This journal details my experience on Adventure Life's \"Ecuador Adventurer\" trip in July of 2006. A great time was had by all exploring Quito, coasting down mountain roads by bike, hiking the cloud forest, whitewater rafting, and trekking the
Photo by Brian VargishToday we arrived in Quito and stayed overnight at Hotel Eugenia. The hotel was lovely, and there was an armed guard outside to keep the scary people out, although we always felt safe walking the streets. The hotel and rooms were very nice. After we settled in a bit, we went out for a drink.
It was quite amusing that although it was in the 70s, all of the locals bundled up like it was freezing out. This made us gringos stick out like a sore thumb, but heh... it was too nice out!
After roaming around a bit, we went to a little British themed pub right behind the hotel. I had just one beer and things just didn't feel right. I don't know whether it was altitude sickness or those pesky shots at the airport and beers on the plane, but I started feeling whoozy. I had to get out of there fast! 60 seconds later I was puking on the side of the street. I always make a good first impression. Hello Quito! Luckily this was a fluke and didn't last beyond the night.
Volcano Biking , Cloudforest Hiking, The Dome
Jul 02, 2006
Hotel Eugenia, Quito (Brian Vargish)Today we left Quito and took a bus up into the mountains to bike the Pichincha Volcano. The ride up windy mountain roads offered a grand view of Quito far below, and offered a glimpse of life in the small villages surrounding it.
We acquired our bikes in a small town at the top of the volcano, and it was all downhill from there. And I mean downhill in a good way... nice, lazy cruising down the mountain! The weather was perfect and the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys were fantastic. It was amazing seeing the windy mountain road far far below that we would soon be coasting down. Biked by a rustic little house and a fish hatchery. The ride was perfect, except when I ran into a cow. Just kidding.
When we arrived at the bottom of the volcano, we could have biked up the mountain to the Bellavista Cloudforest Reserve, but hey... why work too hard on vacation? So we took the bus.
The cloud forest was very cool. There were hummingbirds EVERYWHERE! There was also an abundance of exotic flowers. The lodging was great too. We stayed in "The Dome", which felt to me like a giant tree house. It was a cool building with a bamboo spiral staircase leading up to our rooms, and a ladder leading up to two more open rooms with 360 views. We each had our own room with doors that opened onto a small balcony, offering great views of the surrounding rainforest. They also managed to fit a small bathroom with shower into these cozy rooms.
After kicking back a little, we trekked into the forest below the treehouse into the rainy, foggy forest. The trail was somewhat overgrown and we got almost got lost a couple times, but it made it more of an adventure. On our way back up the mountain we saw a small waterfall we believe to be Discovery Falls.
After our hike, we chilled out watching hummingbirds for a bit, then had dinner in the tree house dining room. I can't recall what we ate, probably because we drank way too much wine. It was off season so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Everything after dinner was on the honor system. So we would just grab a bottle, mark it on our bill, and drink away. Not having to pay right away made it very easy to get hammered. We sampled one beer that appeared to be and tasted like it was a decade old, and practically emptied out the snack bar.
We ended the night by going on a little night walk up some trail by the main lodge but didn't venture too far in the dark, especially considering our level of intoxication. :p A visit from a giant stick bug later and we were sound asleep.
Cloudforest Waterfall Hike & More Treehouse Fun
Jul 03, 2006
Hotel Eugenia, Quito (Brian Vargish)Woke up feeling good. It must be the mountain air! Steve was quite confused, poured yogurt into his bowl of cereal, then got grossed out because he mistook it for curdled milk.
Went on a really cool waterfall hike today. Started up the road, went on a windy trail to another road, then down into a valley. The views from above were splendid. On the way down we saw the biggest leaf ever. It covered Dave's whole body. Once we got to the bottom we hiked up a stream with crystal clear water.
After a short hike upstream, we got to a 15 foot waterfall that was flowing down a mossy click. There was a ladder and rope to allow us to climb to the top and continue. Steve and I were very careful, as everything was wet and slippery. Dave, not so much. He got all "this is easy" cocky, slipped at the top and nearly plummeted into the stream below. He received a lovely battle scar on his elbow for his foolishness.
After the waterfall, we hiked more upstream. The forest got denser here, and we had to duck under trees and such while navigating upstream. At the end of the stream, we reached a large waterfall (40ft?). We proceeded to drench ourselves in the freezing rush of water and wind, then continued our hike uphill back to the road. A monster beetle bid us farewell. This hike was great. We had it all to ourselves!
Later we did the hummingbird watching and dinner thing then continued our drunken antics, this time grabbing a boom box from downstairs for some tunes and playing some rousing games of Scrabble. The treehouse is rather open, so there were bugs everywhere. As you can see, our Scrabble board was covered with them, and our wine had the added treat of gnats and moth wing powder. Yummy! Ended the night by chilling out on rocking chairs on the porch.
Whitewater Rafting, Cool Drive Back to Quito
Jul 04, 2006
Hotel Eugenia, Quito (Brian Vargish)After breakfast we bid farewell to the cloud forest and continued on to the Rio Toachi for some whitewater action. We drove down a mountain with nice views, through tropical fruit farms, and into the middle of nowhere.
The river was mostly fast moving and surrounded by forest and farms. I'd say it was a Class 3 river. Lots of fun whitewater, but nothing too crazy. We stopped during our trip to have lunch on the river and check out a waterfall. The water wasn't too cold, so we went for a swim as well.
Afterwards, we returned to Quito. En route, we drove through many small towns and were stopped by police at one point. Don't worry though... we're not the "Locked Up Abroad" types. We stopped at a giant waterfall and drove by a tribal face carved into a cliff called "El Podar Brutal". The drive up the windy road back to Quito was quite spectacular. There were countless views of the giant, cloud shrouded mountains.
After unwinding back at the Hotel Eugenia, we roamed around Quito a bit and landed at a small restaurant, where we feasted on bloody steak that was still mooing and ice cream. Afterwards had a beer at an Irish-ish pub. A busy day so called it an early night.
Trekking and Camping in the Andes
Jul 05, 2006
Quito, Ecuador (Brian Vargish)Had breakfast then headed out for our Cayambe-Coca Trek. We arrived at an ecological reserve high up in the Andes which I'm not quite sure was really Caymbe-Coca, as our itinerary differed from the planned one. Rather than hiking to multiple camp sites over several days we just stayed at one site and did circuit hikes. If anything, it was less work and the hikes were great so it was all good.
We started at a small building with our guide Felipe, then hiked up the road and through much cow covered farmland. We also saw some caballeros, one just a small child. Hiked past a small brick house with children playing outside who were kind enough to pose for us before running away in a little game of hide and seek.
The area we camped in was quite nice. It was surrounded by trees and a rushing stream. I had my own tent. Hail to the king, baby. Instead of relaxing in our new home and acclimating to the new altitude, Dave and I hiked pretty much straight up the mountain above. What can I say, it was exciting and we wanted to explore.
The views were simply spectacular. Lush mountains surrounding us, a plateau between cliffs with cattle and horses everywhere, funky orange flowers, and great views of Quito far down below. There were many skeletons lying around, so took picture with a cow skull masquerading as El Chupacabra.
Afterwards we had a tasty meal prepared by our cook Arturo. Then we hung out around a campfire. It was quite chilly. I had picked up a bottle of whiskey in Quito and we passed that around to help warm us up. Our guides seemed to quite enjoy this. Steve got a little careless tending the fire and burned a big hole in his glove. Good times! After a visit from a hawk we retired to our tents.
Trekking and Camping in the Andes
Jul 06, 2006
Photo by Brian VargishWoke up to another day of perfect weather! Arturo made us breakfast then Felipe and his trusty husky too us on a trek up the montain. We went through fields of vibrant purple flowers. Also saw a waterfall in the distance.
We stopped at a place with great views of a lake and a mountain range that I believe had a formation called the Sphinx. We were far from Egypt though, so I might be mistaken. Felipe made us some natural tea from flowers growing on the mountain. It tasted great and really warmed us up, as it was quite windy and cool atop the mountain range. Although there was talk about hallucinogenic berries growing wild as well, we thought it wise not to seek these out.
We continued to move higher up steeper, rockier terrain. It was exhausting, but well worth it. Once we reached the summit, we had a 360 degree view of the mountains around us.
On the way down we stopped and had lunch by a crystal clear lake on a small plateau. We continued down a rocky ridge on the other side of the mountain, which had a view of a waterfall far in the distance. We encountered a bunch of bulls near some scorched earth from a fire so we had to carefully navigate around them to avoid becoming matadors.
After the all day hike we returned to our camp for dinner and more good times around the fire. Slept well.
Final Mountain Hike, Relaxing in the Hot Springs
Jul 07, 2006
The Ecuador countryside (Brian Vargish)Awoke to cows sniffing around outside my tent. The cows were not timid. One stuck its head completely into my tent. Well good morning to you too, Sir.
After breakfast we hiked up another part of the mountain. It was a shorter hike, but still challenging due to all the knobby grass humps. We explored a cliff area with some cool overhangs and shiny obsidian looking rocks everywhere. Clowned around with some more skeletons.
After lunch we packed it up and said farewell to exercise and headed to the Papallacta Hot Springs. The accomodations here were fantastic and the hot spring pools were very well done with natural stones and clay pitchers pouring water. Man it felt good relaxing in that hot water. The views were great too. The resort is in a valley surround by mountains, one of them being snow capped.
After eating at the nice restaurant on site (there's really no reason to leave this place) continued to soak the night away until we became human prunes.
Final Soak, Old Town Exploring, New Town Nightlife
Jul 08, 2006
Panorama view in Ecuador (Brian Vargish)Snuck in a morning soak after breakfast then headed back to Quito. Had lunch at a restaurant near our hotel with our travel guides, then ventured into the city's old quarter.
Wandered around many narrow streets with cool old buildings. Saw giant angel statue high up on the hills overlooking the town. Donated to local street performers playing guitar and accordian, as well as the Virgin Mary in a box.
Had dinner outside at a fancy restaurant in a square by some government building that was all lit up at night. Wined and dined, attempting to order what I thought was lobster and winding up with shrimp. All those years of Spanish in college really paid off!
Back near the hotel, we checked out the clubby part of town and fiesta'd our last night away, congo lines and all.
Exploring Old Town Quito
Jul 09, 2006
Pichincha Volcano Biking (Brian Vargish)In an attempt to keep our hangovers at bay, decided to get a fast food breakfast at the joint next to our hotel... Burger King. Yes, I know. What a crime. I'm ashamed.
Returned to old town Quito for some more exploration. Checked out a big cathedral with the strangest collection of gargoyles I have ever seen. Turtles, monkeys, lizards, panthers, anteaters, dolphins... quite an odd mix. This church was comparable to the gothic churches of Europe. Super tall with impressive arches, stained glass, and golden shrines inside.
Walked around a park with the work of local artists out for display. Got some vintage heavy metal items and an alpaca unicorn pillow at an outdoor market (interesting mix, huh?). Roamed around a bit more, grabbed a quick lunch, and bid farewell to Quito for the last time before heading home.
A great trip! I highly recommend it!
Erin C. was incredibly helpful and thorough. I had answers immediately or within the same day.
Marilyn Snook
4 weeks ago
Great Experience! My trip planner, Jane, was available and knowledgeable. She made suggestions that suited the kind of adventure travel I like, still keeping within my physical limitations. She was very forthcoming with all of the details I requested. And she was always pleasant to speak with.
Charlene West
3 months ago
My travel consultant went out of her way to make sure everything went smoothly, everything from the flight reservations to the final booking.
johnw
6 months ago
We have told everyone we know about Adventure Life. What a great company to work with and no detail is missed. Call them for your next adventure!!
Paul Rupert
7 months ago
Clara was great to work with. She presented lots of options and always responded promptly. And she found excellent options within our price range.
Colorado Traveler
10 months ago
Erin C. was incredibly helpful and thorough. I had answers immediately or within the same day.
Marilyn Snook
4 weeks ago
Great Experience! My trip planner, Jane, was available and knowledgeable. She made suggestions that suited the kind of adventure travel I like, still keeping within my physical limitations. She was very forthcoming with all of the details I requested. And she was always pleasant to speak with.
Charlene West
3 months ago
My travel consultant went out of her way to make sure everything went smoothly, everything from the flight reservations to the final booking.
johnw
6 months ago
We have told everyone we know about Adventure Life. What a great company to work with and no detail is missed. Call them for your next adventure!!
Paul Rupert
7 months ago
Clara was great to work with. She presented lots of options and always responded promptly. And she found excellent options within our price range.
Colorado Traveler
10 months ago
Erin C. was incredibly helpful and thorough. I had answers immediately or within the same day.
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