Spinning through the world
The night tour was pretty fun, looking for things that want to hide and even some that are poisonous if disturbed.
I loved the night tour. I have been wanting to do it for some time in different places. Of course it is better with a guide as they see things that we can’t. They also know what to look for. Other than a tarantula, nothing was on the path we were walking but often it is the poisonous snake that is there!
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
The San Francisco Church in Quito is in the historical center. It dates back to the 16th century and was built over indigenous religious sites. It is beautiful as it is a mix of Spanish Baroque and indigenous influences. The carvings and details are ornate and intricate. The church is still used for religious services but is also a living museum with art work depicting religion and the cultural heritage of Quito.
My friend Kathryn and her boyfriend Leo found the tour and bought the tickets. I was excited to go on a night tour of this amazing church.
We also visited another church in the historic old city. On that street there are 7 churches.
Afterwards we walked around la ronda, a famous old street in the historic center. It was built over the old incan trail and is still like it was designed then.
A few weeks later, Ryan came to visit and Leo offered to all go together to find some food and your the old city. We saw the chapel of the church plus a few other places.
I went with my friend Monica to the botanical garden here in Quito fort the Christmas light festival. It was beautiful and will need to go back to the botanical garden after the holidays.
Chivas are converted buses that include pay lights and music sound systems with a DJ. As the boss moves through the city for a couple hours, the riders dance and party. And yes, there is alcohol involved.
I have stories about the Chiva, but I’m not going to write about those.
My school did have a Chiva for visiting a location where they will build their new school. After champagne and a dinner, the night ended with 7 Chivas taking all the teachers around that section of the city.
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.