Left the coast this morning. Not sure how many beaches we checked out. Mauricio has been to at least 6 new places that he never heard of. Some very cool spots. I visited 4 different provinces for a total of 6 so far. Took a boat 20 miles off the coast to Isla de la Plata. The island is a national park. Hiked the trails the went snorkeling with manta rays, sea turtles, and all kinds of tropical fish. Saw lots of humpback whales all day.
This morning planning the trip back to Quito I picked a different route than was planned. Even Mauricio laughed half way through and said it was a great route. I saw some beautiful places early on that I want to get more information on but the places this afternoon were freaking amazing. Drove through the clouds into the sunshine simply breathtaking. Had a late lunch of grilled trout and potato soup in a small village at around 10,000ft. I booked a place to stay at the end of the road in a place called Chugchilan. It’s a touch chilly. The indigenous people have been wonderful and are more bundled up than me. I could spend a month just here fishing and hiking even though breathing is a chore. This is the Ecuador I really wanted to see.
Heading to Tambuco tomorrow to stay at Elena’s family B&B. It’s like a half hour or so out of Quito. I’m meeting Jonathan in the afternoon and he said he would drop me off. He said the road is not even marked and a driver would never find it. I think he’s joking but you never know. If so my kind of place.
So I haven’t been where I can upload any pictures and have no idea when I will be around a good Wi-Fi area. Maybe in Tambuco but I am not expecting it, if so I’ll do an update while I still remember where I was. Leaving for the Galapagos on Monday so after tomorrow I will be pretty much off the grid for almost two weeks. Yahoo!
Ya’all take care now ya hear!