(Divided into two parts.... as I'm covering almost a month here!)
Sitting in the warm, sulfury public baths of Baños a few days ago, laughing, joking, and chatting with some locals, an old man from the mountains outside town reminded me of something profoundly remarkable about Ecuador; what I consider to be this country's greatest gift. Discussing the myriad of sights, sounds and smells, he told me that in one day.... wait, more like a half-day... one could drive from the very coast of Ecuador, amid blue-footed boobies, brightly-painted fishing boats and coastal cool, up into the heights of the Andes, flush with Inka descendants, woman and men wearing what some call 'traditional' clothing, and cuy (guinea pig), through to the Amazon basin, the lungs of the earth. Ecuador represents the most naturally, culturally and economically diverse place I've ever seen. And in my time here, I've seen a wide spectrum of this diversity, but by no means a thorough or exhaustive one. All the same, this country has captured my heart and imagination, and I found myself making plans to return, maybe next time for quite a while. Let me tell you about it.
First, the basics about Ecuador. Yes it's on the Ecuator (in fact, I'll be going to el mitdad del mundo tomorrow!). No, toilets and sinks do not flush in reverse. And yes... you actually do weigh less at the Ecuator. But not by much.
Ecuador is one of the smaller nations of South America. Despite this, it has the heighest population density and greatest biological diversity on the continent. If one includes the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador deserves the title of 'biodiversity hotspot'. Over 1600 bird species, 6000 species of butterfly, 106 species of reptile, 138 species of amphibian, and over 16,000 plant species. One park in the south claims to hold over 4,000 species of Orchid, many of which remain unknown to science. For geography, the three continental ecosystems (coast, mountains, and jungle) provide for endless adventure, especially in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Cotopaxi, one of the world's highest active volcanoes, puffs away just south of Quito, while the peak of Mount Chimborazo (6300 m) is actually the highest place from the center of the earth, due to the ecuatorial buldge. Many more active volcanoes string up the Ecuadorian Andes, including Tungurahua, near Baños, which errupted about ten days before I got there, coating the city in ash. The climate is really varied: it's actually kinda cold at night in Quito right now, while I could have easily been out all night in shorts and a t-shirt on the coast. That said, one could probably spend a lifetime exploring this country, and find amazing gems at every turn.
Ahhhh, Vilcabamba. One such gem. A town in the south, about 2 hours from the Peruvian border, Vilcabamba is often called the 'valley of longevity', due to the local stories of people attaining incredible age, while maintaining vitality. It's said that people regularly live past 120, with the oldest supposedly-documented person reaching 127. Noone knows exactly what causes this - some say something in the water and the air, others say it's the natural beauty and slow pace of life. The area was also a vacation spot for the Inka nobility, so there might be some shred of truth to the stories. A crystal-clear river runs next to town, beautiful mountains all around provide ample opportunities for hiking, horse-back riding, and cycling, while cerro Mandango keeps watch over the town, with it's unique geological formation.
Whatever it is, the valley is attracting throngs of foreigners: out of a population of 5,000 locals, over 300 gringos have moved to Vilcabamba in the last 10 years. Speaking with Lee, the owner of an amazing bookshop/italian restaurant, and a very talented potter, the valley has changed a lot even in the last three years. Numerous guesthouses and eco-lodges have sprung up, and the town now has a raw food / juice bar, an Indian restaurant, a chocolate and coconut cafe, LOTS of organic food, and a lively community of locals and ex-pat's. May 1st - 15th is the second annual raw food festival, and almost 200 more people were expected to jam pack the hostals and attend an amazing selection of workshops, demos, and general food related things.Sometimes, I could have sworn I was in small-town California... until I heard the ubiquitos reggaeton.
After about 20 minutes in Vilcabamba, the only way I could leave was to tell myself: 'I am SO coming back here!' Because a few days later was the birthday of my friend and long-time travel companion Lydia, who had expressed the desire to have her birthday in Cuenca, third largest city in Ecuador, and one I was actually kinda excited to see.
Now, I'm sure most of you know I'm not a fan of cities. They're big. They smell. They're loud. And generally I get kinda bored in them. Cuenca, however, was something different. Arriving in the evening, I was immediately blown away by the scale of architecture and incredible aesthetics found in the historic center. I could tell there was something there. Originally settled by the Cañari civilization, the conquering Inkas absorbed the city into their expanding empire, renaming it Tomebamba, and building it into a regional capital, with granduer to rival Cusco, the imperial capital. However, by the time the Spanish arrived in the 1550's, Tomebamba was abandoned and destroyed by it's inhabitants, possibly to prevent anything of value from falling into Spanish hands. Due to this history, the city is thought to be a candidate for the mythical golden city of el dorado, so sought after by the conquistadors. The Spanish founded modern Cuenca in 1557, after which time it became an important regional center.
And walking down it's thin, cobble-stone streets, towered over by impressive colonial archetecture, the basilica which defies all sense of perspective, and towering trees in the parque Calderon, it's not hard to see why the city was made a UNESCO world hertitage site in 1999. In the park, locals sat and chatted amid a somewhat odd, yet artistic, photo exhibition of medicine and illness, towered over by the cathedral. Flags lined calle Simon Bolivar, while other parks fetaured busts and sculptures memorializing the chosen heroes of Cuencan and Ecuadorian history. Rivers ran through the city, providing many places to hang out and enjoy the view, while at night, the area around our hostal morphed into a maze of youth flocking to local bars and clubs, amid street vendors and musicians, which made for some interesting people watching. The same night, a band from Guayaquil was playing at the hostal, which was an interesting look into urban youth culture, something I almost never see while travelling.
A few days later, sunglasses and bathing suits in tote, we finally hit the coast. Puerto Lopez really lived up to the hype - a chill, not-really-touristy fishing village on the coast, where one can just chill on the beach, swim, eat really good seafood (ceviche, anyone?), and chill at night-time beachbars pumping reggae. And like most cool places I go, I was there a while. Over a week. During that time, I was on the beach all day, almost everyday. We ate at the local 'whale cafe' most mornings, where the seagulls have the notorious habot ofr strafing the patio, and just about shit on my toast one morning. The town is just north of the major party town of Montañita, and just south of the Machalilla National Park, in which one can enjoy white sand beaches and awesome surf (best left-break on the coast). Also available are tours to Isla de la Plata, which features some of the same wildlife and bio-diversity of the Galapagos Islands, as well as numerous snorkle and boat trips. We booked a snorkle trip mid-week.... and I saw blue-footed boobies! You wouldn't think it would be that exciting to see a bird with blue feet... but they're *really* blue! Like, unnaturally so. There's also a rock that looks like a turtle sunning itself, as well as another reminiscent of a gorilla head (Roca King Kong). At first you don't really see it... until the thick brow jumps out at you.
Given that this was my only experience on the coast on south america, I'm not really able to say much. However, from what I saw from my bus window, from other people's photos, and from hear-say, I'm pretty sure that the beaches of Ecuador are some of the best on the pacific side. A week just wasn't long enough. But it'll have to do. And I think I got some of the tan I was looking for :)
So... here in Quito, three weeks later, it's getting dark, and I'm running up a big internet bill. So, I'm going to finish this tomorrow. Or at least before I leave. My flight is 6:30 AM, this coming Wednesday. Ohhhhhh boy.....
Love y'all, and thanks for being,
Chris / Nagdeo / Gnome
