Butterflies, Birds, and Waterfalls in Ecuador
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We took an 8ish hour bus from Mancora to Cuenca, ending our time in Peru. It was actually 4 seperate buses that we got ushered on to, most of the time we had no idea what we were doing, we were just following orders from the bus drivers. I think it really kickstarted our busing experience in Ecuador. Anyway, we got to Cuenca in one piece, and with all our stuff.
We had 3 nights in Cuenca where we explored the city, tried Ecuadorian food, and spent a half day at Cajas National Park.
I found this sweets store with all sorts of cookies, lollies, fudge, etc. You get given a basket and you can pick your own. I selected probably about 10 things and went up to the counter freaking out it was going to end up costing an arm and a leg (it didn’t). What I didn’t tell Lucas, who helped me eat them, was that there were wasps or bees all over them because of all the sugar haha. The locals and shop owner didn’t seem to mind though so I went with it.
Cuenca was the start of our arepa experience, this Venezuelan meal which is often filled with beans, shredded beef, plantain (savoury banana), cheese and avocado. So yum! It’s safe to say we had a lot of these during our time in Ecuador, and we’re excited to have more in Colombia too.
Cajas National Park is up some 3000+m in elevation so was cold, and evidently rainy. We did a 2 hour loop which I think was enough for us considering it was raining quite heavily. Still good to get out of the city and see the national park and all its lakes.
The next day we took a 7 hour bus ride to Banos. This was probably our most memorable bus ride of the trip. We went to go out for dinner that evening and I couldn’t find my puffer jacket that was usually in my day bag. Upon further inspection we noticed Lucas’s camera bag (and camera), his puffer jacket, and my rain jacket were also missing. It was pretty clear at this point that we had been robbed on the bus. We had our day bags in the storage part above our heads during the trip which we were unaware is highly advised against in Ecuador. Bus thieves in Ecuador are VERY common. We also got complacent and left our bags on the bus while we went to the loo briskly during a stop. I think because we had gone 5 months throughout Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru with no issues we dropped our guard. Anyway, that’s what insurance is for right…
In Banos we visited Casa del Árbol for the giant swings, and walked back to Banos from there. As you can imagine, the swings were a lot of fun.
We spent a full day after this applying for jobs in Vancouver. I think me and Lucas applied for about 5 or 6 jobs each this day.
On our final day in Banos we hired bikes and rode about 16km down the valley in chase of waterfalls. We passed by many waterfalls on the way, but the most impressive was Cascada Pailon del Diablo. It was a very powerful waterfall, and the track took us nice and close to it, having to scramble through the cliff at one point. The end of the track allowed you to stand on the underside of it, which Lucas did, coming out quite wet!
Because the bike back to Banos was all up hill we ended up catching a truck back for $10USD total (stop judging, a lot of people do it). We literally just sat on a stool in the back of this truck for the 25 minute drive back, but the driver was very cautious, a stark contrast to most South American drivers. Cocktails at the rooftop bar of our hostel topped that day off nicely.
Off to Quito I went after this, practically hugging my day pack the whole bus ride, while Lucas met up with Ash in Quilotoa. Unfortunately I don’t have much to report on in Quito as I wouldn’t recommend any time there, unless needing to catch a flight. Although, the Secret Garden hostel I stayed in was a cool vibe with a rooftop bar. I ended up catching up with a Melbourne couple we met in Huacachina, Peru, which turned into a very spontaneous and entertaining night out on the cocktails/wines/shots. We ended up in this closed Italian restaurant at 1am learning salsa from the chef and his old mother. Great fun, and a great mix of people from Aus, Ireland, England, and Italy.
I only just made it out of bed the next day to check out in time (yes, this was at 11am…). A 3 hour wait at the bus station, and 2 hour bus ride later had me in Mindo. Instantly I knew Mindo was the place for me. It was warm, jungle-y, had animals, good food, and a relaxed vibe. On my first day there I took the tarabita (cable car) across the valley where I did the waterfalls hike. It was so warm, including the river water, so I made it my goal to swim in every waterfall. I did, except for one which had a bunch of locals in it.
I also found the best Venezuelan cafe/restaurant which I would have happily gone to everyday had they not been closed on the last day. I went twice and got two different meals, and Ash tried the Arepa which looked incredible too. This photo shows the standard ingredients used of beans, shredded beef, cheese, and plantain.
The next day Lucas and Ash arrived and we managed to fill this day with hummingbirds, butterflies, river swims, and catching up with the Melbourne couple (and some others) for dinner.
On my final day in Mindo we got up at the crack of dawn to go birding in the jungle near our hostel. We saw some birds, particularly earlier on in the morning, but we mostly just heard them. And we definitely didn’t see any toucans or cock of the rock. We also heard monkeys nearby us (though Lucas is skeptical they were monkeys - me and Ash are adamant). We also saw some cows, a horse that was obsessed with Lucas, some mosquitos, and agoutis (a cute capybara like animal). Oh and lots of cool plants, that was probably the best part!
Before I bused back to Quito for the night, we managed to sneak in a chocolate/cacao tour. We got shown the process of turning a cacao fruit/bean into chocolate. We got to try the cacao the whole way through the process, until it was finally classed as chocolate. It was really interesting, and of course tasted great. We ended on some chocolate brownies, and man were they yum!
I bused back to Quito where I stayed the night before getting on a plane to Medellin, Colombia!!! Very very excited to be arriving in Colombia, after waiting 5.5 months for it. It is also quite sad as it’s our last stop on our SA trip. Lucas was brave enough to take a 2 day + an overnighter bus from Quito to Medellin instead. For me the flight cost was worth not sitting on a bus for 48 hours! See you in Medellin Lucas 👋
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