insect & snake-free room. Fly out super early tomorrow to San Francisco, for the next part of our journey! Off to Hawaii on Wednesday. Has been great to be here in South America, and hopefully will come back here again one day. Adios amigos x
The contrasts with their affluent neighbour to the north sound very dramatic. Now you're off to the opulence of Hawaii. More contrasts, more novelty. See you soon in Sydney. Have a safe trip!
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