Ecuador

Ecuador was a wild card which has exceeded expectations. A must see destination for any South American adventure. We were awed by the spectacular landscape, as we stayed slightly off the beaten track.

We wondered the Old Town of Quito which is a UNESCO world heritage site, blending Spanish and indigenous elements into its spectacular cityscape. And battled the bustling restaurant and party goers of the New Town. But the real beauty of the country was waiting outside the urban capital.

We went to Otavalo markets, 2 hours north of Quito, to bargain our way through the largest market in South America. It was a bazar of bright pinks, blues, greens and yellows. The array of stripy pants was unfathomable. We quickly wondered through the Fruit and Meat market, which was filled with a not so fragrant butcher aroma. We tried to blend in with the locals as we munched on roasted plantains, cold corn kernels and delicious blackberry pies. We stayed 4km out of town at La Luna; with it's picture perfect views of Volcano Cotacachi, the town and lake.

Stunning view from the lodge

Flavours of the market

Corn, corn and more corn!

Colourful textiles

Next we put on our cargo pants, gum boots and heavy duty insect repellant bound for the Amazon basin. As we were shown to our cabin at the Shangrilla Ecolodge, we both froze as we took in an unimaginable birds eye view of the jungle. Have we paid enough to stay here? As the river gently splashed down stream and the butterflies danced through the trees, every fiber in our bodies relaxed as we chilled in a hammock watching the sunset through the mountains. It was magical.

Chillaxing in the hammock

Soaking up a sunset

Incredible views from our cabin

It wasn't all siestas in the sunshine. We learnt all about the medicinal, constructional, nutritional and recreational (aka hallucinogenic) purposes of many Amazonian plants. We even tried a few delicious and not so delicious fruits and creatures - rain fruit, guava, lemon ants, tomato de arbole and surprisingly the favorite, lava from a local palm tree. We visited an Amazonian community (they had a Boa Constrictor snake as a pet!), rode a tube downriver, climbed cascading waterfalls, slide down natural rock waterslides, trekked past snakes, Congo ants and spider monkeys... And then, most importantly, we went back to the hammock! This experience will go down on record as one of the highlights!

Enjoying a local delicacy, palm tree larvae

One of the many beautiful waterfalls

Quick shower

Tomb Raider

Keep it real kids,
Scara