Spinning through the world
This park is near the southern part of Costa Rica and has extraordinary biodiversity and is along the Pacific Ocean. The tour took us to find wildlife and then have some time to spend on the beach.
The white faced monkeys were pretty photogenic but some were not happy we were there.
After spending a good part of Christmas morning in the airport (Ryan’s flight left 4 hours before mine) and a flight to Costa Rica and drive from San Jose to Quepos, I could relax! The drive was beautiful in Costa Rica.
I am staying in Quepos for a few days to hike Manuel Antonio to find sloths and other wildlife. For the first day, the park is closed so I walked around Quepos and planned other tours for my visit.
I booked a snorkeling tour that started just before lunchtime. It was decent snorkeling in the first spot but the great barrier reef and summer other places I have been had more fish. Of course it was low tide which could make a difference.
Secret Garden is an amazing hostal. We started in the hobbit house which was for a single or family. The food was amazing and there is so much to eat and the views were incredible.
Cotopaxi is in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. It is 5,897 meters (19,347 feet) high, and its almost perfect cone shape at the summit always has snow. The volcano is part of the Cotopaxi National Park. From the hostal, you can see it and two other volcanoes.
Though it is still active, climbing can occur up to the glacier but not to the summit.
Pasachoa is another notable peak near the hostal but with my knee still not at 100%, it was not worth the risk. Ryan went on that hike though.
A paramo is a unique high-altitude ecosystem found in the Andes Mountains, and is found between 3,000 and 4,500 meters (9,800 to 14,800 feet) in elevation. It is alpine tundra. The vegetation is grasses and shrubs that are adapted to the harsh environmental conditions. Temperatures can be cold and the weather changes drastically. The UV radiation here is high. Paramos play a crucial role in regulating water. Paramos support diverse wildlife, including unique bird species and mammals adapted to the challenging mountain environment. The horses and llamas here are wild.
I took a horse back riding tour across the paramo. It was amazing and very beautiful.
The glacier is at an altitude of 5100 m or 16732 ft. It was tough in breathing but not very difficult. The volcanic ash made for summer find descending back down.
Earlier in the week we went to Pichincha which is not far from my house and the city. It is an active volcano but the part that you can climb is not active. We did not climb the whole route but had impressive views of the city.
I’ve been to mindo once but did not do the bird watching tours. Since Ryan was visiting I thought an overnight trip to mindo would let him see a different view of Ecuador. It is literally over the mountain that we were on the day before but takes a few hours to get there. Lower in elevation, it is warmer and more sub tropical. This was also the first time I drove a car in Ecuador. It was a beautiful drive reminding me of western pa country roads but a lot steeper hills.
I have been so excited to share some great Ecuadorian foods with my son.
I have a list of the birds that I saw but have yet to match the names to the pictures. These are just some of the pictures.
The birds we saw:
Mindo–VÃa a las cascadas (Waterfall trail)
dic 20, 2023
6:07 a. m.
Con Desplazamiento
10.81 km
220 minutos
¿Reportaste todas las especies? No
Comentarios:
2 White-necked Jacobin
1 White-whiskered Hermit
1 Violet-tailed Sylph
2 Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
1 Andean Emerald
5 Western Cattle Egret
3 Black Vulture
4 Turkey Vulture
2 Barred Hawk
2 Collared Trogon
3 Rufous Motmot
3 Broad-billed Motmot
3 Red-headed Barbet
7 Crimson-rumped Toucanet
3 Yellow-throated Toucan (Chestnut-mandibled)
3 Choco Toucan
2 Golden-olive Woodpecker
1 Plain-brown Woodcreeper
1 Spotted Woodcreeper
2 Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner
3 Lineated Foliage-gleaner
4 Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner
2 Scaled Fruiteater
2 Cinnamon Becard
1 White-winged Becard
1 One-colored Becard
1 Tawny-breasted Flycatcher
3 Slaty-capped Flycatcher
1 Ornate Flycatcher
2 Yellow Tyrannulet
1 Ashy-headed Tyrannulet
1 Lesser Greenlet
2 Brown-capped Vireo
1 Chivi Vireo
2 Blackburnian Warbler
3 Three-striped Warbler
3 Three-striped Warbler (daedalus)
1 Canada Warbler
3 Slate-throated Redstart
2 White-winged Tanager
3 White-shouldered Tanager
4 Flame-rumped Tanager (Lemon-rumped)
3 Blue-gray Tanager
2 Palm Tanager
2 Flame-faced Tanager
2 Swallow Tanager
2 Guira Tanager
On Sundays, the major street Rio de Amazonas closes one side fire bikes and runners. Or is a great way to get from north to south without having to worry about a lot of traffic. It is closed for about 6 hours. I loved riding towards the historical center as it is so beautiful. Here there are no descriptions, but just pictures.
“Dia de los Difuntos in Ecuador”
In Ecuador, Dia de los Difuntos, or the Day of the Dead, has indigenous roots and Catholic traditions and it’s celebrated on all souls day, November 2nd.
Preparations for Dia de los Difuntos involve crafting colorful altars with photographs, favorite foods, and cherished belongings. The bread, “guaguas de pan” (bread babies) and the drink “colada morada” (purple porridge made with purple corn flour and fruits that is served warm) are symbolic culinary gifts to the departed but are mostly shared as a sense of community.
My school had a 3 day weekend but there were plenty of festivities including observing American Halloween.
It was a pretty fun time learning about the traditions in a new country.
After a day off meeting Pam, a friend of Susan’s and another couple we met, I am really glad that I talked with others about their experience here. Their insights and suggestions is what I was looking for.
I really love this place. It feels like a small town but has so many arts and other activities. It is very walkable and safe. It is definitely a contender for retirement.
We took a city bus tour on the last morning to get a different view of some of the areas. Turi was beautiful with a church on the hill and a view of the whole city.
Other views of the city during the celebration.
In El Calderon park. Many activities and a mini parade.
Since day of the dead is over with and there is no Thanksgiving, I should be allowed to put up Christmas decorations as seen by these stores. Agreed?
I know many more are thinking that it is crazy to live somewhere else in the world but I am really liking it here. It is the time after moving here when the newness wears off and you are wondering what you are doing here, but I don’t feel that way. I really love this place and can see splitting my time between Ecuador and the US.
On the way to visit various towns outside of Cuenca, we stopped at a museum and exhibition of spinning and weaving. The spinning of the yarn uses a drop spindle similar to what I’ve used and seen. They also color the yarns similarly as other places of the world.
The weaving however is much different. They sit on the floor and the work is done with the arms instead of using peddles to tighten the weft threads.
A video of the weaving process here:https://youtu.be/-ZNyT2xPaFQ?si=CI4IjH9d3JiF24i_
Another cute little town but seemed to sell many shoes as witnessed by the number of people in each of the stores. Since my size is hard to find here I didn’t go into the stores.
Chorteleg is a cute little town. It is known for its silver and gold industry especially filigree designs. Of course I bought some jewelry.
On the way back to Cuenca we stopped at San Fransisco square.
After arriving back in Cuenca we listened to some singers and danced a bit in the square. Quite the fun day.
Meeting the vice president.
On the walking tour of Cuenca, our guide pointed out the newly elected vice president was here. I went to take a closer picture, and an aide noticed me and asked if I wanted to speak to her. I said yes. He announced I was an extranjero (foreigner). I told her I lived and worked in Quito and love Ecuador. I did that in Spanish. I was amazed at how close everyone was to her and how little security there was.
The cathedral
The cathedral is amazing. It had been designed by someone in Europe but the full design could not be realized as the building materials were different to make such a tall design. Because of this they did not put a bell in the tower.
The history of the cathedral dates back to the reconquest of Cuenca by Alfonso VIII of Castile in 1177. The cathedral was actually constructed on the site of a former mosque, and I wonder what conqueror brought that religion in and when. The initial construction of the cathedral took place during the transition from the Romanesque to Gothic period, resulting in a unique blend of architecture. Subsequent renovations and additions were with the last restoration in the 20th century after a tower collapsed.
The glass in the domes came from Spain. The marble in the cathedral from Italy.
The tiles in the towers came from Czechoslovakia.
The town square
Food
Other pictures
Other buildings
These are some of the other things I have been doing since arriving in Quito. School of always busy when starting in a new place: new programs to learn, procedures to follow, etc.
Several of the new teachers would go to a few music venues. This one was reggae type music with rap influence.
In my neighborhood is a great gelato place made with local fruits. Very delicious.
Another music event I attended was an afrobeats concert held at an old theater near the historical center. The headliner act is famous in Chile and the whole evening was fantastic. It was difficult to stay in our seats, everyone was dancing.
I’ve had a few medical appointments about my knee. Walking home after one of them I spotted this place that had Bolivian empanadas
Colada morada is a warm drink made with a large quantity of ingredients including various fruits and purple corn flour. It is thick and actually quite tasty. It is seen here around various holidays including Day of the Dead. Along with a cheese empanada, it was delicious.
I have also never been to a professional soccer game. The stadium is close to school so what better way than to stay after school, grab dinner with friends, and take in a game.
At school, part of the IB program is to complete a G4 project. We took the students to the museum on the equator. It is actually along the equator as determined by GPS (I have been at the other location of where they thought it was by using maps).
We have also hosted a BBQ at our place. So great to see people out of school.
More adventures to come….