The Journey

It is good to be home after 31 days of travel: 12 plane rides; 20 car, bus, train rides (not including those under 1 1/2 hours in duration); and 15 different beds and pillows.
Ecuador and Peru are beautiful countries with a dramatically visible history and spectacular scenery.  We had a great time visiting Inca ruins, going to local markets, and traveling around the two countries by car, bus, plane, train, bike, dugout canoe, river raft, and on foot.  As with most trips, the people we met from Peru, Ecuador and the rest of the world were a highlight. 
We hit the beginning of the rainy season in Peru so we had some very very rainy intervals but oddly enough the Amazon jungle was having a drought which presented its own challenges. We were above 9,000 feet for most of our visit in both countries so the weather was quite cool despite Ecuador's location right on the equator. 

Jude and I have been traveling in Mexico, Central America and South America for 40 years and although the Internet, improved transportation, and more English speakers has made travel there easier than ever, some of the same challenges remain for the budget traveler:
Clean water is still only found in bottles.  The public toilets have improved beyond belief but these countries still have the nasty habit of putting the used toilet paper in a wastebasket instead of the toilet. The buses in Ecuador had no toilets and would only stop to let passengers onto the side of the road for a pee break if the trip was over 4 hours.  Peru's buses were luxurious in comparison and did have toilets but as one bus driver announced at the beginning of our 7 hour bus trip from Cusco to Puno, they are for "Pee Pee; no Po Po, NO PO PO!!" We discovered why no Po Po on a subsequent trip with a less conscientious driver (we will save you the details).  Heaven help anyone that had tourista!

Cheap accommodation is still available in Ecuador and costs only slightly more in Peru but the level of comfort is usually in proportion to the amount paid. Paying more for better accommodation is usually not an option in small towns and out of reach in the large cities so mostly the beds were rock hard and/or lumpy as were the pillows (as Jude would say, like sleeping on a bushel of corn).  The sheets often were smaller than the mattress.
Fortunately, we found some great rooms with small balconies for the requisite happy hour and magnificent views.  One of our best was in Banos, Ecuador where our room was only 16 US$ including breakfast and we overlooked a beautiful garden, the town and the towering mountains --the bedbugs were free.  Another great spot was in Ollantaytambo, Peru where we stayed for a bit more with a magnificent view of the local ruins and thankfully, no bedbugs. 




Ecuador

Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and just another big city.  Our objective was to spend as little time here as possible but ultimately, geography, airports and travel plans forced us to return here four more times for a total of 6 days over the next month. 
Banos
A perfect little tourist town squeezed on to a small ledge above a deep river gorge and in the shadow of a still active volcano. This is the town that had a ice cream song (with chiming bells) on the garbage truck, and 5 mineral hot springs that we  were interested in until we viewed them from above and noticed the slime green colors of the pools.  The clincher was when one local told us that you could wear your cloths in to save having to wash them.  We stayed here five nights and enjoyed hiking and biking on the hillsides overlooking the city. 








We went on a river rafting ride here too.  Pretty exciting with class 3+ rapids and only a strap over your foot holding you into the raft. 

I came close to falling out of the raft in one set of rapids and was hanging on by the tip of my toe stretched flat out over the water. I watched as everyone seemed frozen as they watched me reaching for them. There seemed to be some hesitation but finally the “good wife” reached over from the other side of the raft and grabbed my hand as I struggled to pull myself back into the raft. 
Lesson learned: carry no life insurance and keep the credit cards in your pocket.

 
Otovalo
A great little bustling town nestled in lovely green rolling hills covered with corn fields and featuring a vibrant market filled with crafts sold by locals still in traditional dress. 





Once again, we hiked in the hills with one memorable walk to a condor refuge where we saw all sorts of birds of prey that had been rescued and were rehabilitating. A wild condor was flying overhead most of the time we were there. Just as we were going to leave it flew down and landed on the cage.  For the next 20 minutes, it appeared to be trying to chew through the wire of the cage and free the two condors inside

PERU and Machu Pichu

 Cusco

After two weeks, we flew to Cusco to start the Peruvian portion of our trip. Cusco is where everyone starts their trip to Machu Pichu and the afternoon we arrived, the centre of town was inundated with tourists and crowded with cars, trucks and buses belching diesel fumes.  The next day, the crowds had miraculously disappeared but we decided to make a quick exit anyway.
This is usually where you catch the train to MP but the first portion of the track was under repair so the train ride started at the half way point in a town called Ollantaytambo.

The three banana rule:
Traveling in countries where English is the exception, we are often left with more questions than answers.  How did the Incas, with no written language or higher math, build all of those amazing structures in just over a 100 years? How did they transport those massive rocks? How did they cut the stone so precisely an produce such flat smooth surfaces with such primitive tools?  Why are they planting their crops that way? Why do they wear those strange hats?  Why don't their sewers work?
The answer to all of these questions and more is found in what we have come to know as the 3 banana rule.  We discovered it while buying fruit in the local market.
We wanted four bananas for the trip on the train.  In my lousy Spanish, I told the tiny old lady in the stall I wanted 4 bananas. She broke off three banana and handed them to me.  I said, "Non, quatro por favor". She said "Tres".  Thinking she did not understand my Spanish, I said again, "Quatro" and held up four fingers.  She said, "Tres!" and held up three fingers.  You can't argue with a 75 year old woman with a big smile and no teeth so we left with 3 bananas.  Thus, the Three banana rule.  Some things you just can't explain.

Ollantaytambo
Despite the fact that the train was not running the first half of the track (from Cusco to Ollantay') due to repairs, the company that ran the train continued to sell tickets that included the full fare (substituting a $2 bus ride for the first stage of the train while still charging the $30 for that portion of the fare). We wanted to stay in Ollantaytambo overnight before catching the train at 6:00 AM but we were told that we had to pay for the full ticket whether we used it or not!  After many questions, we were told there was in fact one scheduled train that did not include the bus ride so we bought that ticket and hired a car to take us to Ollantaytambo which saved us over $50.  There is always a way around the 3 banana rule-- the trick is to figure it out.

 Machu Pichu
Machu Pichu was amazing but this is the main tourist destination in South America and naturally, they take every opportunity to gouge the tourist.  Over priced trains, buses, entrance fees, and food and accommodation wore us down after a while. 
We caught the train at 6:00 in the morning. The two hour trip into Agua Caliente and then the half hour bus ride up to the site itself is spectacular and we were fortunate to pick a day when the number of tourists was below average.  When we arrived, the site was shrouded in mist and drizzle but the it eventually lifted and gave us some of the classic views of the ruins that we all know from photos. After a couple of hours it closed in again. Then the rains began in earnest.  It poured, and poured, and poured.  We wore waterproof ponchos but even those eventually gave out and we were soaked through.  By the time we finally left, the water was pouring off the site in small creeks and impressive waterfalls formed down the sides of the ruins.  The wind came up and we finally abandoned the site to take the bus down to the town of Agua Caliente, where we stopped for dinner before catching the 7:30 train to Ollantay'.

The train ride back was 6 hours of comedy, parties, beautiful women, and free massages (for some).
As the train rolled along, we enjoyed the company of two young guys from England and their female side kick from Denmark.  Across the aisle from us were four good looking young women from Argentina. Each of these seven young travelers could have been models and they were an amazing mix of nationalities.  The only one that we might have guessed her country of origin correctly was the girl from Denmark.  It only took the two male stewards in our car about 30 seconds to start flirting with the young women.  Can't say I blame them.

About an hour into the trip, the train stopped.  It was pitch dark outside and we could just see that the raging river was right next to the train.  The two Brits kept us in stitches for the first hour but everyone in our car was tired from trekking around and to Machu Pichu so we eventually fell asleep with the rest in our car.  After an hour of restless sleep, we awoke to movement and thought the train was moving again but it turned out that the last of the three cars in our train was having a party.  A large tour group in that car had arrived at the station drunk and from all appearance never stopped drinking.  They were all up in the aisles dancing and singing. Still no word on why we were stopped but

The Argentinians spoke Spanish and some English and they told us that the stewards had said that it was either an overturned train or a landslide.  There were now three trains dead on the tracks.

After another hour of fitful sleep, a lady came through the train and informed us that indeed there had been a slide because of all the rain but it was now cleared and we would be moving in about an hour.  By this time, the stewards were giving the Argentinian ladies massages and our comedy team had resumed their entertainment. After about an hour, the train began to move, the party in the last car wound down, the stewards resumed their "regular" duties, and our comedy duo fell asleep.

We loved this part of our trip but if we were asked to give advice on where to go to see spectacular ruins, we would likely send you to Tikal in Guatamala rather than Peru.  Buried deep in the jungle, the setting is not as spectacular as Machu Pichu but that is compensated for by the absence of throngs of tourists, spectacular ruins, and the mystical feel of the place.  The low cost and the proliferation of monkeys, toucans, and other wildlife is an added bonuses.

 Pisco
We shared the two hour taxi to Pisco with an Australian couple we met and stayed there for two nights.  This is a strangely deserted town except for the 2 blocks around the central square where there is a lively and perennial market for the tourists coming to visit the local ruins.

On Sunday morning it really comes alive when the local farmers bring in their potatoes, beans, flowers and other produce.

Puno
Back to Cusco to catch the 7 hour bus to Puno.  Here we experienced our first minor rip off in the bus depot where one company sold us tickets to another companies bus at a 70% mark up (the down side to limited Spanish).  We were given a magic shuffle 5 minutes before the bus left and by the time we discovered the scam, we were on the bus.  At least we fared better than the two behind us --they were sold tickets in the same manner but the tickets were dated for the wrong day and had someone else's name on them.

Puno is another large dirty city.  Its only redeeming feature is its location on huge Lake Titicaca so we only stayed 2 nights but enjoyed a nice sunny boat trip to the island of Uros which is world renown because the islands are floating.  The indigenous people have lived for centuries on these islands that they created from reeds cut from the lake.  Every day they add reeds to the top of the islands to compensate for the rotting reeds below.  Unfortunately, the islands are somewhat equivalent to visiting an "authentic Indian village" in Canada.  Yes, you will see how they used to build there homes and boats but essentially it is a tourist trap where visitors feel obligated to purchase mass produced trinkets at exorbitant prices.

The Amazon Jungle

We flew back to Ecuador for the grand finale.  We had originally planned to go the the Galapagos but after talking to many that had been there and comparing their experiences to our other previous travels and then considering the $400 per day cost, we decided on a jungle tour instead. 

We had put off the jungle until the end of our trip because of the drought in the Amazon basin.  Unlike the highlands, they had not had rain for 30 days and the lagoon where the jungle lodge was located had dried up. When last in Ecuador, we were advised that within 2 weeks, the rains would return and fill it up.  In fact, another two weeks without rain resulted in the lagoon drying to the point that we would need to make a 20 minute trek across it to the lodge (part of the "adventure" the tour operator informed us). 

We took a 30 minute flight to Lago Agrio and then a 2 hour van ride to the bridge over the Cuyabeno river where we began our three hour river ride into the Cuyabeno Reserve in a 30 foot dugout canoe equipped with a 40 hp Yamaha. 

It soon became apparent that due to the water shortage, navigation of the river had become questionable.  It is normal for large trees to fall across the river but with the low water, every minute or two of the three hour trip, our driver had to lift and lower the engine to go over logs, branches and dead heads in the water. Before each lift, he had to goose the motor to ensure we made it over the log in question.  This usually worked but resulted in a wild ride as we bumped, tipped, and banged into the mud banks.  Disneyland could learn some tricks from these guys.

Once we arrived at the large dry lagoon, we were greeted by our English speaking guide, Lewis.  Lewis was born in a small Indian village deeper in the jungle.  He was extremely personable and had endless knowledge of the local flora and fauna. As we stood in the mud, he began to try and find us gum boots to wear across the mud flats.  These were supposed to be included in the tour but it soon became clear that there was a shortage of boots at the lodge as the cook took off his boots and gave them to me (one size too small) and Lewis took off his and gave them to Jude (2 inches too long). Lewis continued his work with a family he was taking to find crocodiles (he walked into camp that night after dark; still with bare feet) and we followed behind the cook. 

The 20 minute walk turned out to be an obstacle course with bamboo bridges, slippery planks and long sections of mud up to our boot tops.  At one point, the combination of sucking mud and boots 3 sizes too large caused Jude to land on her ass in the muck. The cook seemed surprised when she started laughing and promptly got up and carried on.  We had to do that muck trip about 8 times during our stay but since they never could find boots for Jude, they gave her a special dispensation and she only had to put the boots on to cover the flats--the rest of the time she was allowed to wear her runners.  A real bonus in the heat and humidity -- until Lewis mentioned that there were over 100 species of snakes, many of them poisonous, that we should watch for on our jungle walks.

It turned out we were the only guests in the lodge so we had the lodge to ourselves and Lewis as our personal guide.  Over the next three days we went on jungle walks, Cayman spotting, and piranha fishing. We also took another 6 hour return trip down the river where we visited an Indian village and we learned how to make cassava bread from manioc root, were accosted by a mischievous pet monkey, and visited a shaman.  We had been grounded in the river several times by the time we returned to the camp but our fearless guide and driver managed to free us each time.   

The beds and food were the best we had experienced in Ecuador and we fell into bed exhausted each night. 

The last morning we went on an sunrise bird watching walk and then crossed the mud flats for the final time.  We celebrated as we left our gum boots on the bank of the river and put on our thongs and climbed into the canoe for the trip home.  Just us, the 18 year old driver, and a mystery woman (never did figure out who she was or why she was there).  Within minutes it became apparent that the river level had fallen another foot and was near the critical level where it would be impossible to navigate the waters. 

After much bumping and grinding, we eventually found ourselves firmly stuck on top of a huge log in the middle of the river.  The driver got off and tried to push us off--no chance.  Then we all got off onto the log and worked at getting the dugout back in the water.  Then the driver got back in the boat and tried revving the motor. Then he got back on the log and promptly fell in the water. Fifteen minutes later, we were heading back up stream but after a couple of hours, it was clear the water level was lower and lower. 
It was at this point I noticed that the engine only had about 60% of its propeller left.  Big jagged parts were missing from all of the logs and rocks it had hit.  The need for a balanced prop is clearly western propaganda proliferated by those that sell and repair props because I am sure the prop had been like that for months and the old Yamaha just kept on going.

Eventually, the inevitable happened and we ran aground on a gravel bar.  Too shallow for the motor so the mystery lady picked up the long pole in the boat and started pushing.  Within a minute it was clear we were going no where so I grabbed the pole and started pushing.  Things deteriorated from there and soon we were all in the water pushing the canoe through the water.  The other two in their long pants and gum boots and us in our shorts and bare feet--- think piranha, anaconda, crocodiles, poisonous snakes and ???? were on our minds?  At times we were up to our waist before there was enough water for the motor to operate and we could climb back into the boat.  This continued off and on for the next 2 hours (the return trip took 4 hours).  Eventually we arrived back at the bridge with all our fingers and toes and soaking wet for the rest of the trip.  We caught the van and then the plane back to Quito and a day later were on the plane to Texas.

As you can see from the photos, this pet of the Indian family we visited was the highlight of our Amazon tour.  We saw nine species of wild monkey in the jungle but mostly we saw their ass ends as they disappeared through the jungle.  It seems that though this area is a reserve, the indigenous folks still have hunting rights.  This cute little guy was already quite a handful and no doubt is destined to become monkey stew in another year.

Catching Up On 2010

There has been a long dry spell on our blog site so decided to do a quick update and let you see some pictures of our new kite-mobile.



You can double click on any of the photos to enlarge.  then hit the back button to return to the blog.

Coyote Taking a Break on Our Dock

Most of you will know that we spent the summer back in Canada mostly hanging around home with a few trips on the side.  Just like this coyote we caught sleeping on our dock this Fall.  There was a pair of them hanging around most of the summer.

The Mohr Clan--Inlaws and Outlaws

We made it over to the see my family in the Kootenays three times this summer.  Once for the wedding of my niece which was a rare opportunity to get the whole family together. Back home, Jude and I enjoyed the lake, did some hiking, and generally enjoyed what BC has to offer. Our kiteboarding friends from Texas joined us for a week in June.  I managed to make

Ira & Ron at the Top of Mt. Fosthall

Sunset at Roch Lake

my annual trips to fish at Whitetail Lake in the Kootenays with my brother inlaw in May and into the alpine of Monashee Provincial Park for a week of hiking in August not to mention innumerable fishing trips with my friend Ira.

Mary, Terry, Jude and Ron

 Our friends Terry and Mary came all the way from Texas to visit us in June.  We had a great visit while they got a small taste of the Okanagan and we visited the zip line park near Revelstoke.

Zip Line Obstacle Course

Ron, Jude, Graham and Natalie

 We had lots of other friends and family that visited and helped us enjoy the summer.

Beth and Jude In Edmonton

Jude made it out to Edmonton to see my sister Beth.  They enjoyed exploring her new city and then drove back to Vernon.


My brother Glenn and I

Some would say kiting is for the birds

made two kiteboarding trips--one to Hood River, Oregon and the other to Nicola Lake near Merritt in BC.  Both

were great trips with fine wind.  We had one day when our smallest kites were too big.
The trip to Hood was rudely interrupted when I had a bungie cord whap me in the left eye while we were boon-docking under the freeway in Hood River.  I lost site in my left eye and Glenn drove me to emergency and a scary couple of hours while the doctors examined it and my sight slowly returned to near normal.  I still have a few flashes in the corner of my eye but they are becoming less common and the ophthalmologist says other than a minor change in the prescription for that eye, it should all return to normal.

During the summer, I put a box on the back of a Ford Ranger flat deck in preparation for the winter kite season.

The Kitemobile

We are going to leave the truck and fly home so the trip down this November will be our last drive for the forseeable future.  So far, it has worked great for the intended purpose.  It was a bit of a gas hog on the way down as we had to pretty much keep the pedal to the metal all the way to maintain 100 kph.  Milage was just slightly worse than our Dodge Ram 1 ton with the trailer on the back.  Any way, arrived back safely at our condo on Nov. 15 after 5 eleven hour days of driving. 


We have had excellent weather and wind ever since but today at 3:00 AM, the North wind blew in (from Canada) and presently around 50 degrees F with wind gusting over 40 MPH as compared to yesterday at 84 F.  OK by us as after 2 weeks with only one day off, even I am ready for a break.  Tough job but someone has to do it.

We went to the local grocery store this morning and saw a guy come out with a full cart of groceries. As he came out the entrance, his baseball cap flew off.  He left his cart to chase his hat and his cart followed him halfway across the parking lot--now that is one fine wind.

Bad Habits- Ron & Jude Halloween