I have all these wonderful photos to upload. Visited 2 different internet cafes today and am stumpted as to how to rotate the photos prior to posting. Grrrrr. OK. I have now let that go and yet do wish to blog my Mindo visit while it is fresh in my mind and being. Tried a new approach to the visit. On the bus to Mindo I concentrated on the desire to connect with a soul sister who would direct me to the exact experiences I would seek out if I had all the time in the world. Having only 4 days that is quite a tall order. As we exited the bus a lovely lady named Claudia met us and asked if we had a place to stay. With a negative answer to that question she offered to show us her hostel. Traveling via foot down a dirt road and chatting as if we had known each other forever we soon arrived at her hosted. It is a three story rambling, eclectic structure with hammock hung everywhere. She has plants, dogs, friends, love and warmth filling all 4 floors.
On arrival we were the only guests but by nightfall the hostal was full. After dropping our backpacks she suggested we follow her friend, Margarita, down the road a mile or so to her restaurant for a meal of truncha (trout) and view the huge number of humming birds that visit the feeders set just off the outdoor eating platform. Lunch was delicious and I had no clue there were that many different sizes and colours of humming birds.
Early in the morning we started the day with a wonderful breakfast of fruit, eggs and toast. Thus fueled we set off on foot for the sanctuary of waterfalls. About an hour and 1/2 brought us to a small cable car spanning a canyon. On the other side are trails you can choose from to visit the various fall. We saw 3 that day and would have continued if only the legs were willing. It started pouring rain as we took the cable car back across. A pickup truck kindly stopped and offered us a ride back. Very welcome it was indeed.
The next day we were off again - this time on a tractor - to visit an area of protected forest. The trip there was about 2 hours and along paths that no normal vehicle could travel. We hiked in the jungle, saw birds and so many different types of plants that I was hyperventalating and then ended up at the wilderness lodge for a delicious lunch. After some interesting conversations it was back to the hostel bumpity bump. Our last morning in Mindo we visited a butterfly sanctuary. Wait till you see the photos. They have to be seen to be believed. So, ok, we are having a wonderful time. Tomorrow morning we are leaving to visit Otavalo and the small villages that surround it. So more blogs in the works soon. I have missed out large parts of the adventure but I´m sure Rich will pitch in with his bit. All for now. My beer is finished and time to catch a small siesta before dinner.
Love to allfrom the yin side
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment