Tena: gateway to Ecuador Amozon

It rained miserably this morning, and I checked with 2 travel agencies without any tours going out. I was so disappointed that I decided to check a nearby town then bear out to the major city and skip an amazon trip. I gave myself the last chance to talk to a 3rd agency which is closer to the bus terminal but almost in the middle of nowhere of the edge of Tena. I am glad that I did that and booked myself a 2 day tour from 9/29.
I tried to visit La Isla today but it was closed due to recent big flood. But i did not give up and ask the keeper if it would open in the afternoon. There is no way or bridge to the island but a canoe. I went back later and it was open. I saw trees and little monkeys. I had one rested on my hand and took a photo.

Hot spring and waterfall bike ride in Banos, Ecuador

The hot spring house has several pools of different temperatures and quite crowded in the evening. I was lucky to meet my roommate on the hostel and enjoyed the hot spring right after my arrival of Banos at 6 pm. She also oriented me about the town. The nect day we bike-rode downhill to several water falls, and then took a 4 hr bus to Tena, the gateway to Ecuador amazon. We came across an opportunity to bungee jump duing the bike ride but I was not brave enough to take it while she did not have the budget.

She is just 18 and has stayed in a host family in Tena for 2 months. She spent a few days to visit Banos. She will later travel within Ecuador, peru, and other south American countries. Wish I had the opportunities when I was 18. It is not bad to travel at my age with much less financial concerns. My dear friends, don't wait until you have money but not enough energy and health to travel.

Quilotoa Lake, Ecuador

This volcanic crater lake is said to be bottomless. People usually hike down 400 meters to the bank of the lake and some hike a loop around the rim of the lake. I did the down and up back and waited at the middle up for the sun to come out and change the color of the lake. My patience paid off, since the sun reinvent to color. The village continued the festival of mama Negra that spared the area from volcano irruption, and I jointed them for the dancing to relax and keep my body warm. This town also has some obrigional artists who draw pictures with very bright color.

It was over 3900 meters high thus very cool and windy in the night, such that I had to sleep in my below zero degree sleeping bag.

I had a great conversation with a French couple and my young friend from Maine, about the sustainability of the global resources, worldwide organization of organic farming, the essence of freedom and personal scarifies to reach freedom. My French lady friend is very proud of the generosity of free medical care for foreigners in France, although she is concerned about the increasing cost. My young friend from Maine has a unique view about his life and future, and decides not go back to US ever to avoid the system. His idea life is to own 20 acres of farm land in Ecuador to raise his family independently. He has a degree in biology and knows what he wants or not want at early 20s. They were amazed by how much scarifies I made to accumulate wealth and obtain US residency. I confessed to them that I have to learn to relax and do nothing which are nature for them but not for me.

We hiked the Carter rim the next morning, but I only finished half of the rim to catch a bus to banos and escape from the cold and wind, rather than continuing hiking towards Chugchilan to finish the Quilotoa loop, a bumpy ring-shaped road, as planned.

While a bunch of backpackers were waiting for the only daily bus back to Latacunga a truck came by to solicit riders to another town with more buses to Latacunga. I and a young couple from Denmark were screzed into the front seat rather than at the back of the truck. Another new experience for me.

I dropped the idea of hiking the volcano Cotopaxi which is 5897 meters high. I don't think I an ready to hike 2000 meters in 6 hrs to hit the summit for sunrise. There was not other people interested to hike only the north face of the volcano, so I moved on to another city.

Latacunga, Ecuador

My 5 hrs bus ride to Latacunga was extraordinary in that the bus almost left me behind. I told the bus driver that I was going to the rsstroom in the station, and he gave me an ok gesture. However, when I finished the bus was gone. I was in such a panic that I grabbed the police officer and cried out loud to him that my bus is gone without me! He tried to calm me down in spanish and started calling. My brain almost turned blank since I did not remember the bus company name, there was no ticket, and all buses look similar. How was I going to survive without my backpack?!

The fact was the bus terminals operate differently in modern cities where the buses drop passengers at one terminal them pick up new passengers at a different terminal. The officer quickly directed me to the new terminal before I burst into tears.

When I arrived town, it was already dark. Two kind ladies got me a cab which shaked his dead not to take me and I could not understand what they said and why. But they two tried another cab which driver kindly took me and had his girlfriend escrow me to the hostel via the parade zone. It was a big traditional Fiesta de la Mama megra with pig on sticks, costumes, street dancing, and free alcohol made by different villages. No wonder that I had a hard time to book a room. The parade was fun and I tried several kinds of alcohol. Life is like a box of chocolate. You will never know what you will get.

I run into other foreigners on the parade who kindly provided me info for day trips. Another lucky day!

By the way, a repeated lesson from a dear friend: never assume anything. I thought my old style hotel had no wifi and sit the the lobby of a hostel of my new friend to use theirs, but I woke up this morning and realized my hotel has wifi. Now I am updating blogs in my room.

Hike around the volcano Mama Cotacschi near Otavalo, Ecuador

Not enough people to form a 9-hr hiking group to the peak of 4939 m, so i took a shorter 4-hr hike around it instead, from 3100 m to a 3500 m viewpoint, to check out Amdean flora and the unique landscape.

My lake hike turned out to be a private tour since the other guest was sick and dropped out. It was a much easier hike so we finished 1 hr ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, my native tour guide's cell phone had no reception at the lake area. I faithfully demonstrated my us hitchhiking skills and finially got a car driver with a phone working in the area to call for an early pick up. Only later I realized that I hitchhiked at the wrong side of the road; otherwise, we would have got a ride back to town. My native guide is a young man who speaks some English and would like to travel around the world one day. I shared with him my journal from a middle class family in Taiwan making my way to the US and now in south America. As long as he keeps his eyes and mind open, anything is possible. Resource limitations make his goals more challenging yet more rewarding, just like my backpacking traveling without much spanish.

Hiked faya faya mountain of clouds, Ecuador

From 3700 m to 4265 m to enjoy the magnificent views of the Mountain and the Mojanda lakes. Best of all, I saw double rainbows at the end of the hike. It was not an easy hike due to the steep elevation change yet good for training.

Famous market otavalo in south America plaza de punch, Ecuador

For craft art. I cannot buy any to carry along trip so I took photos. Like paintings in museums, you don't need to own them in order to enjoy them. As to local food, I tried as much as I could without endanger my health.

Arrived ecuador

It was a busmarathorn day, totaled 12 hrs. The border crossing went smoothly. Somehow I naturally attract helpers, even in Ecuador. Most of the time elder women automatically adopt me and grabe my hand to a place I should go. Alternatively, more experienced backpackers come to my rescue. I am trying to learn more spanish so I can ask questions and know more about the place. Unfortunately, my progress is very limited.

Cost of living in Ecuador is even lower than Colombia. For example, the cost of 1 hr bus ride is only $1 USD, half of colombian price. But you still need to bargain for better prices, even for tours. Ecuador is real a dollar country. A taxi ride is $1. A plate of food is $1. A beer is $1. A roast chicken stick is $1. 4 oranges are $1.

I was rather disappointed by the fact that it is very difficult to get info without using spanish and the inferstructure does not facilitate traveler to visit locations just by bus. I woke up early to check out the market and could not find English speakers until 10 am. Fortunately I found two tour companies to sign up for two hikes.

Another inconvenience is wifi connection which is not available at hostel so I have to either go to a web cafe with limited open hours or searching other means. I am typing at the plaza now using the wifi of my travel agency after it is closed. Enough for one day.

My 1st night at Otavalo included two personal stories. One was a Chinese restaurant owner who kindly prepared wuloon tea in addition to the combination noodles for me, and explained the economy in Ecuador to me, and why it is harder for him to open a restaurant in china than in south America. Another one was my roommate visiting from Finland to work and live humblely in a nearby farm over 2 months to rediscover her life after a few years of working.