The beginning of Ecuador

Hi, this is Warren, not Melody. She's been asking me to write her next post for at least two weeks and has refused to update until after I have made my own mark here for once. Now, I know she promised to talk about all of what went on in Ecuador, so I suppose that task is mine for now. Here goes nothing:

We made sure to do all of our paying of monthly bills and tennis shoes shopping (for Melody) on Friday the 25th, the night before we would be out of the country for just a little over a week.

Got up early on Saturday the 26th. By early I mean 4 a.m. Took a short 35-minute connecting flight on low-cost carrier Aires to Medellin. In Medellin, we grabbed our bags and jumped in a taxi to Colombia's Walmart, which is called Exito. We stocked up on breakfast and traveling snacks there, and then took another taxi to the international airport, which is conveniently (read inconveniently) located 45 minutes and 25 dollars outside Medellin. We literally waited the entire day there, reading English language magazines, eating Dunkin' Donuts and peanuts, and watching the jersey-clad team members of various South American countries who had participated in the Ninth South American Games, which had just come to a close. Melody and I bought two snazzy screw-cap water bottles with the Games logo on them.

TACA Airlines flew us to Quito in the late afternoon. A bunch of team members took the same plane as we did. After arriving and taking our bags, we found Estuardo holding a piece of paper with Melody's name on it. He was the guy we hired to drive us to Mindo, a tiny village two hours northwest of Quito, located in what's called the "cloud forest." He drove us there as night was falling. I fell asleep for awhile, and when Melody poked me awake, I could see the shapes of clouds hanging thick and ghostly just above the trees as the truck snaked on and on, down the mountainside. We were welcomed by an American voice when we arrived at our hostal/hotel/bed & breakfast called CasKaffeSu in Mindo. Susan showed us to our room and filled our new Medellin water bottles for us, kindly reminding us not to drink from the tap in Ecuador.

After breakfast and conversation in CasKaffeSu dining room the next day, we bought a map of Mindo from Susan and then rode in a taxi (It was actually just a truck owned and operated by one of the town's residents. Mindo's backroads are pretty scruffy.) to the ziplining location. Our two professional guides outfitted us in support ropes and clips and helmets, and then our group nine listened to their safety talk in Spanish. They threw in a couple English words here and there for the gringos' benefit. Then we were off.

For what must have been at least an hour, each of us took turns being hooked up and run across lines dipping through the forested valley between two mountains. It was pretty amazing. Melody and I even got to do what they called "the Superman." Not surprisingly, this entails them hooking your support from the backside of your waist rather than from your navel, which is the regular way. From there, you fly down the cable with your arms spread wide like you are, well, Superman.

Following that, we decided we'd hike it to the next attraction--the butterfly house. The journey was, however, much longer than it appeared on the map, so we ended up walking for probably over an hour on gravel roads intersected by some quick-moving streams. Luckily for us, the butterfly house also housed a butterfly restaurant. Our waitress and cashier turned out to also be our tour guide for the butterflies, and she explained in English the stages of butterfly life while demonstrating chrysalises in an upright box with a mesh door. There were hundreds flying about, with many latched to the walls and ceiling of netting. Melody and I made a new friend there. Her name was Isabella, and she would not let go of my finger. When she finally did, she decided to come right back and land on my arm.

The next day we went to the nearby Terrabita, where a canopy car shuttled us over leafy valleys to the next mountain over. We hiked on what felt like a jungle path all the way to several waterfalls, then disrobed into our swimming suits. The water was quite cold, however, so we were content to simply sit on river rocks with our feet dangling off the side. We snacked there and took cover when it began to rain. But half an hour later it was raining that much harder, so we sucked it up and trekked back up the trail. Needless to say, we were drenched through and through long before we got back up to the cable car platform.

That afternoon we ate a late lunch at El Quetzal, a nice but empty local restaurant where they also produce their own coffees and chocolates. We asked for a tour, but the two girls working recommended we come back after the manager returned, who could guide us in English. We did. The guy turned out to be in his early thirties at most and was a Michiganer recently transplanted to Ecuador to oversee the chocolate production. After the tour (which was interesting but a bit bland), we bought chocolate and dropped by The Dragonfly Inn, where we had fajitas and drinks. Monday night was our last night in Mindo.

So there you go. The first three days of Spring Break for us. We'll be posting more about it in chunks later.

Beyond this, our time here lately has been CONSUMED with creating, administering, and grading final examinations. We publish grades tonight, and tomorrow is the first day of second term. One down, three to go.

Thanks for reading.
-Warren