Suzanne's 2008 Ecuador/Peru Adventure

I Arrived in Ecuador on Wednesday morning! 12/26/07 thru 12/28/07

2008-01-21T12:39:00.001-08:00

So the flights from Baltimore to Guayaquil were pretty nice. I must say that flying on Xmas day is alot less hectic than other days, however one of the flight attendents was not happy to be working on Xmas.

Toucan Sam and I arrived in Guayaquil at 1:30 am and the flight out to Cuenca didn’t leave until 7:00am. Sam and I just hung out at the airport. Oh – let me fill you in about Toucan Sam a.k.a. “Sam” for the rest of this blog. Sam is part of the Travel Mates program at Brooke Miller’s school. (Brooke is my friend Wendy’s daughter) The student supplies a stuffed animal (Sam), disposable camera, and a small journal. Then the student is to find a relative or friend who is going on a trip and asks them to take the animal with them. So, that’s how Sam and I became travel mates. I think it’s a great idea for the students and it was fun for me too.
I was exhausted and the airport in Guayaquil was pretty deserted. I laid down on a metal mesh bench in front of the Tame service desk, secured every strap from my bags possible to my body and took a few cat-naps.

Sam and I arrived in Cuenca at 7:30. At first I panicked because there were no phones at the airport and I didn’t call Christina from Guayaquil (too early in the a.m.). But somehow I managed to find a very nice gentleman who called Christina for me from his cell phone. She arrived at the airport by bus about 5 minutes later. We took a bus back to the house of the family she’s staying with.

Okay – a little side note - so I thought my son’s driving was a bit shall we say "excitable" for me, but he is NOTHING compared to the bus drivers in Cuenca. They are crazy! And be careful walking in the street (which you can’t help sometimes due to the small width of the walkways) because they will run you over!

The city of Cuenca is quite a Cultural mix, from the indigenous people who come into the city to sell their goods to the suit and tie professionals. I LOVE the diversity. The city is old and small but, very quaint and easy to navigate. “In Cuenca, it's easy to forget you live in the 21st century. The city's cobblestone streets, towering cathedrals, and marble and whitewashed buildings give it a colonial air unequaled in Ecuador. Cuencanos are known for their traditional demeanor and conservative cultural values.” One staple of this city and a must-have is the fresh baked pan (bread). It is Que Rico and easy to find on any street, just follow your nose.

We arrived at Christina’s family’s home, located on calle Miguel Heredia. Christina´s Mama de Ecuador “Piela” is very gracious and kind. She has 3 boys ranging in age from 15 to 20: Paoul, Juan, and Jose. The family instantly made me feel very welcome, they are good people. As part of a surprise and Christmas gift to her mom, Christina led us on a long walk thru the city that ended in front of the “Vida Spa”. Yep, it was a hard decision and took a lot of effort on my part but I forced myself to have a desperately needed pedicure and back massage. And I went back the next day for a facial. LOL!

Although Sam and I were exhausted from the flights (no sleep for 24hrs), you know that didn’t stop me and my Salsa Sista from going out the first night. After a very brief nap, we went to a Salsa club called “La Mesa Salsoteca”. The club was a little tricky to find because there is no sign in the front. But we did find it and arrived at the club around 10 p.m. The place was sooooo empty. But, you find that this is common in Baltimore at this hour also so we stayed. Around 11p.m. the club quickly filled with people and yes – Cuenca does have some excellent Salseros!

The next morning I had my first 4 hour Spanish lesson at the Cuenca Language School -Simon Bolivar. My professor “Chela” was awesome with incredible patience. My classes went well, but boy did it confirm that I have so much to learn. And yes – Chela did give homework, even on vacation......gotta love school! Christina wasn’t feeling well and was losing her voice quickly. (not a good thing for me because she’s the one who is fluent in Spanish) So we stayed in that evening and rested. We were up early for our morning Spanish lessons. Immediately following my Friday morning class, backpacks in tow, Christina and I headed to the airport for a flight to Quito.

Things learned in Cuenca:

•Toilet Paper: important to conserve, carry your own and DO NOT FLUSH!!!!
•The money game: although Ecuador converted to the dollar in 2001, it’s very difficult to get anyone to take anything higher than a $10 bill. So – you learn early on to get rid of the larger denominations when the opportunity arises.

•Spanish: Learned a little bit more about the Spanish Language but not nearly enough to survive without charades and sign language. Necesito practicar, practicar, practicar.....

•Climate: Like the rest of the Ecuadorian Andes, Cuenca enjoys a mild climate year-round. Days are generally warm and nights are cool enough that you should pack a sweater. The average daily temperature is 14.6 C. The rainy season is the same as Quito's and generally lasts from mid-October until early May. During this time, mornings are typically sunny and afternoons cloudy with light, periodic showers. So – layer-up!

Quito - Capital City of Ecuador: 12/28/07 thru 12/30/07

2008-01-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Our next stop in this journey was Quito. Nestled in a long, narrow valley between the lush base of the Volcano Pichincha to the west and the precipitous canyon of the river Machángara to the east, Quito enjoys an unmatched natural setting. In the night from above Quito is an oasis of lights against the absolute blackness of the forested mountains and volcanoes that surround it. By day the city is equally as impressive. Quito's classic architecture and modern structures work with the timber and vegetation that ring them to produce South America's most beautiful capital city.
Modern Quito is a city of two halves, Old and New. The Old City remains much the same as it did at the end of the colonial period but the New City bears no marks whatsoever of its colonial past. While the New City does not benefit from the area's brilliant history, it shines in its own right. New Quito, with its gleaming office buildings and bustling crowds of business people, is leading Ecuador into the twenty first century.

Quito's altitude, at 2820 M (9252 feet),is almost twice as high as Denver, Colorado. Though because it sits only 25 kilometres from the Equator, Quito does not suffer through long winters like the Mile High City. On the contrary, Ecuador's capital enjoys mild days and cool nights almost year-round. The climate in the Andes varies according to the altitude and the time of the year. In Quito the temperature ranges from 7 degrees C (55 F) at night to 26 C (78 F) at noon, and averages 15 C (64 F). There are two seasons, wet and dry.
Most Quito flights arrive at night, and many travelers arrive in shorts and beach wear assuming that since its on the Equator, it must be hot, then the first step out of the airport gives them a crisp, cool Quito welcome. I have to admit that I too assumed this.

We arrived in Quito and took a taxi to the area that we planned to stay in called “Gringoland”. The actual name is “Mariscal Sucre”. We located the hostel that we had picked out in the travel book. The name of that hostel is: Jostal Vamora. I’ve never been in or stayed in a hostel before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I can say that the first room we were given was not suitable at all. For reasons that are disgusting….. nuff said.
The second room was okay so we dumped the bags there. During our room transition, we met a little woman (apparently a friend of the owner of the hostel) named "Estrella" (Star). Estrella is an interesting character - Columbiana and a ball of energy. She was more than eager to show us around Quito and in a matter of minutes we were on the streets of the city, looking for a shirt for me to wear dancing that night. Estrella also didn’t mind throwing a few of her own personal items on my purchases (yes, I minded). Christina and I were taken to a number of cute shops close to Gringoland. Let me tell you, I think I definitely need to do my clothes shopping in Ecuador. They have the hottest styles, the quality is good in the right stores and the prices are incredible. We got a bite to eat after shopping and listened to Estrella’s life history. Then we returned to the Hostel to prepare for a night of Salsa at “Mayo 68” – with Estrella leading the way!!!

We got to Mayo 68 and it was pack. The club isn’t very large, but there were a lot of great dancers. It was on this night that we became aquainted with Joffre Arce and he speaks very good English! Yea!

The next day Christina and I walked to the American Embassy (which was closed) to try to get information on her Visa for Brazil. After that fruitless effort, we went to the Quito weekend craft market – there are so many awesome crafts, jewelry, and art. Bartering is a must, but I have to admit I felt uneasy doing it because everything was so beautiful and already so inexpensive. Some things you could tell were very time intensive, but – when in Quito, do what the “Quitoeans” (????) do right?

Joffre had invited us to his soccer game the next day. Christina still wasn't feeling well and her voice was still breaking. She opted not to go to the soccer game. So, after shopping at the market, I took a taxi to meet Joffre and the rest of his soccer team waiting in the team van (I just told them I was the new goalie) and we went to this little town north of Quito for his soccer game. There is a lot of activity going on at the stadium in addition to the game. It's quite a social event too and I noticed people walking back from the “concession” stand their plates loaded with delicious food (no hot dogs here). Pilsener (tasty Cerveza de Ecuador en botellas grandes) was brought in buy the wheel-barrels and crates, carted by little, older ladies – carefully balancing all at the same time. I was amazed at their strength and balance. Toucan Sam enjoyed the day as well. It was a great day and a great experience.

After the game Joffre needed to clean up, so we stopped by the house where he lives with his 2 friends. And wouldn't you know ........they are both Latin Dance instructors with 2 beautiful dance studios on the first floor of the house. It was clear now where Joffre got some of his dance moves. He told me that when the classes are short of men, he gets volunteered to help out. This is not a bad thing...

Then we stopped by Joffre's shop “Boglimarc” - it's close to where he lives. (2 block walk to work - tuff commute to work...poor guy...lol!) He's does custom frame work and I was very impressed by his talent upon entering his store.

While we were at the shop he gave me a gift… a picture he had re-created from the renowned Ecuadorian master painter and sculptor "Oswaldo Guayasamín". The technique Joffre used for this picture is called "Repujado with Plumilla" and the colors he used are "AGUA TINTA". The amount of time and effort that went into this picture amazed me. That he was giving it to me was so special and truly touched my heart. It hadn't been framed when he first gave it to me, but as you can see below, it turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Joffre is very talented.

The next afternoon, Joffre offered to let Christina and I leave our backpacks at his house and we all took a bus to the “Old Town” of Quito. During the rather long bus ride to Old Town we noticed a lot of Vendor’s selling large papier-maché figures. Joffre began to tell us about some of the holiday traditions in Ecuador.

Año Viajo - Ecuador celebrates a unique tradition on the last day of the year. Elaborate effigies, called "Años Viejos"(Old Years) are created to represent people and events from the past year. Often these include political characters or leaders that the creator of the effigy may have disagreed with. The dummies are made of straw, newspaper, and old clothes, with paper mache masks. Often they are also stuffed with fire crackers. At midnight the effigies are lit on fire to symbolize burning away of the past year and welcoming of the New Year. The origin of the tradition is unknown; but it is possible the tradition began after a yellow fever epidemic left many dead. The corpses were then disposed of by burning.

The “Widow”: Another well known tradition is the “Widow” in which a man dresses up as a woman who has to make people laugh by crying a lot. Then the public or people around will give this “widow” some sort of charity for her assumedly mentally insane husband. Joffre told us that some of the costumes are incredibly elaborate.

Yellow underwear: Joffre told us that his mom would get his brothers and sisters yellow underwear for Christmas. This is a very popular tradition, and yellow underwear are said to attract positive energies for the New Year.

Suitcase: Walking around the block with the suitcase will bring the person the journey of their dreams. Joffre describes it a little differently where the person wears a backpack and has the 7 seconds before midnight to make it around the block. Success means that person will travel that year.

The bus finally arrived at "Old Town" and it was so crowded. Sunday is obviously THE day for the whole city of Quito to head to this area. Old Town is one of the most extensive colonial districts in Latin America. This area was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. You get the feeling of being transported back and forth between centuries as you walk down the cobblestone streets, passing by vendors selling everything from choclo (Andean corn) to ceramics to techno CDs. I loved it and Joffre said it’s even better to see at night when the lights are on. We didn’t get to stay long because we were catching a flight to Esmeraldas at 3:00 p.m.

A Few Things I learned in Quito:
•Estrella’s comment when someone whistles at her – she shouts “Mañana!” while brushing them off.

•There are better hostels in Quito, and they are not hard to find.

•Walk the town by day only, take a taxi at night.

•There are puppies everywhere……Cute, but everywhere. Spay and neuter, not so big in Ecuador.

PS: My Kodak disposable took some grainy, crappy pictures.....forgive the quality.

Atacames & Esmeraldas 12/30/07 - 1/2/08: Bringing in the New Year with the Sales Family

2008-01-21T12:00:00.002-08:00

Anita’s father picked us up from the airport in Esmeraldas and drove us to the Sales home approximately 45 minutes away in Atacames. The Sales had recently arrived in Ecuador as well. Orlando owns a construction company in Cockeysville, Maryland and that is where they live for the majority of the year. The couple frequents Michael’s Café and that’s how Christina met them. When we arrived, we were greeted by Juliana, the Sales' youngest daughter.

Once we arrived we were shown to our room and given careful instructions about the mosquito nets to be used when we’re sleeping. Apparently, by Orlando’s account “The Mosquitos come in here in the evening and will carry you out if you don’t use spray and the nets”. I wasn’t going to argue.

Their home is beautiful and located right on the beach. However, to get to the beach you have to walk thru a grove of palm trees with coconuts and hammocks dispersed thruout. It's quite inviting, beckoning you to just kick back and relax....I for one was not too hard to convince.

The next day, we woke up and had breakfast on the patio. It was warm, but overcast at that hour in the morning, it didn't matter to me.....like I said, it was warm.
:0) We were having coffee and Tamales for breakfast. Anita was telling Christina and I that a local woman makes the best tamales so she orders a lot when she comes to Atacames and they were delicious.

Later that day; Anita, Christina and I took a Moto-taxi into the town of Atacames. Of course the purpose of this excursion was to SHOP!!!! And that is what we did.

Atacames is located at the coast of the Pacific 38 km south from the city of Esmeraldas and 350 km north of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. The small beach resort town of Atacames has a very popular nightlife and is immensely popular for visitors from Quito, as well as from Colombia, and apparently gets very crowded on weekends and holidays. We were only there for 3 days over the New Year and the place was packed!

A huge plate of delicious ‘ceviche de camarones’ with a cold beer, sums up the joy of life on the beach in Atacames.

With New Year’s Eve looming large, we had graciously been invited to join Anita’s family in Esmeraldas for the celebration. So – we readied ourselves, with the help of the girls, to head into the big city.

Celebrating New Year's Eve in Esmeraldas:
But first, a little history about Esmeraldas:
In the northwestern corner of Ecuador, cultures with roots spanning the globe come together amidst jungle, river, and sea. This intriguing nexus of peoples and ecosystems is the essence of the province of Esmeraldas, and its primary allure for the visitor.
European feet first touched Ecuadorian soil here, when the Spanish landed on the Pacific coast in 1526. The conquistadors were astounded to find Indians bedecked in emeralds awaiting them on shore. Convinced that the region was abundant in the brilliant gems, they named it Esmeraldas.
While today's Esmeraldas harbors few emeralds, it does live up to its other name, the "Green Province." The northernmost of the coastal provinces, Esmeraldas is also the lushest, riddled with estuaries, mangroves, and flooded tropical forest. Its wild and remote inland areas, accessible only by canoe, make Esmeraldas the ideal staging ground for an epic river safari.
Esmeraldas' greatest attraction, however, is the openness and joie d'vive of its people. The majority are Afro-Ecuadorians, whose ancestors arrived in Esmeraldas in the 1600's via wrecked slave ships or escape from Colombian sugar plantations. The isolation of Esmeraldas (roads did not reach the north coast until almost 30 years ago) has helped these people retain their African roots, vibrantly evident in the hypnotic drumbeats and sensual dance steps of the marimba. Newcomers over the past 100 years have made Esmeraldas the most ethnically diverse province in Ecuador.
Before arriving at Anita’s family’s home, we spent the time between the hours of 9 - 11 driving (actually crawling) the streets of Esmeraldas. The city was so crowded and alive with preparation for the celebration of the New Year. Extravagantly detailed and decorated Año Viejos could be seen everywhere. They were on balconies, store fronts, tied to the roofs of vehicles and complete stage set-ups. There were pickup trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables in their backs found throughout Esmeraldas. Anita purchased a bunch of grapes for our celebration later.

Feliz año Nuevo:
New Year's Eve is known as Noche Vieja. It is a custom to stay at home till midnight and at midnight people eat twelve grapes. The people of the Ecuador pick and eat twelve grapes from a bunch just as the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve. When it is midnight, each time the clock chimes, they put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock has finished chiming, everybody has to have finished their grapes and the New Year starts, but nobody finishes eating the grapes on time. This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year's Eve. This tradition is said to ensure twelve happy months in the coming year and are performed for the health, wealth, prosperity and protection of each member. Christina and I performed this ritual as well, but not until we were sitting at the dinner table well after the clock struck 12.

Prior to the strike of 12, everyone is partying outside of their homes, along with the Año Viejos. When it was midnight, the Año Viejos were dragged across the street and set on fire. In some areas, it’s traditional to jump across the burning object for good luck in the New Year. However, Orlando warned us about the firecrackers that were put in our Año Viejo so we skipped that part. Family, friends and neighbors walk up and down the street hugging and wishing “Feliz Año” along the way. It’s really a cool way to bring in the year.

The family sits down for dinner at 12:30 After the family dinner and the grapes, many people attend New Year parties at pubs, discotheques and similar places (these parties are called cotillones de nochevieja, after the Spanish word cotillón, which refers to party supplies like confetti, party blowers, party hats, etc.). Parties usually last until the next morning and range from small, personal celebrations at local bars to huge parties with guests numbering the thousands at hotel convention rooms. We went to a party at a hotel. I think we arrived at approx. 2:30 a.m. and the place was empty. We were drinking scotch and water (Chivas and Johnny Walker Black mind you) something I never drink, but hey – it was a new year after all. About an hour later, this place was jam packed. There was no room to dance even if you wanted to. It was a blast and a celebration to remember. We made it back to the house and in bed at around 7a.m. and that my dear friends is one for the record books. :0)

Journey from Atacames to Quito......by car.

2008-01-21T11:58:00.001-08:00

Getting a night bus was a bit more challenging than anticipated and not to mention sketchy. I was relieved when Orlando's brother offered to drop us off just outside of Quito on their way to.....well I forget where they were going, but I was very happy. Catch was we'd have to be ready to go by 5 a.m.

Needless to say, the alarm clock did not go off at 4 a.m. as hoped. The morning started with rude awakening by loud banging on the window next to my bed. It was 5:30 and we were already running late. (please note before anyone thinks this was my bad, I was not in charge of the alarm clock.... lol!)

I was dozing off and on for the first half of the 4 hour trip. Then we stopped for breakfast and coffee. I was awake at this point, but wishing that I was still asleep. We were on a 2 lane roadway that twisted and turned thruout the mountains. Eighteen wheelers, busses, cars, trucks....you name it....they are all trying to pass one another. And well......we seriously almost died twice on that part of the trip.

But, we did survive, with 7 cat-lives left and got dropped off at a gas station to catch the bus (which had fringe on the window blinds) to Quito. Once we got to Quito, Joffre offered to let us leave the backpacks at his house again. Christina was going to try her luck in getting her visa at the Brazilian embassy (I thought the United States was tough). I had lunch with Joffre at a little restaurant near his shop in Quito.

Next stop - Vilcabamba 1/2/08 thru 1/5/08

2008-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Flying into Loja – hmmmm what about this flight makes me think I had another brush will the Grim-Reaper? Turbulents the entire flight, flight attendant's attempt to serve appetizers was halted by the pilot and they were told to strap in, the plane appeared to overshoot the runway on landing and once we landed an eruption of applause from the passengers. Yes, this made me think that once again...in the same day... thatI am now down to 6 cat-lives :0)

After a long cab ride (approx. 25 minutes) from the airport to Loja, we caught the bus to
Vilcabamba (approximately 1hr and 30 minutes) The length of time it took to get from Loja to Vilcabamba can be attribute to the number of times the bus stopped for passengers.
But we finally arrived at our destination:
Vilcabamba, known for the longevity of its inhabitants, is a place for travelers who want to slow down and watch the flowers grow. A number of resorts catering to the backpack traveler (and others) offer therapeutic spa-like facilities.
We heard that Vilcabamba is one of those places everyone comes to for 2 days and leaves 2 weeks later. Its set in a valley completely engulfed by beautiful mountains, but at 1500m has a warm climate and a laid back hippie feel to it, heaven. It´s the kind of place where every house has a hammock, people take their pigs for a walk down the main street and donkeys wander along the road loaded down with all sorts of things. It’s famous for 2 main reasons: firstly it’s the home of an extremely hallucinogenic cactus that travellers come here to sample (no we haven´t seen any) and secondly because it’s known as the "Valley of Eternal Youth". The earth is supposed to have "positive energy" and apparently many of its residents live until well over 100. Scientists have even studied why this could be and attributed it to the climate, clean air, healthy diet, lots of hill walking and lack of westernised medicine in the valley. When doctors came in and tried to cure many of the older people of intestinal parasites many of the oldies died so the theory only got stronger.

On our first night in Vilcabamba, we stayed at a hostel called “Izhcayluma”. The name means “Two Hills” in the old Inca Language (Quichua) and is the original name of the area. The accommodations were rustic, but cleaner and much more appealing than the hostel in Quito. Christina had also been in contact with Marlese, one the girls she met at the school in Cuenca, who was also staying at “Izhcayluma”. She’s from the upper West Coast of the states, and I’m sorry to say I can’t remember whether she’s from Oregon or Washington.

The next day we all walked from one side of the town to another and ended up at a place called "Madre Tierra" which means Mother Earth. Christina had researched the best spa treatments and this place had a very good reputation. It’s kind of a rustic health spa with a real healthy/hippie/positive energy vibe to it.
We really enjoyed the atmosphere and spoke with the manager, Marco. I had a barrage of questions…..from information on accommodations, horse-back riding to spa specials. (Marco was very patient with me) Some very important information learned was that if you were staying at Madre Tierra; breakfast and dinner are included and you got a wonderful discount on the spa treatments. So – you know that’s all we needed to learn to decide to pack the backpacks and move our accommodations. We made appointments for horse-back riding at 10am then next morning and appointments immediately following the ride with the spa treatment packages of our choice. Then we got a bite to eat on a little terrace.

Afterward, we had dinner with Marlese at a little Mexican restaurant in town and then headed back to Izhcayluma because we had paid for that night in advance. We were hanging out at the pub, shooting pool, playing darts, drinking lots of Pilsener, etc.....nice and tranquillo. I met a couple from Wyoming and South Dakota. Can’t remember their names, but they were married and both teaching in a private school in Quito. They were spending some time at Vilcabamba during their semester break. I had a great time talking with them and learning the ins and outs of an American in Ecuador. Some of the guys playing pool needed a 4th person and a guy named Mauricio asked me to partner with him. We were playing against a man who I’m guessing is THE pool shark of Vilcabamba. That or I still can’t shoot pool below the equator either (the latter of which is most likely the case).

Marco (from Madre Tierra) was there too, I think because the night life is limited in Vilcabamba. Christina was talking with him for a while and they confirmed our change in accommodations for the following two evenings. The next morning we changed Hostels. Madre Tierra, as described above is gorgeous. The rooms are little thatched cottages which are spread out over a steep hillside among acres of tropical gardens. Marco put us in one of the best cottages (19) right at the top (major huffing and puffing required to get there though, especially with the weight of our ever-growing backpacks!) with its own terrace and hammocks overlooking the whole valley. It was gorgeous!

Breakfast and dinner are served on a little terrace with fairy lights and mystical-type music and all the guests sit together. Carafes of homemade juice and tea made with "20 healing herbs" are made available on the terrace. The food is so delicious, organic and handmade in the visible kitchen by the cutest little ladies.

The next morning we met our guide at 10 for our four hour ride throughout Vilcabamba. While we were preparing for the ride, we met the owners of the hotel. The gentleman is a retired American actor-turned-peace-activist (apparently he had a role in Dynasty, but I couldn’t place the face) and his wife.

Our guide’s name was Danny and he took very good care to ensure that we got to see everything in Vilcabamba. We also ran into Mauricio (my poor partner in pool) who was the guide for a lady from Peru. Danny took us everywhere; we were even running thru the streets of the town! It was a great ride, but now I was ready for the Spa! (good idea considering what my rear-end and thighs felt like after walking, trotting and running on a horse for that long)

**Please note while viewing pics – laundry is one of the services this place offers, for which I desperately needed to have my clothes laundered. Needless to say –with my clothes at the cleaner, my choice for riding outfit is not all that appropriate, but at least I wasn’t naked!

I am not an expert on Spa treatments, but I this one was pretty unique! It all started out very normal. The spa itself has a very calming and tranquil atmosphere. It’s very quiet (except there was occasional giggling coming from a couple out of an un-identified room, and you felt very happy for them) There were flower petals lining the pathways and I was thinking – this is gonna be sooooo awesome! That’s when things stopped being normal.

I was led into a room and told to take the robe off, the next thing I know I was sitting in a box surrounded by an assortment of herbs, with just my head poking out the top! My “spa chic” (I don’t know what you call them) turned on the steam, left the room and I began to sweat profusely. The aroma from the herbs was swelling up from the hole in the top of the box and I thought “This must be what it’s like to be a Rotissary Chicken”. I realized I was very thirsty but I was helpless, and starting to become fearful that she would never return. What a fate that would be, huh?
She returned and suddenly opened my box, told me to stand next to this little tub of water and began rubbing me down with ice cold wet towels. I thought, okay – I survived the slow roasting process…..the things we do for beauty. Then she put me into the box again! I told her I needed water and she returned with a glass of cool, pink-hued, herbal tea. After I downed that glass, she put the top of the box around my neck again. I really began to feel like I was going to pass out and it dawned on me that I signed up for a half hour of this routine. She came back in again and told me to sit on the stone slab (a bit of a cold shocker to the rump after being cooked in the hot box) and told to splash cold water on myself.
After that the hot/cold routine was repeated again. I was feeling as though I was well-done at that point and decided I would tell her I couldn’t do another round. But then I was told to stand stark naked in a large, open shower stall. There she proceeded to point a hose at me as she shot ice cold water all over my body! Arms out, turn around……Ok, okay I’m awake now! …..these are the things we do for ourselves?.......

Next came the sea-salt body scrub which felt like your skin was being rubbed away, but I was just glad to be back to room-temperature. Then she led me into a room for the Mud Bath. I was told to sit in a big stone bath tub surrounded by white flower petals. Then I was given a bowl of hot mud and told to cover myself in it. She told me to stay in the tub for what was supposed to be 25 minutes. As I was sitting in this tub, covered in mud, the woman that was giving Christina her treatments came in and asked if it would be alright for Christina to join me. I said “Sure, what the hell” i'm covered in mud anyway.

We were cracking up and probably would have had a mud slinging battle had it not been for the fact that the mud is hot and we didn’t want to get kicked out. After what seemed much longer than 25 minutes, my spa chic came back and told me to shower off. Which I obediently did and then we proceeded onto another room for my hour long, full body massage. This was awesome…….I highly recommend it.

Although the spa treatments were amazingly priced without staying there, once we were staying at Madre Tierra they became extremely cheap! So….we booked more treatments for the following day. The hour long full body massage was given to me by “Blanca”. She’s a little, long gray haired, lady with magical hands. I’m not kidding; I wanted to keep her…… rumor has it (as we discovered later) that Blanca has such a tremendous energy, she's been known to levitate at cat. Imagine THAT! :0)

I’ve never experienced this sort of thing before, but it was fun and I felt rejuvenated for the rest of the trip. I did wonder what the heck they put in that herbal tea... regardless, it was easy to see how people find it extremely difficult to leave and end up staying for days or weeks longer, sometimes forever! So the question is…..would I go to Vilcabamba again….IN A HEARTBEAT but for much longer!!!!

PS: I do have to say "Hello" to Paoul and say that I was flattered by his tireless efforts. And to also thank him for the tour of Madre Tierre and photo shoot.

Off to Mancora, Peru 1/5/08 thru 1/8/08

2008-01-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Still Work in Progress, please check back for completion....

So are you wondering about this mess? We were in an Internet Cabina at the Loja bus station before we left for Peru.
Christina asked if she could use the bathroom and the girl said sure. Christina came out the bathroom laughing hysterically and made me take a picture of this "User Friendly Facility"

The journey across the Peruvian border was okay. Took an overnite bus and they're kinda sketchy. Guards stop the bus every now and then, walk thru staring at everyone, sometimes remove people, etc.....Customs at the border was interesting also. Quickly go to one station on this side of the bridge.....bus goes across the bridge and hurry through 2 more stations on the opposite sides of the street....hurrying to make sure you're not left behind. The print on the forms is so tiny and in a light grey font.....All at the wee hours of the morning (2-3 am).

Peru
Magic, sand, waves and relaxation summarize the feeling of the beaches located in the north department of Piura and Tumbes, north coast of Peru. These beaches have in common several characteristics that make this area and beach paradise:

•Sun all year long
•Beautiful beaches, perfect for swimming and relaxation. - Nice temperatures without humidity
•Warm sea in summer and in some winter months (especially on the beaches located north of Cabo Blanco).
•Incredible waves for surfing and good wind for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
•Amazing marine life

Mancora
Located on the kilometer 1165 of the Panamerican Highway (Panamericana Norte), this little fishermen village is on the north limit of Piura Department. Mancora offer hotels, hostels and restaurants for all pockets and tastes. We arrived in time to catch the finals of the 2008 Chevrolet Surf Competition.

Christina’s friend, Jose Botta met us in Mancora. They actually met in Baltimore, Salsa dancing at Gardel’s. Jose was a blast and we all had a lot of laughs. So, as you see the accommodations here are rivaling Quito, but…..hey – it’s cheap and near the beach. Actually, this room was much better than the first one they put us in - which was right next to the back of a bar with Septic work going on right in front of the door.

Punta Sal
Located 79 kilometers south of Tumbes and 23 kilometers north from MancoraThe entrance to Punta de Sal is located in the 1187 km of the North Pan-American Highway. From Mancora I’s only 15 minutes in a private vehicle – aka “Moto-Taxi”. jajaja

Poza de Barro (mud thermal bath):
We stopped at the Poza De Barro on our way back from Punta Sal. Poza De Barro is a natural Baño (mud thermal bath - actually luke-warm) and is located in what seemed to be an endless, barron stretch of land (see map). It took us about 30 minutes on a very bumpy ride via moto taxi to reach this natural Baño. While we were making our way there, I noticed that there was A LOT of mule and goat poop everywhere.

Well I have to say that this thermal bath was quite a contrast from what I thought was a seemingly primitive treatment in Vilcabamba (although I really am NO expert as this is the first time I’ve ever had this sort of spa treatment). The smell is certainly an eye opener, especially after digging for a handful of clay and slathering it all over – face included……I started to wonder where all that mule/goat poop gets dumped! And another thing…. Where was the lady armed with a hose to wash this stuff off? LOL! We laughed so much this day that my stomach was sore. Good Times.

Return to Cuenca 1/9/08 thru 1/11/08

2008-01-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

WORK IN PROGRESS.....please check back for updated blog.....much to show

So, we snuck out of Mancora on a late bus. We were suppose to leave at 11 but the bus didn't arrive until 12:15 a.m. This was actually a good thing because we had to change buses in Machala and would have had an hour lay-over in a VERY sketchy area. This bus was only stopped once this time by armed guards who walked thru the aisle and wanted to see everyone's passports. A couple of people had to get off again.....but apparently that just the way it works in S. Amer. We arrived in Machala at 5 a.m. and walked very swiftly 2 blocks to the bus station. There were alot of shady characters up at that hour. We reached the bus station and it looked more like a garage to me, but luckily we made it there in time to catch the bus to Cuenca without the hour lay-over. This bus made alot of stops (kinda like the MTA) does here. About an hour and a half later the sun was rising. I was exhausted and thought maybe I should sleep, but once we got into the country my eyes were wide open. Ecuador truly has beautiful landscapes. We rode all thru the mountains and little towns where the people were starting their day, and some not starting their day. This one little house we rode by had two children sitting out front. One was eating something and the other was still sleeping, sitting up. Like Mom just moved them from one spot to another. It was really cute.

Joffre had planned to meet us in Cuenca the morning we arrived. Unfortunately, Joffre's 11 hour bus trip had to be delayed a day so he arrived on Thursday morning instead of Wednesday. The first night Christina and I were back in Cuenca we caught up on some much needed sleep. The second night we went dancing, of course. The club we went to was called Verde Pinton y Maduro. It was the best Latin dance club we went to on this trip.

Cuenca's Parque Calderón

The "Catedral de la Inmaculada" dominates the plaza.

The next day was spent sightseeing all the magnificent sites around Cuenca. Christina was running errands and still trying to secure her visa for Brazil.

Taxi to Guayaquil

2008-01-21T11:34:00.001-08:00

Work in Progress.....please check back for updated blog.....much to show

Last Post: Back in Reisterstown

2008-01-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our adventures in Ecuador and Peru. I had so much fun and the pictures don’t do it justice. Would I do it again? ....... You BET - in a heartbeat!!!!

Below is a collection of some of the items I brought back from both countries. Every piece has a special meaning and memory for me from each place that we visited. Comments are welcomed!
Muchos Besitos y Chao!!!!