Wednesday May 18, 2011: Well she was an early start this morning. Not that the last week hasn’t been early each morning starting around 6am, but today it was 4am. There were seven of us left from our boat who decided that we would not sleep in on our last official day together but that we would get up early and drive to the Cloud Forest in Nanegalito Ecuador. A two and a half hour drive from Quito. It was great though. There were no clouds for us today though, which made for wonderful views of the surrounding volcanoes and mountains. The drive there was interesting. You have got to love the Hyundai minivan that took the seven of us plus the driver and guide and it actually had other seats and could have accommodated 12 people, four rows of three.
In the cloud forest we were able to bird watch. I have to say I really am not a birder, but they are cool to check out and there were tons of them and the sounds were excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the vibrating sounds of the hummingbird’s wings. There were great hikes there through extremely thick vegetation a rainforest or jungle like natural setting. You know what? You can tell I am not a birder by my lack of camera lenses and the fact that my camera is not over two feet long.
Did you know that Ecuador has over 4650 different kinds of orchids? Also I think I forgot to tell you about when I landed in the airport and was coming through customs. I stopped twice and smelt two huge bouquet of roses and then after I did it and did the ah sounds after doing it I realized the old cheesy saying that we are to stop and smell the roses and that is exactly what I did.
We also saw a village today that exists inside a volcanic crater that was pretty neat to see. The crater has a diameter of 8km and is lush with vegetation.
My body is having a hard time adjusting to being back on land. I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like I was walking on a lean still. It is probably a combination of the boat and the altitude. So I feel a bit dizzy and off balance and so do the others. We would share our ailments and the others would say yes I am feeling that way too, or we would bend over too quickly and have a head rush and a woozy spell.
Thursday May 19, 2011: Well today has been an interesting day on a couple of fronts. I am in Quito Ecuador which is located 2850m above sea level so I am suffering a bit today from Altitude sickness. It really has interesting effects on your body. I woke up with a nasty headache and tingling lips and fingers. The tingling lips are the craziest sensation. I think because I flew in from sea level and didn’t have the gradual incline like in the bus that is why I have been affected this time.
You know some days when you just have a feeling something is going to happen, well today was one of those days for me. I just didn’t have the greatest vibe today. I headed out to the Old Town to see the sites with my day backpack and didn’t feel right about taking it, but I did it anyway. I had my camera in it and didn’t take it out very often as I just had this feeling I shouldn’t have my camera out in public so it stayed away for most of my walk in the area. The cab driver on the way to the Old Town had also given a warning about taking care of your camera and holding on to it tight. So I was standing out front of a park in front of the Basilica and I had liquid shit thrown on the back of me. Yep, it was a lovely aroma. I did nothing though. I felt and heard the liquid hit me and just remained in the same position not attempting to see what it was. A guy pointed to my back and the sky trying to indicate a bird did it. There were no birds in the air. Anyway I still remained calm with my hands in my pockets and didn’t move to see what was on me or attempt to take the bag off my back and kept a watch on the area and people attempting to come and wipe it off which I knew could happen, but it didn’t. Then a nice looking woman comes up to me and says “senorita banos” and points to across the street and attempts to walk me to a washroom. To which I just continue to stand there and say “no gracias.” This is their ploy to help you clean it off and rob you while they do it. I hailed down a cab and returned to the hotel where they said I was very smart and lucky to have done what I did. As soon as they saw me they said did they rob you this is what they do to rob you? I took my bag and cloths to get washed and for $5.50 it will be delivered back in three hours. So I guess that feeling I had was for real but I was alert to the fact something might happen. I will just chalk that one up to another experience I have now had.
Tomorrow morning will be another early start with a 4am cab to the airport. I am flying to Santa Marta Colombia at 6:20am. It is on the coast and the Caribbean Sea; I hope to enjoy a little rest and relaxation on the beach.
You can click on the following link for pictures from The Cloud Forest in Nanegalito Ecuador and the few I took in Quito.
Click on this link for photos from The Cloud Forest in Nanegalito and Quito Ecuador
No comments:
Post a Comment