From the airport in Quito, I headed straight for Quitumbe Bus Terminal . I knew exactly where I was heading. No need to kick it in Quito. I came, saw and conquered it two years ago with my pals Kyla and Tash. It involved straddling the Equator line, chasing alpaca's, Fifa watching, wandering through the old town, buckets of Rum and Coke and penis piñata's. What more would I need to accomplish here? No, I was in desperate need of some Rest and Relaxation by the beach. I was craving the caress of warm sand beneath my skin, the suns hot rays and the sound of waves crashing along the surf. Canoa was the object of my desire. But first I just have to survive the next 4.5 hours in this bone chilling bus terminal. I had learnt this lesson before, better layer up! Quitumbre is a giant open air terminal. Why on earth they decided to have the terminal open air is beyond me. Quito can drop below freezing at night. I sat there with as many layers as I could put on and thought... "This isn't going to cut it". I got up and bought a pair of gloves. Nope, still cold. Out came my blanket. "Shit, this is going to be a long night". As I sat and froze, I people watched to pass the time. I saw an indigenous lady with about 3 layers of blankets on her shoulders and the part of her legs that weren't shielded by her skirt were in a potato bag. Clever! Bet that cuts the wind whizzing past us. A poodle with a mustache kept me entertained for about 30 minutes. He was completly shaved and had this hilarious Tom Selleck-esque moustache. Then my iPod died. There was no way I was going to survive a 7 hour night bus without music. I went in search of an outlet and after an exhausting search I found the only outlet in the terminal. The guard seeing I wanted to use it, woke up a homeless man and told him to move on. I felt a little guilty, but when I settled down underneath the stairs where the outlet lived, I realized the homeless man was a genius. He knew of the only spot in the terminal which you are shielded by the wind and its cold cold front. I was in heaven. I remained there until 11:30pm came and I headed for my bus. Canoa here I come!
When socks and thongs are totally acceptable!
I had the first seat on the bus. Curiously, I found that I often got the first seat on buses. I was ok with it, I often sat alone and had extra leg room. The bus played ridiculously loud salsa music, therefore I countered with turning my iPod louder. Sleep was very hard to come by. Eventually I arrived in Bahia and hopped on a local bus with all the school kids heading towards Canoa. Two years ago I came to Canoa and fell in love with it. It was a sleepy little coastal town with sandy streets where all worries are lost and relaxation is the name of the game. Delirious from not having slept and not feeling so good, I made a beeline to Coco Loco hostel, got a bed and crashed. I slept away the morning and most of the afternoon. The sky's were cloudy and grey. Ah cloud belt... you strike again. Over the next few days, I pretty much laid low having digestive problems. I did however realize that I wasn't the only one that discovered what a lovely place Canoa was. The tourism boom this town experienced in the last 2 years was astounding! I spent an afternoon laying on the beach and it was difficult to find a spot. Cabañas lined the road/beach selling ceviche and drinks and colourful sun huts went as far as the eye can see along the coastline. Thousands of people peppered the beach and sea. This is not relaxing at all!
Canoa before - June 2010
Canoa after - July 2012
I spent five days in Canoa, and if it wasn't for (litteraly) feeling like shit, I would have left much earlier. Thankfully Liz and her crew at Coco Loco were more than helpful to help me get better. When I did decide to leave, I headed to Cuenca via Guayaquil. On the bus towards Cuenca, I encountered the most cunning vendor of the trip thus far. His name was Mantis and he had a schtick. He first entered in a Question and Answer period which involved "What President said..." and he gave you a candy for the right answer. Afterwards, he handed everyone 3 cookie packets, thanked us all for participating and if we wanted to keep the cookies, it was only $1. Almost everyone paid up, and considering it was a bus of 50 people or so, he made off quite well. Much better than any other food vendor i've ever seen enter my bus.
His last & personally my favourite question was, "What is the name of my bestfriend?" Answer: Jesus Christ... duh!
This bus ride was also the first time I actually turned off my iPod to tune into the movie playing. Weird right? As some of my friends know, I usually can't be bothered with putting on and watching a movie, unless it's Ace Ventura or The Holiday. But this movie sucked me in real good. What movie could do this to me you ask? Death Race 2. Yes, Death Race 2. I loved every second of it. Shortly after it's end - "WHAT! That's it? Who wins?!!" - I suddenly took notice of the scenery. We were travelling up the Andes and riding above the clouds! I must admit the cloud belt looks infinitely better from above as from this vantage point it's not covering the sun! I couldn't help but get picture happy and snap snap snapped away. For one of the first times I was actually on the side with view, though I was in the aisle seat. Luckily the man sitting at the window was sleeping with his music on and seat reclined.
Ecuador's Cloud Belt at its finest
I arrived in Cuenca at around 8pm. I was hungry, tired, had a splitting headache from the altitude and exactly $1.50 remaining in my purse. I read online that was how much it would take me to get to my hostel. I went to the first taxi cab and he said $2.50. I explained $1.50 was all I had and made my best puppy eyes. He wouldn't budge. Neither would the next cab and at that moment I felt my eyes start to well up. I headed to the street to try and find another cab when a man who overheard me asked where I was going. I advised him of the street my hostel was located and he said he could give me a lift for free! Free!? My ears peaked up but still unsure as I followed the man to his vehicle. A moto... a small one infact. Hmmm, does he not realize i'm wearing a pack on my back and on my front. How on earth will I be able to ride on with him without falling over on his first turn? I stood with him for a while and discussed my worries. He seemed like a decent man and I just really wanted to get to where I had to be. So up I went on the bike behind him holding on for dear life to his jacket and bike. The ride took about 15mins, and finally we pulled into a driveway. He led me up some stairs and into a room. "Is this your house?". "Yes, it is, you can stay here for free as long as you want." Oh oh, eyes are welling up again, rage shakes starting. "No sir, you have to take me to my hostel, I have reservations and my mother is awaiting my call." He countered by saying he can go get a calling card and I could use his phone, but I argued my points and eventually won. No way was I sharing a double bed with some stranger. I must admit, I was never scared during this time. I was more pissed that he drove me past my hostel across town when my hostel was litteraly a 15 min walk from the bus station - found this out the next morning. We went back on his moto and he drove me to the centre. I saw the street and we found the hostel. Before he left though, he made sure to tell the Hostel Manager that I didn't have money and to be wary in taking me in as I wouldn't be able to pay in a last ditch attempt to have a cuddle buddy for the night. Obviously I didn't tell him all I needed to do is find a bank machine to retrieve more money, to avoid putting myself in a worse situation. The woman told the stranger it was fine and took me in. Ok, lesson learnt. Don't hop on bikes with strangers. I found a bank machine, bought some food and dove straight into bed.
The next morning after talking to my roommates and learnt I could do Cuenca in a day, I went to the bus station and bought a night bus ticket to Loja. Destination - Vilcabamba. This was a destination Kyla and I wanted to reach 2 years ago but ran out of time. I walked back to the centre and did a tour snapping picks of several churches and other landmarks. I returned to my hostel and it was 11am. Damn... maybe I should have bought an earlier bus ticket! I had lunch and packed all my stuff. Checked out and headed to the bus station once again. It was 12:20pm and I had just missed the noon bus the Loja. The next one was 4pm. Sigh. I changed my ticket, locked my bag up at the station and headed back into the centre. I believe I walked every cross street possible. I visited the Panama Hat museum, and though it was closed and had no tours, I was still able to peek in and wander through the store. I debated buying one, but rationalized it would be difficult to travel with. Finally I found a cafe with wifi, chucked a couple emails out while sipping on tea and having chocolate/strawberry ice cream until 3:15pm. Goodbye Cuenca, it's been fast and furious, but paradise is awaiting me and paradise it was!
Surely you can find a Panama hat that suits you here!
I arrived in Vilcabamba at 9pm and found myself in a beautiful hostel perched atop a hill named Hosteria Izhcayluma. Though I really couldn't tell at that time as it was pitch black out. I heard voices down below and found a group of people huddled around the bar having some drinks. The owner welcomed me and I partook in a couple of bevvies. It turned out everyone sitting at the bar were my roommates - Katie from Nottingham, Michelle from Melbourne and Matty from S.Africa amoungst others. I felt welcomed, happy and slept like a baby that night. I was looking forward to my time here. The follwing morning I took a seat down on the balcony overlooking the hills and smiled. What a fantastic view!
Care for a view with your breakfast?
I was at peace eating one of the best inclusive breakfasts a hostel has ever offered - Fresh fruit salad, bread, butter, jam, granola, yogurt, fresh juice, tea, coffee and your choice of either eggs or crêpe. Later we ventured into town for a little walk, and that evening I had a wonderful 75min full body massage for $22. :D HEAVEN!!!! There wasn't much else to do here but relax and enjoy the scenery. Katie, Michelle and myself looked into treks and settled on a full day horse trek to the highest peak in Podocarpus Reserve. We were all a little nervous getting on our horses that morning. None of us had much experience on a horse. Mine being the first time on a horse just last summer. When we walked into the office, we were given rubber books and then our choice of cowboy hats! I can't explain the excitment this simple offering bestowed upon us 3 girls. After the right hat was placed upon our heads, we were ready. We walked to where the horses were kept and met Jamie a local and our guide. My horse's name was Sheeba, though I called her Sheeba Princess Warrior as I thought it was more fitting. Immediately we were off and the horses started galloping. Whoa! This is AWESOME! I had no idea galloping was so smooth. We hiked through the hills for 3 hours and witnessed some breathtaking views.
Paradise
When we reached our intended destination, we got off the horses and started to hike towards a waterfall where we would have our lunch. The waterfall was beautiful, a small spout of water falling from the sky. Jaime told us that if we swam in its waters, the locals believed that you would gain 20 extra years of good life. As we're probably never going to get an offer like this again, we all doned our bathing suits. A toe dip in the water sent goosebumps up my body. "Ah shit, this is going to be cold." Mmmmm, no, cold does not accurately describe the frigid nature of what we were subjecting our bodies to. "On second thought, maybe I don't need 20 more years of good life". However, already committed, I forged forward and dove in. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ran back out and watched Michelle and Katie tip top there way in. Jaime not fazed by their shouts,blows past them and showers in the waterfall. Ok, that looks cool, I want to do it. I'm already frozen, it should technically be warmer this time around right? Ha! It was maybe a smidgen warmer. After pictures were taken to prove to the higher powers we rightfully are owed twenty extra years of good life, we warmed up in the hot sun and trek back to our horses climbing up to the highest peak in the region. Breathtaking!
Katie, Michelle and myself on top of the world
Our ride back down went well though Sheeba Princess Warrior sometimes would take a diffrent trail making my heart stop as I looked down the cliff and the jump she had to complete. Luckily she knew what she was doing. Should you ever find yourself in Vilcabamba, I couldn't recommend the 1 day horse trek with Tasca Tours more! This was one of the top adventures i've taken on. The owner René was gracious and our guide Jaime made us non- horse girls feel comfortable and safe. Save to say I've got a new love interest! Sailor out - Cowboy in! If you own a horse, ride horses or even just dress up like a cowboy, you have a significantly higher advantage of winning my heart!
Katie, Michelle and myself were all heading to Peru and decided to join forces and travel together on the road less travelled. After spending another day in Vilcabamba, enjoying another heavenly massage and taking in the stunning views, we forged ahead in what I would say was my favourite journey yet. It involved 2 days, an incredible amount of inhaled dust, a bus, a ranchero, a walk across the border, 2 colectivo taxis, a mini bus and a tuk tuk to make it to Chachapoyas, Peru! Taking the road less traveled was an incredible adventure, even if it was a mostly bumpy and dusty ride. Driving through the Andes and taking in its sights was well worth it!
Much like Colombia, I had to rush through you Ecuador, but I did get some wonderful RnR and experiences in. Thank you! I have just arrived into my 6th country of this trip - Chile! Going to be chilling in Iquique, a beach town set amoungts a desert backdrop. Next post I will take you on my adventure of Northern Peru and my journey towards Cusco to meet my parents.
Hasta luego amigos!
Is your new song "Save a horse, ride a cowboy" now?
ReplyDeleteIn light of my new found appreciation for horse's, I would do what it takes to save it. ;)
Delete