Ecuador // Two tiny monkeys, probably one of the many Titi varities, living with a family in the Ecuadoran jungle
Flying into Quito, Ecuador, located at 9000 feet in the Andes mountains, is a memorable experience. The airport is surrounded on all sides by dense city, and the view out the airplane window seems to transition from buildings to runway about one second before the wheels touch down. So, close your eyes if you’re concerned about landing on a roof.
We arrived the day before our scheduled departure to the Galapagos Islands, having chosen the Hotel Reina Isabel according to price and amenities. We liked our choice, and coincidentally found ourselves in the Mariscal District, the tourist hub of the city. Everything from great coffee (most of Ecuador serves instant) to live music is available here. An evening of nightlife was not an expected part of our itinerary, but it was a very pleasant bonus.
We returned to Quito after our Galapagos cruise, but had left our schedule open and unplanned for the next two days. Thanks to a contact provided by the chief naturalist from our cruise ship we ended up taking a road trip that would otherwise never have happened. Our new acquaintance was a Catholic nun who, upon learning that we had a rental car, suggested a trip south through volcano country to the resort town of Baños. The idea was for the three of us to drive to Baños, where our new-found friend and guide would catch the bus back to Quito.
A stop along the way at an “Indian” market led to the acquisition of a favorite weaving, and we had a definite advantage negotiating a final price. It doesn’t seem fair having a nun bargaining on your behalf, but this same arrangement also resulted in our getting a very nice price for a jungle tour the following morning.
We had stopped to marvel at Tungurahua Volcano before arriving at Baños, which is nestled into the base of the mountain. New volcanic activity had begun with eruptions two years before in 1999, and they were still frequent enough to allow us to photograph the sequence below. The prevailing wind in the area had caused serious damage in a neighboring province, while leaving Baños almost completely untouched. After checking into our hotel, we signed on for a nightly bus tour partway up the volcano to view the glowing eruptions after dark. It was a fairly quiet evening for volcanism, but not to worry, the tour operators were really a crew of jugglers, comedians, magicians and musicians who had found a novel way to package their talents as a backup for an unreliable natural phenomenon.
The commercial jungle trip the following morning took us to the “headwaters of the Amazon”, although that is a blanket description of dozens of rivers in eastern Ecuador. We were taken to an “Indian village” for an accurate look at basic modern life in the jungle, treated to a short canoe trip and lunch, and were generally provided with a very nice day in very nice company. The gringo turned out to be pretty handy with a blowgun, and the last stop of the day provided a memorable view.
This road trip portion of our visit is out of order by one day so that we can save the best for last. At least for me, watching a volcano erupt is a pretty unique experience. The photos are the result of frequent activity more than good timing, but plumes of volcanic debris make a nice exclamation point for our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
Galápagos Islands Cruise – Page 1
Page 2 – Galapagos Giant Tortoise
Page 3 – Galapagos Environments
Page 4 – Galapagos Islands Wildlife
Page 5 – More Galapagos Wildlife
Page 6 – You Are Here
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