Shaggy Donkeys and Llamas

We turned off the Pan-American Highway and started driving down a bumpy dirt road that led to Cotopaxi National Park.  One farm we passed was home to some very shaggy donkeys.

Such satisfactory shagginess!!

The llamas started to scoot away while we were busy admiring the donkeys, but I did manage to capture a sweet (at least I think it was sweet) moment between two llamas in the herd.

Mr. Hunter and the llama farm,
with llamas in the distance

outside Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Making Friends in Ecuador: Elvita

Our guide, Wilson, drove us south along the Pan-American Highway to get to Cotopaxi National Park. The plan for day two included climbing a bit of Cotopaxi volcano,  and in order to prepare for the altitude we stopped at a couple of places in order to drink some coca tea.  

We met Elvita at the first coca tea stop, which was basically a convenience store/gas station. She spoke no English, and I have a very few straggling words of Spanish, but with Wilson's help, she and I ended up having a nice little conversation about how beautiful her country is.  I remember the words "linda" and "hermosa" coming up, which reminded me of place names like Linda Vista and Hermosa Beach.  

Elvita and Mr. H
Off to the right of Mr. Hunter (your right, not his)
is some Ecuadorian chocolate we bought: Chocolate Superior La Universal.  Yum!

Here we are drinking our Delisse-brand coca tea.

None of us felt any strange side effects from drinking it, and none of us who drank the tea felt any altitude sickness once we went up the mountain.

somewhere between Quito and Cotopaxi

Ecuador

June 2011

Overlooking Quito

On our second day in Ecuador, our guide took us down to Cotopaxi National Park.  As we drove out of Quito, we pulled over at a kind of rest stop that had a panoramic view of the city.

Quito's Old Town is off to the right

The rest stop itself had piles of garbage here and there, and as we made our way across the grass, we had to look out for dog droppings.  There are so many street dogs in Quito, as well as lots of quite skinny dogs who seem to belong to particular homes.  Here's information from Humane Society International about the work they do to help street dogs in Latin America.

These two dogs came out to see us from a nearby home.

We could see puppies and chickens
on top of a building just below.

As we got ready to leave, a different dog emerged from the nearby building.

Quito, Ecuador

June 2011

People I Have Asked: Patricio

 Patricio was the proprietor of Hostal Restaurante Mirador Rio Blancos.

Some of the delicious food we enjoyed at Mirador Rio Blanco...

Two kinds of deliciousness:
the yellow juice is arrasha
(my sister-in-law said it tasted like star fruit);
the dish in front holds aji.
We were served various kinds of aji throughout our trip.

Yuca frita - like french fries,
only yuca (yucca) instead of potatoes

A pork dish that featured pineapple and coconut.
The flavors reminded me a bit of Thai food.

Cinnamon pork.  

A hint of the river valley view outside.

The front of the restaurant

The front of Mirador Rio Blanco.
You'll notice that the outside of each hotel building
has a type of local bird painted on it.

Hostal and Restaurante Mirador Rio Blanco

Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador

June 2011

Mr. Hunter Recommends: Mirador Rio Blanco

On our first day in mainland Ecuador, our tour guide drove us to a restaurant in Los Bancos.  It was pretty late in the day, and we were hungry after our ziplining adventure in Mindo.  We walked into the dim restaurant and realized that it had a deck out in back that overlooked this stunning river valley.  

The river, I believe, is called Rio Blanco.

When we first stepped out onto the deck,
the valley was shrouded in mist.

The view of the valley was wondrous enough, but what really made Mirador Rio Blanco a favorite stop on our trip was the birds.  Out on the deck, there was a hummingbird feeder that attracted many varieties of hummers, including (of course) many we had never seen before.  I spent a lot of time lingering nearby and snapping pictures.  By the time our late lunch was finished, I found that the hummers had grown a little more accustomed to my presence, so that I could get closer.

Video of the bird feeder action:

                      

The hummingbird feeder was only one part of the birding magnificence at Mirador Rio Blanco.  Just outside the windows alongside our table inside the restaurant, there was a row of trees with pieces of bananas nailed to the the branches.  Throughout our (delicious) meal, we could turn and watch tanagers, woodpeckers, and more as they stopped to dine.  

I got so excited when I realized that this Thick-billed Euphonia
was not just black and yellow but also BLUE.

And then a Pale Mandibled Aracari arrived!
We hadn't even dreamed we might see a toucan.

Video of the banana bar action just outside the window as we ate.

The pale blue birds are Blue-gray tanagers.

Here's a video of the view from Mirdaor Rio Blanco's deck.  

It's a spot I will always revisit in my mind.

                      

If you find yourself in Ecuador, Mr. Hunter and I hope you have a chance to spend a bit of time at Mirador Rio Blanco!

Hostal Restaurante Mirador Rio Blanco

Los Bancos, Pichincha

Ecuador

June 2011

Mariposas of Mindo

Our first stop in the Mindo area was at a mariposeria (butterfly farm).  

Mr. Hunter put on a little banana "cologne" to see if that might entice a butterfly to say hello.

Hello, King Swallowtail!

Me, Mr. Hunter, and a Caligo Eurilochus

Caligo Euirlochus is also called a Blue Morpho.
Here's what one looks like when its wings are open.

Hosteria Mariposas de Mindo

Mindo, Ecuador

June 2011

¡Bienvenidos a Ecuador!

Last month, Mr. Hunter made his first-ever visit

 to a South American country: Ecuador.  Very exciting!

On our first day in Quito, we had a private guide take us out to the Mindo cloud forest.  Along the way, about half an hour outside of Quito, we stopped at an overlook to gaze at the lovely Pululahua Crater.  Pululahua is a long-dormant volcano. Inside the crater, you can see farms and fields, and the surrounding area is a Geobotanical Reserve. It seemed like the perfect spot for Mr. Hunter's debut pose in Ecuador.

Here's a video panorama of the crater:

                     

Can you spot Mr. Hunter among the white stones 

that spelled out a welcome?

Reserva Geobotanica Pululahua

Pichincha Province

Ecuador

June 2011