Sister Visit Pt. 2

Shannon and Meagan

Well, I thought Shannon was going to be writing the second half of this post. Turns out she is too busy with her swim season wrapping up and some other stuff going on, so as much as I'd like to provide a different voice to this story, whoever reads this is going to have to put up with mine again. Don't worry, she'll write one soon.

Alpaca Lunch

When we got back from Otavalo, we had a nice afternoon to rest and relax before starting on Part 2 of the Sister visit. The next morning, we had to leave before  7:00am due to the previously mentioned Pico y Placa rule in Ecuador. We had to clear Quito city limits before 7:30 so we rolled out of bed and into the car for another journey. Our next stop was Papallachta.

Last year, we had a failed attempt to visit Papallachta that resulted in us ending up in the back of a police car and having our car towed down a mountain. Earlier this year, we were able to get there and go hiking, see the paramo, and soak in the hot springs. We absolutely loved it, so it was our mission to bring Meagan with us to see it all.

I'm Watching You...

We arrived around 9:00am at the lodge. Shannon had previously called ahead to arrange for a tour guided hike around the paramo. When we got there, it was pouring rain and cold. We weren't deterred though. It was going to be a beautiful hike and we were prepared with rain gear. So we had the receptionist call the guide for us. Then we listened to the conversation in Spanish as the guide (presumably warm at home in bed) tried everything he/she could to convince the receptionist that we shouldn't go. "It's too cold. It's too rainy. The trail will be flooded. There will be mud everywhere." When we saw that this person was not going to be persuaded to come to the previously made appointment, we set out on our own for a short hike.

Along the way we saw lots of beautiful plants and hiked along a rushing river. It was incredible. As we came around a bend a half hour into our hike, we came across some alpacas grazing in a field. Meagan was excited to be seeing some in their natural habitat, but I was sure to keep an eye on them. As many of you know, I have a history with these untamed beasts of the wild.

Hiking the Paramo

We found our way back to the lodge after our hike and went to a little hut that Shannon and I had previously visited for lunch, which was a whole fried trout, with rice, fries, and a salad for $3. It was delicious, and even better as we were chilled to the bone and a little tired from our early start and our hike.

After our lunch, we went over to the lodge again and spent the afternoon napping (the girls), soaking in the thermal tubs, and reading. The water for the tubs are heated by a nearby volcano and piped in. Each set of cabins has its own courtyard with three to four pools varying by temperature. It was glorious. When we were done with the tubs, we went back to our fish shack and ordered more fried trout.

Welcome to the Jungle

The next morning, we set off for the Amazon Rainforest. After a three to four hour drive, we arrived at a nondescript parking lot (dirt clearing) and a guy who swore he would call a canoe for us. We took him at his word and a half hour later, a motorized canoe was waiting for us to shuttle us up the Arahuno River to our lodge.

When the canoe ride was over, we arrived at the lodge, which was beautiful. There was a nice swimming pool, a restaurant with a beautiful view, and a great room overlooking the river. We settled in and unpacked before heading out for dinner.

After dinner, we threw on our headlamps and got ready for a night hike. Let me say that again. We were going to hike a trail, in the dark, in the Amazon. The GOAL of this hike was to see all sorts of dangerous nocturnal animals. I was all about it. The girls were into it, but a little trepidatious. The trail was very narrow and we had another couple joining our hike so we followed our guide, single file throughout the trail. I was relegated to the role of caboose for this hike so I didn't hear much of what the guide said.

At times I am a bit of an exaggerator. Often in the name of entertainment for a story's purpose, but I assure you none of what I am about to say is even slightly exaggerated. Along our walk, among the first things we saw were spiders the size of your palm, centipedes the size of a pencil and three times as thick, and some of the most unique and interesting insects I've ever seen. A

Jungle Viper Lurking in the Dark

About ten minutes into our hike, Shannon pointed out to the group that sitting coiled up on a giant leaf no more than 8 inches from our path, and from our bodies as we walked, was a venomous viper. I have no idea what kind it was, nor could I understand the translation of the name from our guide but it was either a small breed, or a baby. It was curled up, but I would estimate that if it were stretched out, we would see that it was no longer than 15 inches long. Nonetheless, apparently very dangerous.

Giant Tarantula

We continued along and saw a wide variety of other jungle night creatures. As we approached the end of the trail, our guide picked up a small stick and poked it into a hole on the side of the trail. A hole that none of us would have been likely to see. After about ten seconds, he pulled out the stick and attached to it was a gigantic tarantula. Hold out your hand and look at it. Spread it out wide and stretch out your fingers. That is about the size of this hairy jungle beast. Naturally, Meagan and Shannon recoiled with horror and after a few photos and squeals, the spider was left to return to it's nefarious ground dungeon of evil.

Poison Dart Frog

The next day, we woke up and took a beautiful hike through the jungle and saw quite a few more incredible animals and plants. The majority of the animals we saw this day were birds as it was rainy most of the day. However, we were able to see some plants and trees, and vistas of the jungle. Our third day, we went and visited a local Quichua village. We were shown how they make chocolate from the cacao fruit and they showed us a traditional dance, that we were of course brought into. It was a little awkward and while it was great to see that slice of Quichua culture, a part of me felt like it was teetering on an awkward line of cultural exploitation.

After our dance, we all partook in a homemade Quichua meal complete with fruit, chocolate, corn

Tubing Down the Arahuno

humitas, fish cooked inside of banana leaves, and of course giant bugs on a spit. They were some kind of grub or worm that were the size and width of an adult thumb. I was the only one to partake in the bug eating, but it was a delicious spread of food for which we were all thankful. Then we (Meagan and I) took to some inflatable tubes to mosey down the river back to the lodge. It was relaxing and fun, as long as we didn't think about the fact that the milky brown water held some horrifically dangerous animals along the way.

Injured Tapir

The next morning, we were taken along with another group who had arrived, to witness a parrot feeding. We hiked up a small hill in the jungle and hid behind a pre-built and camouflaged wall and sat quietly for about fifteen minutes. Shortly after, a flock of bright green and yellow parrots flew in to feast on these gorgeous red flowers. I'm not a big bird watcher, but it was cool to see nonetheless.

Caiman Floating By

What's Up Buddy?

In the afternoon, we took a canoe to an animal refuge center in the middle of the Amazon called AmaZOOnico. It is apparently a place for injured, our outcast animals from throughout the Ecuadorian Amazon. It was structured like a zoo, with separate areas for caiman (crocodile like things), monkeys, birds, toucans, and various other animals. There were, however many monkeys just roaming around and hanging out. While we were there we saw an incredibly rare tapir, which is kind of a horse, pig hybrid. We also saw an anaconda (my favorite), some wild pigs, ocelots, and a ton of other interesting animals. I think the trip to AmaZOOnico was my favorite part of the trip.

The next morning, early on, we left for Quito where we spent the rest of the afternoon before driving Meagan to the airport. While she was here she got to be a part of the carnival festivities, hike around a crater lake, help us plan our wedding, soak in volcanic hot springs, and visit the Amazon. I would say it was quite a trip for her and for us.