Nomad just lost in place

Darn! Is it 2 months already? Here I sit kind of bumbed since it is almost time to leave. My backpack is all stuffed and waiting for me to pick it up. I am doing my last sightseeing around Quito and the time seems to be flying by. I can say that I have had a super time here in South America. I have met the most interesting people from all over the world. My only regrets are that I stayed in some places a little longer because I was enjoying them so much, which meant that there were some things that I had to skip. I would have loved to do a jungle tour and even more I found out only yesterday about an animal rescue organization that is about an hour from Quito where I would have liked to volunteer for awhile. Since starting my trip and especially after going to the cloud forest, I have been more aware of the need to get involved in trying to have a positive impact as far as the abuse of wildlife is concerned. There is a bit of a problem with people capturing the wildlife for pets or to ship out of the country, but also this facility has these beautiful creatures that were used as entertainment and just plain abused. I managed to see some photos of several macaws that were removed from the nest and are now not able to be released back into the wild. Also, a Jaguar blinded by someone using a cigarette who will never know what its real home is supposed to look like. So, I guess I can say that this trip has been much more than just adventure travel. It has also had a lasting effect in a number of other ways. Hopefully, I can look to the future as a chance to contribute in some way, if not with my time, maybe some other way. But for now I suppose I will head back to the US and see what the next couple of months have in store for me. My next post will be from home.

Tuesday I left for Bellavista Reserve. It was already nice as far as the weather in Quito. It took maybe an hour and a half to arrive at the lodge. At about 4500ft. the weather changed to mist with clouds surrounding the entire area. The lodge is built in what looks like jungle to me ,but is actually a cloud forest. I had a comfortable room with hummingbird feeders on my balcony that were already getting activity. Outside of that I could see nothing but forest. My first day was spent hiking out to view the avian activity ,which included going to a hummingbird sactuary where not only were there maybe hundreds of hummingbirds, but also some parrots as well. The next morning we were up at 4am. for the trip to an area where it was necessary to hike down in the forest to get sight of the national bird of Ecuador, which is called The Cock of the Rock. This majestic creature is mostly crimson with a beautiful crest and is somewhat difficult to spot. I managed to see 3 of them. I am glad it was worthwhile since the trail was very slippery and dark and any mistake along the way meant a nasty slide down into the forest below. The dining area of the lodge had a 360 degree view and the food was excellent. The last day was spent on an early morning hike during which I saw a Tucan among the vast number of hummingbirds again. I got to see the smallest one I have ever laid eyes on. We had an excellent guide by the name of Gabriel who was not only extremely knowledgeble but very patient and willing to answer any questions we had. Everyone seemed commited to the preservation of the forest and wildlife that lived there. I could not help coming away with more of a concern for the damage being done by the destruction of the habitat not only here but all over the world. I can only say that this trip has become somewhat of an eye-opener for me. Now I get to spend my last days here in Quito and hope to relax and digest all of the sights and information I have been exposed to the last 2 months. The people I have met along the way have been a bonus and always seem to be a hugh plus in my experience. Now it is time to sign-off and blend into the city life. Here it is, Saturday, and I decided to go to Otavalo, which is a town about 2 hrs. north of Quito to visit the largest outdoor market in Ecuador with some people I met at the hostel. This is something I wanted to do for quite a while and what better time than right before I leave.As usual, the bus ride was an adventure in itself. The market spans about 10 square blocks with everything one could hope to find. I managed to get a couple of things,but just enjoyed walking around and also having a nice lunch. I find myself making the most of my remaining time here. Two months seem to have flown by, but the image in the rear view mirror always seems smaller than what is ahead. I know I must have mentioned it before, but the view of Quito from my hostel reminds me of San Francisco and the weather is very similar as well. I guess it is like a little bit of home while far away. Anyway, Time to get out of this chair and sample more of Ecuador.

I left Cuenca with a slightly heavy heart. I found the place quite addictive. There was Louis , the owner of Clasico, the cafe where I not only enjoyed delicious food , but also got a number of free Spanish ... [Continue reading this entry]

I decided to head back to Ecuador after my trip to Machu Picchu so I boarded a flight to Lima. I fell asleep as soon I fastened my seat belt and did not wake up until the wheels touched ground. ... [Continue reading this entry]