Tena, Ecuador

Ecuador, Travel, , , , , , ,

Jun 15 – We set the alarm for 5am, but of course we didn’t need it, as we woke up every hour throughout the night to check the time. Are we the only ones who do this? The 15-passenger van arrived at 5:15 to take us to the next chapter of our Ecuadorian adventure – Tena. The van picked up passengers at various spots around the city until all the seats were full.

It was still dark for the first part of our ride, but the popping in our ears let us know we were coming down from Quito’s high elevation. Then we had to remove our jackets as the weather warmed up. We saw some breathtaking views of the Andes covered in morning mist, but the condensation on the windows didn’t allow for any photos. Use your imagination!

By 9:30 we arrived in Tena, and the van stopped right at our hotel. Just like that, we’re back in the jungle!

Tena is a scruffy little town, touted as the cinnamon (canela) and wayusa capital of the world. Wayusa is a leaf that is dried and used as a caffeinated tea, drunk by indigenous people as an aid to having visions. Located on the Pano River, Tena caters to adventure tourists who come here to whitewater raft, kayak and take jungle tours to interact with the indigenous Quechua people and partake in shaman rituals. We are here for just a day, prior to meeting up with Jim’s professor colleague tomorrow.

Tena is also home to Parque Amazonico La Isla del Amor, a nature park right next to our hotel. We dropped off our bags and walked over to check it out.

What’s the first thing we saw? An observation tower! “Up!” said Jim, so up we went.

As we walked along, I was just starting to ask Jim what our chances were of actually seeing any wildlife, when out of the brush strolled a tapir, big as life and unrestrained in any way!

Jim moved in, in pursuit of a Facebook video, causing me to wonder how close was too close to an animal this size, even if they are herbivores. Say cheese!

Five minutes later, we met another one!

This day was already a home run as far as I was concerned. Further down the path, there was a restroom (read tin-roofed outhouse), and I decided to answer a call of nature. As I sat, I heard a loud crash right above my head, and Jim informed me that a monkey had just jumped onto the tin roof! I looked up, and there was a sweet-faced little spider monkey, looking down at me inquisitively through a gap in the tin. I’m sure you’d like to see a picture of this, but I was a little busy at that moment.

I rushed out, got my camera and snapped a few shots of the little guys right above my head. Don’t you just love that sweet little face?

After a while, the wooden boardwalk stopped abruptly and only the cement supports remained. Jim said this was a town once enriched by oil wealth, but when the current administration came into power, this park project was just never finished. The oil wealth is now used to pay back the loans for infrastructure made by China, and there’s no money left over. Jim was happy to walk on the support beam, but my balance isn’t that good, so we turned around.

Here is a ceibo tree, where elves and fairies – the guardians of the forest – were thought to live.

I love seeing what we consider ‘house plants’ growing huge and free in the forest.

In the evening we strolled the town board walk in search of supper. Here’s some wall art:

A good day!

Friday in Quito

Ecuador, Travel, , , , , ,

Jun 14 – Today is our last day in the city, so we went back to Centro Historico to see more of the sights.

Touch the hand of San Augustine for a blessing:

Here are a few examples of wall art, which I look for wherever we go:

We checked out the Art Museum, which displayed paintings from classic to modern:

In the Plaza de San Francisco, we got caught in a flurry of pigeons:

The Mercado was small, but had plants used for botanical cures:

…and some jumbo sized pigs feet:

…as well as normal market fare:

These eggs were our supper.
If you ask for a chicken leg, you get the foot too!

Iglesia La Merced (Church of Mercy) was the prettiest church of all:

It had scenes painted on glass around the doorway that depicted the coming of the Spaniards and conversion of the native Ecuadorians.

It also had many paintings of regular people being watched over by the Madonna.

The Museo de la Ciudad (Museum of the City) showed the history of Quito using mannequins and dioramas:

It all started in the jungle…

The museum building was once a hospital.
Battling the Spaniards in the jungle.
Semana Santa – Holy Week procession
Traditional costumes in different areas of Ecuador
Me hanging with some native ladies

Thank you Quito (and the Virgin on the hill) – we had a blast! Tomorrow we’re off to Tena!

Thursday in Quito

Ecuador, Travel, , , , , ,

Jun 13 – Today we ventured into the Centro Historico, or historical part of the city. Around the main plaza are the Presidential Palace and official buildings.

We heard the municipal band play some snappy marches:

…and admired the talents of some street buskers:

This guy was the best. His puppet dancing partner was attached to his hands and feet, and he really made her shimmy!

Of course, there were plenty of churches, displaying all the gold and art that were not in evidence at the Basilica yesterday.

Adoration of the Magi

Jesus presented at the temple

My favorite painting showed Jesus literally sending a message to Saul at Damascus – too bad Saul was blind and couldn’t read it!

Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?

Many of the churches were museums, with no worshipers in evidence, but one active church, El Sagrario, suffered from loose floorboards, and every step sounded like a herd of buffalo stampeding by. I felt sorry for those trying to pray in such a noisy space!

We admired an exhibit of small Salvador Dali sketches:

We visited a monastery and learned the story of Santa Mariana de Jesús, who was the first-ever Ecuadorian saint. She sacrificed herself to save Quito during a plague in the 1600s (could not find an explanation on how her dying saved the city from germs…)

Unusual to see wooden cloisters instead of stone

We ate an excellent lunch – hot, freshly cooked, and served with delicious cantaloupe juice to drink! Before we knew it, we had walked all the way across town to behold the Virgin Of El Panecillo, the largest aluminum statue of Mary in the world, and the only one with wings.

Most tourists are content to admire the statue from the foot of the hill, but you know Jim wasn’t having any of that. If there are steps to be climbed…

The Virgin up close in her winged glory, standing on a snake.

When we finally reached the pedestal, we could see there was a chapel inside. We stepped in, only to be offered the opportunity to climb up to an even higher viewing balcony at the statue’s feet, for only one dollar. Hah! I told Jim they’d have to pay ME to climb any more steps, and it would definitely take more than a dollar! Of course, Jim went up. I waved. Can you see him?

Then it was time for the much easier walk down, followed by a congratulatory soft swirl ice cream cone. If you are interested, my step counter registered 15,072 today!

Quito, Ecuador

Ecuador, Travel, , , ,

Jun 11, 2019 – We’re off on another adventure, to the South American country of Ecuador. Jim lived there with his family when he was a teen, and he is eager to see what has changed since 1962.

Where is this little country? See it there on the Pacific coast between Colombia and Peru? The Galapagos Islands are off to the west, and we saw tons of teens at the airport in Galapagos tee shirts. The national currency is the U.S. dollar. There is one hour time difference , same as Central time. We will be here for a month.

We Lyfted to the airport and hopped a short flight to Miami, then the four hour flight to Quito. The airport is an hour out of the city, and we were due to arrive late, so Jim booked us into a hostel near the airport for one night. The proprietor picked us up ( I love to see our name waving on a sign in the airport pickup area, especially after midnight!), took us to our nice clean room with hot shower, where we dropped immediately to sleep.

Jun 12 – In the morning, our host fed us ham, cheese and eggs, and showed us where to stand on the main road to flag down the bus (actually the first of two buses) bound for the city. While we waited for the bus, an Uber driver stopped and asked if we wanted a ride. He was off the clock and on his way back to the city, so Jim negotiated a half price ride right to our hotel. A win-win for everybody! (We were subsequently warned to never get into an Uber that you haven’t hired through the app. The driver might have been a thief or axe muddier. Luckily, we lived to tell the tale.)

Here is a view from our hotel, Casa Carpedm (carpe diem – get it?)

Quito, Ecuador’s capital, is almost two miles above sea level, and built into the mountains. I could feel the altitude just walking across the street to our hotel – the thin air causes a breathless tightness in your lungs. It will take several days to adjust. Although Quito is just 16 miles from the equator, the altitude keeps it rather chilly, with a daily high temperature in the low 60s, dropping down into the lower 40s at night.

We settled in, then went off in search of lunch. The streets are steeply slanted ( think San Francisco) so we won’t go very far today. We set out for what we thought was an Indian restaurant that got five stars online, but turned out to be a set menu place, run by Hare Krishnas – who knew they were still around? For $3 apiece we got a bowl of tepid soup and an entree of tepid vegetables over rice. Not a great start… we’ll try to do better next meal.

Our hotel is near the Basilica of the National Vow, so we sauntered over for a look. This neo-gothic cathedral looks old, but wasn’t built until the early 1900s, and was only consecrated in the 1980s. It’s the largest neo-gothic in the Americas.

One of the interesting things about this church is that they included carvings of animals native to Ecuador, where the gargoyles usually are.

Inside, there were some interestingly modern likenesses of Mary:

…along with others more traditional.

There was also a Mary chapel with intricately painted pillars.

The weather went from sunny to rainy then back to sunny in the space of an hour, reminding us that although the temperatures are cool, we will be subjected to the fickle weather of any tropical climate. Note to self: tomorrow, bring your raincoat!

The view from our hotel window as the sun set. Not bad for a first day!

Flores, Back to Guatemala City, then home

Guatemala, Travel, , , , ,

Mar 6 – We’ve enjoyed our week’s respite in beautiful Flores, walking the town and the hills behind us on the peninsula, which we found was called San Miguel.

Jim discovered a network of trails that promised a scenic overlook from El Mirador.

In addition to the view, we found a big rock. Little did we know, this was an artifact of Tayasal, another ancient Mayan site with its own grand plaza and pyramid, that was rediscovered in the 1920s and studied by archeologists from the University of Pennsylvania in the 1970s. Right up the hill from our hotel! We were the only ones there.

The carving on the rock below depicts a human figure sitting cross legged on a mask with a bar in his left hand. Can you see it? Me neither…

Next door to our hotel lives a parrot, who perches on the veranda and wolf whistles at all the passers by.

We heard a marching band right under our hotel window, and rushed out to see a parade in honor of the local Quinceañeras (coming of age party for 15 year old girls)

We’ve become enamored of a little panderia in town with an enthusiastic baker who let us sample her wares before selecting. On our last day in Flores, we asked if we could take her photo. You can see her shoulder as she quickly ran to hide behind the door!

Adios, Flores!

Mar 7 – Remember how many hours we spent on buses to get us from the south to the north of Guatemala? Our return trip to Guatemala City took exactly one hour, thanks to the regional airport in Flores. Yay!

In typical American style, we got to the airport two hours before our flight was scheduled. In typical Guatemalan relaxed fashion, we sat in the terminal looking at our empty plane until the pilot arrived, about ten minutes after we were supposed to take off. Then the young woman who administered our boarding passes shrugged into an orange vest and walked us out to the plane. Remember planes like these?

When we were all inside, she checked that everyone had a seat belt, then she left. The pilot got up and locked the hatch. When was the last time you got to watch the pilot fly the plane?

It was my job to make sure the left propeller kept turning.

In an hour we were back in Guatemala City, and ten minutes later at our hostal, a beautiful home with a lovely garden in the heart of the city. There are no restaurants nearby, so our host showed us a little shop around the corner where the proprietor cooks a delicious meal for those who had reserved. We had a lovely supper with a couple from Minnesota, a man from Hamburg, and a woman from France. A great ending to our adventure.

We were up at 6 and at the airport at 7 for our flight to Atlanta, where Customs was so slow that we ended up sprinting through terminal B to make our connection with three minutes to spare. Happy to say we made it, and we are back home safe and sound. Til next time!

Tikal – Yax Mutal

Guatemala, Travel, , , , , ,

Mar 2 – Got up early this morning for the 90 minute ride to Tikal, the huge site of Mayan ruins in the rainforest that was discovered in the 1840s, and is still in the very early stages of being uncovered and restored – about 15% uncovered since work began in the 1950s.

The place was originally called Yax Mutal (Yosh Moo-TALL) by the folks who lived here, and pottery uncovered dates back to 1000 BCE. There is no waterway, so the complex includes 10 huge reservoirs to collect rainwater during the rainy season and distribute it to grow crops and sustain the 90,000 people who once lived here. By 900 CE, they were all gone, probable victims of drought and warfare.

Here is what a pyramid looks like before the archeologists start digging:

Here’s one in the process of being uncovered:

Our guide Luis shared his passion for the history of Yax Mutal with us. If he looks familiar, it’s because he appeared on Survivor: Guatemala – The Maya Empire, when an episode was shot near Tikal. I’ll have to look for the episode when I get home.

The howler monkeys made a huge racket up in the trees – if you didn’t know better you would swear it was the roar of a T Rex!

We also saw spider monkeys and a coatimundi.

The temples are laid out so they line up with the sun on the equinoxes and solstices. Very mathematically precise.

Below is the latest building uncovered. See how the stone is still white on the bottom where it’s just been exposed?

These are the altars and stiles thought to have been used for sacrifices. They are arranged in groups of nine.

From the top of Perdido Mundo (the lost world), you have a 360 degree view of other temples in the distance.

A face has been uncovered at the Temple of Masks. Can you see it?

Another carving – not sure what it represents:We befriended Sue from Bristol UK, who climbed up and down the pyramids with us.

Fascinating, very hot 🥵 , experience of a lifetime!

More from Flores

Guatemala, Travel, ,

Mar 1 – Today we explored a bit of our peninsula. When folks talk about Flores, they are usually referring to the island across Lago Petén Itzál, but because we are staying on the peninsula, I’ll make the distinction.

There are little tiendas (shops) here for the townspeople, mostly chips, snacks and sodas, but nothing to appeal to travelers. We saw some wildlife:

A playground (creative things to do with tires):

A statue:Hmmm… that was about it.

On Google Maps I saw a restaurant about a ten minute walk down the shore. Doña Rosa got five stars from the locals for serving the best pescado blanco (white fish) around. It is the specialty here, proudly caught in the lake. We decided to check it out for lunch.

We followed the directions, but could see no restaurant. We asked, and were told to open a gate and go into a yard. Inside a hut we found Rosa. She showed us three different sizes of fish, and asked us to choose which one we wanted. Then she shooed us out to sit at a table looking out over the lake. Twenty minutes later, our fish was presented, steamed in foil with vegetables, and served with salad and fresh tortillas.

Delicious! Thanks Google Maps!

Here is the sunset from our veranda. A person could get used to living here..

Flores

Guatemala, Travel, ,

Feb 27 – This morning we rose early to catch the pickup truck back to Lanquín. I managed to finagle myself into the cab seat next to the driver while Jim and eleven others stood in the back, but it was still a pretty thrilling ride. In Lanquín, we were separated by destination to board the mini-buses. Unfortunately , there were 32 people traveling to Flores, and only one 15 passenger bus going there. After much hand waving and histrionics, a second bus was obtained, and two extra seats were added to the aisle of our bus. It all worked out, but we got a late start and were packed cheek to jowl for the whole day. I sat with two girls from Israel, and Jim was sandwiched behind me between a young man from Stuttgart and an older woman from France.

It will take nine hours for the 97 mile ride to Flores. For such a small country, it sure takes a long time to cross it! Flores, in the department (province) of Petén, will be the northernmost part of our adventure, where we plan to visit the Mayan ruins at Tikal.

The driver stopped every three hours so we could eat and stretch our legs. It is now officially 🥵 hot. Then we got an extra, unexpected break. We pulled into a queue of cars, buses and trucks sitting idle. The driver indicated that we could get out and roam around, as we had to wait our turn for the ferry. It was only a little spit of water, but there was no bridge, so we waited for this ferry, powered by two outboard motors, that could take about six vehicles across at a time.

I felt badly for the trucks of cattle, squished together (so they wouldn’t fall over) in the hot sun. After half an hour’s wait, it was our turn.

We arrived by 6pm. All the kids headed off to the two hostels on Flores island. We are the only ones staying at Casa de Grethel, which is just across the water on the peninsula, and only accessible by boat. We knew to call our host, and he came and picked us up in his little skiff. He will ferry us back and forth for free as long as we are here.

A view of Flores island from our restaurant on the pier

Feb 28 – After a leisurely breakfast, we took the skiff over to explore Flores island. Here’s the view of our hotel from the water. They call the little pier “the beach” as you can jump in the water to swim there. This is on our list of things to do.

Flores island is itty bitty, filled with hotels, hostels, tourist agents and restaurants to serve the people who come to see the ruins at Tikal, which is a 90 minute drive from here.

In our walk around the island, we found pretty flowers:

Interestingly colorful painted buildings:

Some wall art:

Some wall art in progress:And a church!

Nuestra Señora de Los Remedios, Our Lady of the Remedies

We found the ATM, a place to eat lunch, and the panderia (bakery) for tomorrow’s breakfast. On our way back to the dock, we passed a masseuse with a cute mascot:

An altogether delightful day!

More from Semuc Champey

Guatemala, Travel,

Feb 25 – After our strenuous adventure yesterday, today was a day to relax. We took a morning walk up the road and along the river. Beautiful flowers and mountain views.

We encountered natives on foot who asked where we were going. Just walking, was our reply. I imagine they don’t often just walk – if they set out, they have a destination in mind.

Spent some time in our hammock overlooking the river, reading and snoozing. Watched a bunch of kids tubing down on the current, drinking beer at 10 in the morning (you get a free beer when you sign up for the tubing), hooting as they floated past the women washing laundry in the river. What a world of contrasts we live in.

Nice lunch, and a swim in the afternoon. All days should be like this one.

Feb 26 – Ditto the exciting events of yesterday. We are very relaxed here.

What is the plant below? I’ve never seen a pod like this on a tree.

This is the nicest place we’ve stayed, with a resort atmosphere and ample friendly staff, 100% Guatemaya, as it proudly says on the sign. We don’t miss not knowing the news of the world for a few days. Viva Semuc Champey!

Lanquín – Semuc Champey

Guatemala, Travel, ,

Feb 23 – We walked to the bus station in Cobán, where we were accosted by different bus drivers, all eager to take us to Lanquín. Jim picked the guy with the bus idling in front, as it looked like it was ready to depart. As soon as we got on, the driver jumped in, parked the bus and turned off the motor, telling us we’d leave in an hour. Gotcha!

He was a very nice driver, and we spent the hour teaching each other words in English and Maya, using Spanish as our bridge. There are 23 different Mayan languages, and more than 95 dialects – I have no idea which language we were practicing. I wish I could remember even one Mayan word to share with you, but vocabulary doesn’t stick for me unless I can hear it and see it repeatedly. It had lots of x and guttural sounds – nothing at all like Spanish. He said he had twin girls, and took out his phone to show me a picture of just one little girl. Two, he said, just like that one. (Ha!)

This ride took only two hours to cover the 32 miles to Lanquín, nicely paved until the last half hour, when the road turned to dirt and got bumpy. We were the only gringos. The bus stopped frequently for natives with big bundles waiting at the side of the road – ladies with bags of watermelon, baskets of produce, men with sacks of corn meal and rice. A mattress was added to the roof of the bus. Unlike the dry dusty route to Cobán, we are traveling up and down lush, green mountains. This is the jungle.

As we approached Lanquín, a guy speaking rapid English got on and told us we had to come with him right now if we wanted to get to our hostal at Semuc Champey, which was another 7 miles down the bumpy dirt road. Our plan was to have lunch in Lanquín before tackling the last leg of the journey. The tout was very pushy – you want lunch? Here’s a nice place. I tell you this for free. Eat, and then we go. What do you want?

We managed to have a nice enough lunch (chicken, rice and mixed vegetables) then the guy came back and told us he was leaving in five minutes. Unlike other places where lots of drivers vie for your business, he appeared to be the only game in town. He flung our packs into the back of a pickup truck, then indicated that WE were to get in the back as well! Not what I was expecting!

We stood up in the back, clutching the bars and holding on for dear life as the truck jounced through potholes in the dirt road and careened down the mountain. Forty five minutes to ride the seven miles to Semuc Champey – longest roller coaster ride ever!

The last bit was going over a bridge with a surface of wooden boards, several of which were missing. Will ours be the truck that doesn’t make it? This ain’t Disneyland.

Finally, we arrived at Hostal El Portal Champey, where we were given our own little thatched roof hut with a hammock overlooking the Rio Cahabon, where little boys jump from a big rock. There is a pool and a restaurant here. No WiFi, no hot water, and electricity only from 6 to 10 pm, when they turn the generator on. Perfect weather. Heaven!

Feb 24 – I must say that last night was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks. So quiet! Most of the young partying travelers stay in Lanquín and only come here for one day. Our place is more like a resort, catering to families and even some oldsters like us from all around the world. So many languages heard in the restaurant!

We looked at the group tour itinerary on the wall at reception:

10:00 Climb mountain

11:00 Swim in crystal pools

12:00 Lunch

13:00 Hike to waterfall

14:00 Explore underwater caves

15:00 Tube down river

I wore myself out just typing that. We’re here for four days – we can take it slow (and definitely skip the underwater caves). Today we will walk two minutes down to the Semuc Champey national park, and see what all the fuss is about. Semuc Champey means “where the river hides under the stones” in Mayan. The entrance fee is pretty pricey for this country, about $7.50 US per person. The trails are well marked, and there is no reason to hire a guide, although several offered their services.

While the morning was relatively cool, we tackled the mountain hike up to the scenic overlook. It’s supposed to take 30 minutes. The path up alternates between rock scrabbling and steep steps. It took me almost an hour, moving uphill in first gear. We met a family with two young girls, Arwen and Caterina. The dad, David, had good English and talked to Jim for a while. He was familiar with Tidewater, Virginia! As Jim got farther and farther ahead of me, David called out to him, “Jim! You are forgetting something! Jim, where is your wife?”

I finally reached the overlook, and it was indeed pretty spectacular – deep blue pools, rimmed with white stone, and lots of people taking advantage of the cool water. Now to climb back down so we can jump in!

After another hour, we are down at water level. The pools are surrounded by jagged, slippery limestone, impossible to walk barefoot. There was a changing area, and we put on our bathing suits and removed our boots. Jim had flip flops, which just skidded out on the slippery rock. I had better luck with my Keen sandals. We finally got to the edge and jumped in. Pure heaven – cool and deep and perfect for a noon swim. We stayed in for about an hour, thinking of the folks on the tour who did not have this luxury of time.

We got dressed and ate our sandwiches for lunch, then hiked the rest of the trail. What a beautiful place.

After walking home and taking a swim in the pool, we went back down the road to the native comida we saw this morning. Women grilling chicken and pork on an open air stove and slapping out tortillas, children selling homemade chocolate wrapped in foil, dogs and pigs staying nearby to catch any scraps that might be tossed their way.

Yes, Piggy, you will be dinner one day soon…

We met a guy from Switzerland and his girlfriend from Indonesia, who were traveling across the country by motorbike. Yikes! They said the going was slow due to the unpaved roads, and I totally understood.

I am writing without benefit of WiFi. I’ll post when we return to civilization. More tomorrow.