Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba is a cozy town nestled in the heart of the Andes mountains. After reading about Vilcabamba's world famous mineral rich healing water we were hoping it could help some of our common traveler health issues we were dealing with. After another long and "interesting" bus ride we pulled into the terminal and headed towards our first accommodations suggested to us by my sister-in-law, Amy. Thanks Amy! We were greeted with a beautiful private room with sweeping mountain views off of our terrace.

We spent our first couple of days hiking, using the pool on the property, and exploring the town.

After having a few conversations with some of the locals in town we realized that a large percentage of the population in Vilcabamba is made up of expatriates from Europe and the United States with some pretty extreme ideas. Pair that personality type with the hallucinogenic San Pedro Cactus that grows heartily in the area and you've got yourself an interesting little place to visit!

We decided to slow things down a bit and stay for another week in Vilcabamba when we found the Centro de Meditacion located just out of town. The price was fantastic, and with a kitchen available for us to use, free veggies and herbs from the on-site garden, and two sessions of meditation per day included we couldn't resist.

Our week was filled with relaxation, good food and company, and daily meditation. I participated in a one-day Vipassana mediation retreat consisting of sitting and walking meditation, and group discussion. Since I don't have a strong meditation practice I found the workshop to be both interesting and challenging. The evening of the workshop Zach and I participated in a traditional Native American sweat lodge ceremony led by Bernie from the meditation center. We made it through two out of the three rounds and felt rejuvenated and excited about being part of such a unique experience! Our week at Centro de Meditacion in Vilcabamba was a first of many things for both of us and it was just what we needed to feel relaxed and refreshed as we continue on our traveling journey.

Cuenca

Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador but you wouldn't guess it with it's small town feel and cobblestone streets.

We spent New Years Eve in Cuenca and the city was in full swing - a time for families and friends to get together and share a nice meal, a few drinks, and...burn life size dummies in the streets?! We found it a bit odd when we started seeing stores selling these large paper mâché looking dummies a few days before New Years. Most were painted to look like any average person but there were others made up to look like superheros, cartoon characters, and movie stars. We saw an unusually large amount made to look like Chucky and The Incredible Hulk. The tradition is to burn these dummies in the streets just before midnight to cleanse the previous years sins. Apparently it is also important to jump over the dummy while it is burning for a little extra credit.

The women selling flowers had a hard time keeping up with their customers, the bakeries were packed, and there was no shortage of parades around the central plaza.

Unlike parades in the States that feature firemen, politicians, and beauty queens, the primary focus in Cuenca was young children dressed as jesus, an angel, or santa. Most didn't look like they had much choice in the matter but there were a couple kids that were happy to be part of the festivities.

Our time in Cuenca was thoroughly enjoyed but we were anxious to check out the little hippie town of Vilcabamba.

Baños

We spent Christmas in the adventure city of Baños, Ecuador, nestled in the heart of the Andes mountains. It's hard to be away from home during the holidays - one perk that drew us to Baños and specifically our accommodation La Casa Verde was the large Christmas Eve dinner they were planning for their guests. Neither of us had ever had such a feast! It was like eating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner all at once. We were sure we could not eat another bite until the desserts were brought out and we somehow managed to squeeze in a little bit more.

The people watching outside of the large church in the town square before Christmas was very amusing. Observing the hustle and bustle of last minute shoppers made us happily realize that our cultures share an innate human characteristic - procrastination.

Baños is set up for adventure tourism - there were bikes and ATVs for rent on every corner. We opted for the waterfall repelling and were not disappointed. Our adrenaline was pumping hard while we made our way down five different waterfalls, each higher than the last. You can see some of our pictures from that trip here.

The Quilotoa Loop

A couple hours south of Quito a string of indigenous villages make a loop off the Pan American Highway called the Quilotoa Loop. The loop is well known by backpackers but not often traveled due to the poor road and limited buses. It was a hair-raising four-hour bus ride to our destination which included but was not limited to: a drunk who sat opposite us and puked practically in Danielle's lap, a little boy facing us who also puked and then peed his pants, and a woman who held her bag of produce in Danielle's face for a good hour.

Luckily the hotel was well worth the ride (or at least in my opinion, I didn't have a drunk taking pictures of me with his camera phone over and over). The Black Sheep Inn has been recognized internationally for it's environmentally friendly design by a number of magazines and websites including National Geographic and Backpacker. They really don't let anything go to waste including human waste (it's used as fertilizer). Danielle was really really excited about the plethora of animals on the property: cats, dogs, llamas, pigs, donkeys, chickens, cows and of course sheep, including two black ones.

During our stay we went on multiple hikes in the mountains and nearby villages, went horseback riding to a cloud forest, and worked out in their unique gymnasium.

We also got to play disc golf on their nine hole self proclaimed 'Highest Course in the World' with one of the local boys.

Our great stay was made even better when we learned we would not have to take a bus back to the highway since another person staying at the Inn opted for a taxi and let us ride along.

Birding in Ecuador

Our travels continued into the cloud forest located in Mindo, Ecuador to participate in one of the most physically demanding sports known to man - birding. To fully enjoy the sport one must hire a guide and lucky for us our hostel was run by the top rated guide in town. During our six hour excursion we saw over 50 species of birds including two different species of toucans, multiple woodpeckers and tanagers, tons of hummingbirds and even a rare fruiteater.

After such an exhausting sport it was time for a little reward, and what better a reward than chocolate! A German man in the town runs a small business making high quality chocolate. We had the opportunity to tour his farm and learn about all of the different processing steps involved from bean to brownie. It was a great day.

Christmas Eve Fun in Ecuador

Well, this will be a Christmas Eve we won't forget. We spent the morning repelling down five waterfalls in Baños, Ecuador. Great fun to be had by all! Videos and more photos to come. Merry Christmas to all!
Z&D

Quito, Ecuador

We were finally able to check a box off the life list: getting to see toilet water flush backwards! Our first destination south of the equator was the capital city of Ecuador, Quito. We stayed in a hostel in Old Town surrounded by grand churches dating back to the 16th century. We awoke each morning to a lively market out our window with vendors selling flowers, fruits, bakery and breakfast.

Since Quito is located in a valley in the Andes Mountains the layout is rather unique. The city is only a couple of miles wide but stretches north and south over 30 miles. Mountain peaks as high as 15,000 feet tower over the buildings making the city of 2.6 million people look small. The streets are narrow and steep but that doesn't stop the indigenous women from setting up make-shift markets on the sidewalks to sell fruit and handmade crafts. You know those cities you always see pictures of in travel magazines where all of the colorful houses are crammed together on a hillside? Quito is one of those cities.