What we did in Cuenca

We checked out of Banos the night before using a credit card for the first time (5% up charge); we wanted to preserve our cash. Having cash, and especially smaller bills is always an issue. We left early in the morning, walked to the bus station; We like to leave early because there is little traffic when wheeling the bags. We paid a little more to get an express bus; no roadside stops but direct to Cuenca.  Between the constant stops, food peddlers and excess exhaust, we are fed up with Ecuador buses and wanted an easy 4 hour trip.  However, after about 2 hours the main road was closed and the driver had to back up and try different roads through small farm towns.  But as would be expected we ran into a dead end. Our driver was skilled; he turned our large bus around by Y-turn in the tiny front yards of 2 peasant home. He didn’t kill one chicken or dog, but he sure entertained the neighbors who stopped their chores to watch. We actually clapped when he was done.

The Bus Station were I almost lost Frank

At one point, the bus stopped at a small depot for a quick break, Frank exited the bus for a comfort break and to buy some soda (at my request).  After a few minutes, the bus started to pull out of the station, without Frank or a French man sitting by us.  Frantic the Frenchman's son and I got into a very heated argument not to leave, the boy actually was straddling the bus steps and the sidewalk trying to keep the bus from moving.  The Frenchman came back first and upon realizing Frank was nowhere to be found, ran back into the station to find him.  I am sure he would be at that station, no money, passport or wife if that Frenchman did not help.

I was running toward the bus at the same time I saw the Frenchman. He motioned "common on". I was trying to buy two cokes, but this little old sales lady would not let me take the bottles--again i was faced with a person that poured the coke into 2 plastic bags and tied a straw into the bag. Tic-Tic, Tic-Toc. I was breathing hard and felt stressed out as I jumped on the bus.   

Finally, we arrived in Cuenca at dusk after 8 hours; these delays we have found are common. We hailed a taxi for a drive to “Cuenca Rooms”. I became a little jittery when the taxi guy didn’t know where it was and had to call dispatch. We drove far from the bus station and I said to Janet: “Maybe we need a place with an actual name”.  In any event, we drove into the university district and once we walked in our proprietor Juan, greeted us. We met his wife Gabrielle the next morning. This place was clearly the best place we had stayed, having very modern fixtures and a European nature. We sighed with relief. 

Between discussions with our host and trip advisor we successfully found a nice small bar on the river that advertised full coverage for all US football, so off we went on time for the MSU/Notre Dame Saturday night game.  US television is a problem in South America, most networks and Amazon Prime is blocked.  The owner of this bar was an American and he streamed all football games through a purchased web-site. It was great to see the game, but NCAA football clearly is not a draw in Ecuador, we were the only people in the bar for most of the game, the bar staff, mostly Ecuadorians did think we were funny when we jumped to cheer the goals and the ultimate MSU victory.  The bar owner invited us back on Sunday for all day streaming of NFL Red Zone, assuring us that he gets a big crowd for the pro games, but we declined in favor of visiting our new destination.

One of our plans is to tour the larger cities using free walking tours so on our first day in Cuenca we found a tour starting in the main square, as most of them do.  This tour was small, just 4 of us total and our local guide who spoke very good English.  The tour was great, we had a great overview of the city including a trip to the local market with food samples, see Frank below with our samples, a trip to the Panama Hat Factory and a small INCA ruin right in the city. 

Our second day in Cuenca began with big plans to visit our first large INCA ruin, on our own without a tour guide.  Prior to leaving Janet had thoroughly researched how to take the local bus, where the site was and how to get an English speaking guide at the site.   By doing this on our own we expected the total cost would be $25, verses the $100 per person the tour companies charge. 

So off we went in a taxi to the bus station, just a little late for the 9:00 am direct route bus.  We have already mentioned that our Spanish is bad which is really bad when you are in a hurry. 

At the bus station we went to the information booth to inquire what bus company to buy the tickets, after some searching we managed to find the office, used google translate to purchase the ticket, wait for the attendant to find change for our $20 bill and she directed us, we thought, to where to go, with 10 minutes to spare.  As we tried to enter the bus loading area we were stopped at a metal turnstile with an attendant that waived us away, we thought upstairs? so now we start running, from one end of the station to the other, I am sure we were a funny site, this station only had local people and here Frank and I are running back and forth trying to figure out how to get to the bus.  The issue was the turnstile, you have to put in a dime to get through, that was all we had to do, add one measly dime.  So once we paid we go to our bus dock at 8:59 and, no buss, already gone, too bad, they all leave EARLY in Ecuador. After some loud discussions, hand jesters and pointing at our watch, we got a refund for the fare and were directed to take the “transfer bus” to a secondary town where we could change to the bus that takes us to the site.  Long story, but we did make it and this bus was truly a "chicken" bus, old, windows too dirty to see out of, twice the amount of black smoke.  On the upside the people on the bus, all locals, were great, giving us instructions at each stop, how long we had to go, and after TWO hours we made it to the ruin, just in time for a major downpour!  But I try to always be prepared so we took out our rain coats and pants and requested our tour guild, The attendant looked very surprised that we wanted to proceed, but after a small wait a tour guide with very good English showed up and we got a private 45-minute tour, in the rain.  It was great, just like football games.  We showed up 45 minutes early for the direct bus and had no issues finding our way home.  Dinner was very good burgers and fries, after an 8 hour outing Frank pronounced he needed comfort food.

Lunch at the local market

On our last day in Cuenca, we took it easy, one museum visit and back to the local market for a traditional lunch.  Lunch was very good, but did not sit well on our tummies and we had our first issues with food, not great for the next day of full bus travel.

Overall Cuenca was a great city, a nice mixture of INCA, Spanish and European.  We felt very safe walking at night and our B&B was the best stay so far.

What we did in Banos

Banos (pop. 15000); is a very popular tourist destination. Some of our traveling friends thought it too touristy, but I liked the town. We woke up in Mindo at 5:00 am to catch the earliest bus. We walked a few blocks to the station by 6:00 am, bought our tickets, had coffee at the only open restaurant in town at that hour, and loaded up prior to the 6:30 departure. Buses are always on time here. The attendant reminded us to keep our backpacks close, with bigger luggage placed in under storage.  We met a nice French couple. Typically, we found that even the bus stations do not have change for larger bills, i.e. $20’s, and this was the dilemma this couple faced. She asked “Polle vue Francais”, I said “No”, I can’t even spell that phrase. We suggested she go to the same coffee shop which she did not know was open. She knew English and got her change and later she and her fiancé’ became friendly, helpful, and traveling companions. She spoke Spanish too.

We left Mindo in a nice travel bus; again no chickens, but had to transfer buses once we returned to Quito’s Ofelia Depot in order to get to the real big bus terminal in Quemba, in city south. This is where the fun began. Janet offered/suggested we share a taxi. They said OK, but seemed hesitant and hinted to taking a connecting local bus. I picked up on the que and we agreed—we would take the bus for $25 cents per person.   Trying to get on board a local bus and get a  narrow seat with our suitcases and backpack is crazy; no room to maneuver. The French girl chuckled: “ You want me to take your picture”? I agreed this was comical. See pictures above.  A little later the bus cleared and I stood up conversing with the guy, It turns out The airline lost the girl’s luggage, forcing her to buy piece meal items. After 5 days, they were exasperated since they were carrying very expensive mountaining equipment. I think they wanted to conserve money in case they had to replace more equipment. We hope it works out for them. We got to Quemba station and parted company—yet another great experience with fellow travelers.

Janet and I got on the bus to Banos. It left right on time for our 2 ½ hour trip. This is not a city bus, but it can be described as local. We stop at various ”Parada” for extra passengers and often uniformed school age children.  This is common everywhere. All these buses also allow vendors on the bus for 5 minutes to sell food and drink; vendors get on at one stop and get off at the next several stops—and I guess they walk back or cross the street for the opposite direction bus. Janet has noted: “Thisreally the ultimate fast food industry supply chain. Food, food, food is always at hand and available in buses and on every street corner. I want to make it clear that the vendors are not in your face or harassing—these are sellers. A simple “no” or wave off, or ignore, will do nicely. Of course if you want something, it is a handy system. On the buses they sell mostly cookies, but on the streets I’ve observed that you get small amounts of fish, pork, beef, chicken, or Guinee pigs, mixed with vegetables and rice or bananas. This seems from my limited experience to be a vegetarian friendly society. 

We arrived at Banos. Took a quick walk to the phone store to get new sim card and minutes; now we can call within Ecuador. Then went to the Farmacia for “stamps” and on a short walk toCasa La Real. This is a nice town. If “touristy” means very little graffiti and many restaurant, bars, and adventure outfitters, then I’m all for it. The Casa La Real Hostel is built in the traditional Ecuador style. It is a little tired in its décor, but the view from our balcony is worth a million. We see a large green mountain face in close proximity with a lengthy waterfall flowing from the peak down to street level. It is lite up for evening viewing.  Our proprietor and assistant are very attentive, make wonderful “North Americano” breakfasts, with eggs, toast, fresh squeezed juices, and strong Ecuadorian coffee --with or without la leche. I knew I really liked the place, despite décor, when I put my face in the pillow and it smelled of fresh laundry. 

 

Up early in the morning we toured the town and visited a really nice local church, then we were off for our first bike ride.  The plan was to rent bikes and ride to see 5 waterfalls, then take the bus back, total trip is 17 km.  It really felt good to be back on bikes and out of the stinky buses.  But at 10 km, as I was peddling behind Frank I could see the chain dangling.  Darn, after several inspections it was clear that the chain was bent and our peddling was over.  We took the local bus back to the town and bike shop and opted to scrap the bike trip and back to the bus!!  While we waited for the local tourist bus, we wandered into a small café for lunch and had our best meal yet, our first empanadas.  After ordering we watched our young hostess make them from scratch starting with rolling the dough, they were pure heaven and was just what we needed after the bike meltdown.

Even in a bus the waterfalls were outstanding, we were the only non-Spanish speakers on the bus and the guide spoke no English but the beauty did not need any explaination. We also we took a 4 person gondola zip-line across the wide ravine of the river. What was most amazing was the stop at a park where we walked down a bazillion stone steps, crossed several rope bridges, and reached the bottom and went behind the most magnificent waterfall—much larger than any we had approached before.  Of course, we made some friends. Three Ecuadorians, one who had studied in the US, where on the trip. When they wanted to zip line they asked us to watch their belongings. I felt good about that.

Casa La Real is near 2 of the 3 hot spring bath houses, so after our long day we opted to give it a go.  You wear a swim suit and must rent a shower cap (unless you carry one around). We changed and then walked into a large pool which was heated by the springs. Several local women complained to the attendant that the water was too frio—turn up the heat—(open the valves) he did so—and we got toasty. While sitting on the pool wall seat in this mineral bath, a young couple wadded passed. Janet heard them speak English and asked if they were Americano. “No, I’m Australian” he responded; “no, I’m Canadian” she said. Again we chatted it up—such nice young people. They were riding horses up the mountain trails to the waterfalls. Stereo typically, I asked if she was from Calgary. “No, I’m from Ontario, but I love horses and ride a lot”. The Australian man, ruggedly handsome,  had sought to study Urban Planning, but was a little disheartened by the engineering side and perspective at the school he attended. This gave rise to an easy opportunity to talk about my oldest son who when applying for his Master degree in UP, wrote a creative essay about how his travels around the world had given him a fresh perspective about city solutions. Maybe the young man could pursue the same coarse. We said good bye and went on to the little hot tub pool which was boiling hot.  Ouch, but I did submerge to my shoulders for a few seconds, then out to shower and off to dinner. 

We got back to town to rest, recuperate, and to find a dinner restaurant.

Our preferred restaurant was booked, so we tried a nearby establishment that looked nice from the outside and advertised that it was run by a Danish/Ecuadorian couple. We were served by the wife who also was from San Francisco. I found out real fast that she did not care for Mrs. Hood. I thought they may have had something in common, but no. We should have left then, but it was dark and we were tired. She was trying to upsell us and the meal was edible but overpriced. She was not in a good mood and she was also angry about American politics.

This is the deal—you may like it or not—the Danish gal, the Quito proprietor, the butterfly lady, and the Casa La Real proprietor, are concerned about Trump and his possible future relationship with South America. The Danish gal was downright belligerent @ Trump. But, no one really speaks about Hillary, either. Some may watch the debates.

The next day we went to the Swing Park, where one of the main attractions is to swing out over the cliff. It was fun. There were other amusements like small zip-lines. It reminded me of a dating location; lots of young couples and families having fun.

We ate an unusual lunch. White corn on the cob with large kernels with a slice of rich white cheese and a fried Banana cut lengthwise  sprinkled with crumbled cheese.   We thought we were ordering hot chocolate, but enjoyed the meal anyways. . Now we were fueled and ready to complete our planned walking trek back to Banos. We had a map.

The original route is on the left, a direct path from the cross, we ended up across the mountain and down the steep trail

 

After verifying our route, heads up, we started walking the paved road on which we had arrived.  We trekked by many farmhouses, chicken coups, and a curious dog here and there. We walked 2 miles and luckily Janet saw a hidden sign (covered by sugar cane plants) that directed us to the landmark church. We walked passed the church, found a narrow dirt road and a sign for Banos. All is good. We are moving pretty fast now and make it to the crest of the mountain overlooking the city.  Our Hostel is to the far right; the path is to the right. As we descend a female hiker, German, passes us going up the path. I ask for verification of the route to Banos. “Yeh, Yeh, just go down the steps and someone will direct you.” We came out of the woods and saw actual steps, but to the left, we expected a switch back. A nearby house did not have an evident path to the right. We went left—down the stairs, but the path started to ascend. Frank wanted to go back to the house, but Janet convinced him a switch back was coming. We kept going and the path got steeper. Looking at our map we realized we had crossed over to a more challenging trek—rated quite hard. But what the heck, we had our poles, it was still light, and our pace was controlled. As we walked we moved to the far end of the city opposite to our hostel. Finally, we saw a trail marker! Hooray! But after an hour passed the clouds were rolling in and dusk was falling. We then met a EC man, a student I think, who was coming up from Banos. He says “Poco Tiempa”, which I interpret as take a slow pace on this steep path. We kept pushing.  I felt my first “hot spot” on the sole of my foot, tightened my laces, and sipped some water.

 Switchback-- switch back-- switch back. We make it to the far end of town. It must have been a 10-mile trek. Our legs were tired but not stressed out. We felt exhilarated and kind of proud to finish (sweaty and dirty too). See the map of our trek.  We treated ourselves to a wonderful Tapas dinner—nice wine. The owner was from Spain so we talked about our visit to Barcelona and Seville. It was a good experience and our best dinner to date. Next we are off to Cuenca.

 

Time to go again, Banos was great, but once again, an early morning, back to the bus station and we are now off to Cuenca

What we did in Mindo

Our trip to Mindo started out with a 2 hour bus ride up and down the hills and around the curves at top speed, I have never liked roller coasters, but now think I am ready to tackle Cedar Point.  We stayed at a cabin type hostel, Casa La Cecelia.  Our first room offered was small without a bathroom, the shared bathroom had a concrete floor and a single hanging light bulb, I though it was fine, Janet had us move rooms to cabin with a porch, hammock and a private bathroom, $5 more per night, there goes the budget!!   No TV's this time.

Frank on the Bus and the bus station in Quito above and our hostel and arrival in town below

Mindo was a refreshing, no stress, small town. It is located in a cloud forest with hiking that allowed us our first views of 5 waterfalls.

After a good night sleep, we headed out to tackle the waterfalls and the mountains. You need to taxi transport to the launch point. The taxi charges $6, no matter how many people ride.  Our impromptu little group from Casa La Cecelia all crowded into a pickup truck bed and off we went. As I think of our group, I am reminded of what was best of Mindo. Here we renewed acquaintances with our UK friends from Quito. We joked as I told them my eyes started blinking and there they were. We also met an Arizona couple and solo travelers from California, Chile, Germany, Canada, and a kind of perennial traveler (or pot provider) also from Canada. Interestingly most of the solos were young woman seeking adventure. Our conversations with all of them were really friendly and cheerful.

Off the truck to the to the zip-line open cart that fits 4.  ZZZZip---across a wide ravine to a platform---jump off, find the marked trail, and start the trek up and down. Janet and I are prepared with great hiking boots, hats, and walking poles.  I won’t lie, the youngsters sped ahead, -ok-, but we just marched one step at a time up the mountain. We crossed rope bridges and followed our path to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th waterfall. We took many photos to memorialize our “coolness”.  At the 4th stop our group was congregating for a long while; all sitting on large boulders and a massive fallen tree that crossed the river. Most of the group decided to stop here to avoid the inevitable drenching you would get trying to maintain your balance and cross the river on the submerged rocks to reach the pathway to the 5th waterfall. Only the Arizona couple that had already gone swimming took off for the last waterfall; the others left to go back. We loitered for a while, enjoying #4, standing on the tree trunk and then the big rocks where I probed the shore line and submerged rocks with my hiking pole. Janet and I used our poles to keep balance and tippy toed on the tips of the rocks, contorting our bodies and tightening our cores to balance on the rocks. “Kerplunk”-- No, we got wet anyway, but not until the last few steps when we got too excited and too impatient.  The 5th fall was not as inspiring as the 4th, but the challenge was accomplished—great! The return made us feel more fantastic about our stamina and training (for me also having inhalers). We again jointly acknowledged our trainers at our home town recreation center who pushed us so hard and also were glad we hiked the “Smokies” with our friends from home before our trip for the warm up (break in those boots).

ZZZZipp—headed back to Casa La Cecelia. We shared a panel truck with 3 young men from Slovak. Janet sat in the cab, but I sat in the truck bed with these guys who were very friendly and spoke English well too. They were pleased that Janet and I may be traveling to their country (probably not) and offered some tips.

 

We returned to our lovely cabin bungalow, relaxing on the patio, listening to the running Mindo river. I jumped into the hammock and breathed in the fresh air. It is nice to be away from the roads and all the exhaust fumes.  We did kick on the computer and our portable UE speaker to listen to our large music library.  We have been doing that a lot now, listening to music or using this speaker for good sound when watching Netflix.

Now it was dinner time in little downtown Mindo.

We have been splitting meals and are fine. This night we ordered “Churaccas”. Reading the description, we thought we were just getting soup with meat—once finished we were full--, but that was a 1st course. The waitress brings 2 giant plates of beans, rice, fish, and veggie relish.  Our eyes widened and we started to chuckle. Thankfully, the waitress had doggy boxes.

After a large bowl of soup complete with a Chicken leg in it, we were served each this plate, all for $3.50 each

On Wednesday we decompressed. The day started lazy. We then went for another hike to the “Mariposa”—a butterfly house. This was a sophisticated place with a motel. We like butterflies— but the most fun was conversing with the lovely proprietor, clearly educated, a woman who spoke impeccable English—which we found was hard to find in Quito and Mindo.

We talked a little world politics, about her tourist industry, and about the oil industry that permeates the culture and brings so much money into the country, except that now oil prices are done. 

Walking home, we were treated to seeing cabelleros riding these beautiful stallions passed us as we walked the road; one displayed special trotting steps, the other was at full gallop—very impressive.

We finished our final day with a bite to eat at a Mindo diner that bit the big one. I mean when the proprietor fails to bring you the beer that you craved, nor brings the fruit drink with the meal for Janet, nor the bottled water you ordered—you have an unsatisfying dining experience. This was so unusual that it stuck in our minds. We wanted to leave and Janet asked for a takeout cup. Instead she received a knotted plastic bag. Funny, but sad!  

Our shared meal for $7 without Frank's beer

After the meal we finally got the juice, when we ask for it to go, this is how it was provided

 

Back to the bungalow to pack for Banos. It gets really dark, very early, in Ecuador, so we wore our head lamps. Glad I actually used it so as not to complain about the added weight.       

What we did in Quito

In Old Town Quito every street is a hill

 

Our plan for our first day of our around the world trip was to take it easy, get use to the altitude and settle into our new life, so we opted for a 3-hour walking tour, up and down the hills and stairs and more stairs.  What a beginning.  Our guide was good, a local person who told us that Quito is centered around 4 cathedrals as a square.  Upon further investigation, it is really more linear.  Our guild planned on 2 visits inside of the cathedral of San Francisco and the Basilica.  The cathedral was closed and the Basilica had a special ceremony for the policy of Quito, we could not enter either church.   We did have an opportunity to experience the old town.  

Everywhere we went people were offering to sell us something, either on the street or in narrow store fronts about the size of our storage unit back home. Not harassingly, but calling out to the locals as well. This is how commerce works at the neighborhood level. It was a little shocking to our senses as to how different this city is from back home. 

After our tour we returned to our hotel for a 3-hour nap! 

A view from old town

An inside square in Old Town

The local inside market

The police at the Bascilia

 

Our first meal in Quito ended up Pizza, we were too tired to walk any any farther

After our long nap we had a great chat with other travelers in our hostel and then went out for dinner, can you believe it, pizza from an American owned pizza joint.  We were back in bed by 9 and out in solid sleep until 8 the next morning.

Day Two in Quito

Even with our Duo-lingo and Google translate apps we wanted to get a more basic grammatical understanding of the Spanish language.  So we ask our hostel proprietor if he could arrange a private language lesson for us.  So we started day two with Senora Rachell. We worked threw her lesson forbidden to speak English and reviewed:  articulos + substontiros + adjetivos, both in plural and gender specific formats. We enjoyed the class and felt that our ear for the language and translations would be better.   

Out the door by noon and off to our busiest day. We wanted to oversee the entire area. So we traveled to the Telefriqo, a gondola lift that took us to the top of one of the mountains surrounding Quito. Here was our first trail hiking day, aiming toward the tip reaching 4,000 km. We photographed some beautiful sights, where sunlight and clouds, mountains and populated valleys meet. Janet had a particular spectacular panaramic shot we will share. We marched to the second plateau and felt complete.  Maybe to the top in a future life.

Down the mountain, found a taxi, and back to the center of Old Town. The city is all hustle and bustle. Children in school uniforms being hurried along by their mothers for morning classes. It seemed like there was a split shift for schooling; may have been pre and post siesta scheduling. Traffic is rather crazy, but actually respectful to pedestrians. Small stick shifts autos-which they love-zoom about these narrow, inclined, medieval streets. We would freak out riding the clutch all the time—we know, as we owned a 5 speed Fiat. The buses whip around corners almost like sports cars too. Only the motorcyclists can squeeze through tight spaces and straddle the lanes. Walking is sometimes a challenge due to the hills of the city, and more significantly, our lack of acclimation to the altitude here. Typically, we walk until we get winded, stop, let our heart rate adjust, then move on. I thought we did really well, although I admit to that long afternoon nap.

Our next goal was to travel back to several religious sites: De La Basilica and Iglesia La Compania De Jesus . The Basilica is immense, easily seen from almost anywhere in Quito with its massive towers. The exterior is much like Notre Dame in Paris or West Minster Abbey in London. That is where the comparison ends. The interior is cavernous, but there is no elegance and limited decoration. Most side alters are empty. This was surprising, if not disappointing.

The Iglesia La Compania De Jesus, on the other hand, is the most amazing cathedral; many say the most important church in all of South America. The entire interior is covered with gold leaf and shimmers and shines from front to back. The sculptures and paintings at the main alter and side alters are exquisite. Personally, we thought Iglesia La Compania De Jesus rivaled any cathedral in Rome that we have seen, save St. Peters Cathedral at the Vatican. No photos were allowed, but we have reproduced the ticket to give you a taste. We concluded by walking to the Monasterio of San Francisco, which is the oldest church in Quito and gained additional importance as the site where current Pope Francis had visited. It was a lovely cathedral, but the memorable part was the little old man that was free lancing as a secret tour guide, taking us around and whispering during evening pray. I enjoyed him more than Janet, but he did declined my $1.00 offer and requested at least $2—“for the church”. I gave it to him because—you know he had lived in Michigan once he said? - see our post on the Folktale about the building of this cathedral.

At that point it was getting late, close to dusk, and we wanted to get to our hostel which was reasonably close. But Janet wanted to use the kitchen and cook dinner with or without my help. So we stopped at a local shop near our hostel to purchase pasta, tomato sauce, rolls, and vegetables. I already admitted the pricing gives me trouble, so I’m fumbling around in my pocket for the right bills and then pay the man.  As we turn to leave the man comes out from behind the counter, gets my attention, and points to the $20 bill I dropped on his floor. I say “grasias”,but then a women , his wife I think, says back “mucho grasias”.  I agree “mucho grasias”, chuckle, smile and wave goodbye. I felt really good about that exchange and the honesty, even though Janet poked me in the ribs.  

In the small kitchen, Janet put together our very first home cooked meal on this trip. It was a very nice meal. I helped too. After cleanup, it was straight to bed so we would be prepared for our next day of adventure

Day 3 in Quito

After a nice breakfast and some great conversations with the other travelers at our hostel we set out to see Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Spanish: Middle of the World City).  This is a monument at the equator.  We used the local public transportation, this involved going to the local bus stop and paying 25 cents to get to a bus terminal and transferring to a bus to for a 30-minute ride to the site.  Thankfully, we met a nice Australian women traveling the world solo and we teamed up together to navigate this process.   

The site is very nice, the monument was large with a museum and hands on science lab inside.  We had a good time jumping back and forth from the northern and western hemisphere.  After lunch, made by Janet with food we had packed, we were back to a very crowded public bus back to the terminal.  At the terminal we made a decision to take a taxi to see the La Virgen de Quito – also known as the winged virgin of Quito.  This site is at the opposite end of Quito, a city of 45 KM, or 27.96 miles.  After finding a taxi we tried to explain what we wanted, he clearly thought we were crazy and after several attempts told us it would be $15.  By American standards this was a deal.  Our ride was close to an hour, up and down the hills, through rush hour traffic and we made it to the top of another mountain before the sunset.  She was really worth the it.  What a great site, see our photos below.  We are movie buffs and this was in the final scene of the movie Proof of Life. 

Getting back to our hostel proved to be our next challenge, no taxi stand at the virgin.  So we opted for another bus with assurance from the attendant that this bus would take us back to our old town -the Historical area.  Soon we realized we were not going done to the lower historic area, but whizzing by on an outer circle freeway.  In a panic the bus stopped for us and let us off on the side of the freeway IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.  So we did not panic (Janet now says she did sort of) and we started walking toward a busy street.  Very soon we found a taxi and with the help of google translate got back to the hostel safe and sound. 

As we approached our hostel the bells rang for Saturday night mass at the local church we have talked about. We made a quick decision to go to mass, an experience in Spanish which we shared with a total of 10 other people, not so very different and still a comfort to us after a long day.  We ended with a quick easy dinner and bed, the next morning it was time to say goodbye to Quito, on to Mindo.

 

 

 

This is our bus station to Mindo and Frank on the Bus

Frank says: 9/8/16

Quito Ecuador.  Awoke early, measured light coming through the thin curtain. Quiet. The room was freshly painted white with a yellow accent wall. Simple furniture; minor cultural touches. I got up and looked out the window facing the local street running between “CarpeDM Hostel” and the church I mentioned. Across the street on the third floor balcony of a rustic “Spanish-like” structure with short cement pillars, stood an elderly woman with an apron, who was watering her flowers in the morning light. It was a captivating scene. It could have been of any age. I felt like this was my first exposure to the beauty of Ecuador. I would look out each morning with camera in hand to take her photo—no luck.

After dressing we went to the third floor of the hostel to the small 3 table kitchen area—The length of the room had wall to wall windows. OMG—"La Virgen de El Panecillo" directly ahead of us on the elevated hill overlooking “Old Town”, the historic district of Quito which is in the valley where we were located. This was the second breathtaking view of this country I had in a matter of minutes, especially seeing in the light for the first time the thousands of multi-colored homes and buildings crammed together in all directions. I sat at the window seat to savor the view while at breakfast.

Breakfast was good: fresh, strong Ecuadorian coffee & free breakfast. A cook offered eggs any style. You could have fruits, juices, bread, and yogurt. All had to help out and wash their own dishes. Team work each morning. Good to note that bottled water was available always.

The proprietor of CarpeDM Hostel was an outstanding gentleman. The facilities are top-notch and newer for this area. As well as being informative, he communicated in a calm and friendly manner that relieved the anxiety of our transports and day-trips. I found out later that he also runs CarpeDM Adventures which is discussed in Lonely Planet.  

According to Paul, the proprietor, our airport driver an older man owning the large van was actually an owner /general contractor to build our CarpeDM Hostel. The building was started after the ancient façade of an old structure owned by that neighborhood church collapsed. No building while the façade existed. It was supported by wood stations, but one night the stations mysteriously fell, the façade collapsed and cleanup and construction began.  

On our second day, the breakfast room was packed. We sat with a couple from Wimbledon, UK.  Very friendly. We talked tennis, of course, as the US Open was in full swing. We would leave them only to reconnect in Mindo, the antithesis of Quito.

 

When we checked out, our proprietor actually walked with us to the taxi stand where his driver was present, joking with us about some imaginary route to our next stop. Thank you.

 

9/7/2016 Frank Says

look at all this stuff Frank is taking

 

Franks packed rolling and carry on backpacks ready to go

 

I packed with the continuous challenge of competing with Janet on the weight issue. I was very organized and had laid out my stuff 2 weeks in advance (didn’t take the globe—nice touch for the photo I thought). Then I crushed and rolled and crushed and cubed my stuff. Now into the hybrid backpack suitcase-- only 1 oz. heavier than Janet’s pack. I felt vindicated. But still we both had to pack our electronics into the day packs. At the airport we both weighed in at 40 lbs. I felt reasonably happy even though we missed our target of 30-35lbs; Might be discarding some used clothes quickly.

Janet's rolling backpack weight at airport

 

I agree with Janet-- pre-launch is crazy. Always something to do or finish. Thanks to REO-Novi and John O. for bringing my client’s home to closing.  I think my final, early morning memo about the IRS lien and other final issues covered the bases. Remember the commission check goes to that Chicago address.

 

Bye Mom and kids. Saw Mom in the morning. Her home was the pickup point for the airport. Thanks Kathleen. The flight was uneventful. All announcements were spoken in English and Spanish. You were offered way too much food. I don’t remember that on domestic flights.

Goodbye breakfast with Frank's mom

Pre-flight was slightly different. Set off the buzzer 4 times in screening. Kept on disrobing one extra item at a time. They said you could keep your shoes on for cripe sakes. Not enough—I joyfully requested a private screening once asked to submit to one by the ATA guys. Into the booth for a frontal and back pat down. I haven’t said “yes sir” to anyone as much as that since day my dad found the ½ gallon whiskey bottle was filled with water. Come to think of it--No that’s not accurate, there was that back room inspection and suit case search at London Heaththrow Airport.  Trench coats were not a good look for me—but it does rain in the UK. Our ATA guys were professional and actually pretty nice—no joking though. Free at last. Janet had a frown.

At the airport with chauffer Kathleen

 

We landed late and made it to our hotel at 2:30 EST. After landing we went through immigration. We stood with a young lady doctor who studied in Ohio, but now lived in Florida, that was on second medical mission to the indigent tribes in the jungles; another 4-hour drive for her after being picked up by other missionaries. She was very nice and offered suggestions. The conversation made the wait go faster and lessened some anxiety. We got picked up by a nice man in a very large passenger van. We tried to be friendly but spoke different languages.

The extent of the city lights at night is impressive. The freeways are new, smooth, with many overpasses leading to the Pan American expressway. 35 miles from the airport, we arrived in “Old Town” Quito where our hotel is located. We are right next to a large church. Made me feel pretty good. 2:30 am. Our driver had to wake the proprietor. He took us directly to our room—no official check-in now. CRASHED! See you in the morning.

 

9/6/2016 – Janet Says

Day of departure, on the plane. Perhaps the reason most global vagabonders are young, and just out of college is because taking a trip for a year when you have a career, house, kids parents and on and on, is just too darn much work. 

My last day of work was just 5 days ago and Franks last day of work?  He was sending emails early this morning.  Over this last week we finished shopping, completed our financial arrangements, moved more stuff into the storage unit, had lots of goodbyes, went to Chicago to drop a car with our son, and managed to see one last Spartan Football Game.  Did we mention that we are “Bleed Green” people?  to sum up the last 10 days:

The Funny and Good

Throwing away my purse, so long Michael Kors

Not having to deal with ATT for a YEAR

Our last trip to our Financial planner, alas, we made our saving goal, Thanks to Joe at Fidelity, you are the best

Driving for the last time for a year, I hope, get me to my bus quick

Dinners out with friends to say goodbye, wow this was great, we will miss you all

The Bad and Ugly

My backpacks – I am over my weight –UGH40 pounds, I see some serious repacking and shipping in my future

ATT – 8+ hours over the last month reviewing how to unlock my phone and cancel my account with various agents, then on departure date, being hit with a last minute charge of $155

Our last drive from Detroit to Chicago, so hard to say goodbye, in one of the kid’s college cars. Our last dinner with our older sonNow the budget worries start, I have the plan, I have the app (trail wallet) and I have Frank, mister happy go lucky spender.  He loves his art!

The friends we did not see, we just ran out of time, we love you guys too.  

The extra last minute weight gain from all these dinners!!

Then there is saying good bye to my kids…. Will have to cover that in a different blog….to hard today.