Hiking and biking through stunning Baños

Early morning we two interns from Gulliver caught the taxi to the Quitumbe Bus Terminal in the southern part of Quito. Even Saturdays before seven o`clock we found us stuck up in traffic. 

However, we were lucky to get a bus 10 minutes after arriving at the station and heading off to Baños. After this 3,5 hours ride we found ourselves in the small town and stunning weather. In the Cafe Arte, which I highly recommend to everyone that visits Baños, we enjoyed a really good breakfast. 

We stayed at the Hostel Los Pinos near the centre - good price and services. 

Though the sun was burning we decided to hike up to the Casa del Arbol where we arrived after a few stops and visiting points. The view was breathtaking not only because of the sundown but also because the volcano was that near and giant. Lucky us, just when entering the taxi for descending, we saw an eruption and a huge column of smoke coming out of the volcano. Very impressive. 

In the evening, tired and hungry, we enjoyed a rich meal in the Casa Hood, nice ambience and local musicians. Drinks we had also at a nice place with some fireplace in the middle of yard. 

The sunday we rent at an office, that is actually working with Gulliver Expedition the tour operator in Quito, some bikes and headed off to the waterfalls. Indeed, we arrived at the Rio Verde after an hour, but supposed to have more than two. Nice and clear water to refresh and chill out in the sun. A hundred meters away there is the entrance to the famous waterfall pailon del diablo. Really worth to see that too. 

So, any future interns should enjoy biking and hiking in Ecuador as well as the beautiful diversities. 

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Climbing beautiful peaks of Illinizas

The Illiniza is a non active volcano approximately 55km (34mi) in a southwestern direction from Quito. There are actually two summits the Illiniza Sur which is about 5348m (17545ft) high and with a glacier on its top.   Compared to the southern summit is the Illiniza Norte with its 5126m (168179ft) not that high and therefore there is only rocks but no glacier.

On a 4700m (15419ft) situated in the middle of both summits there is a refuge called Nuevos Horizontes where most of the climbing tours to Illiniza Sur or Illiniza Norte begin. For experienced climbers the Illiniza Sur will be challenging because its technically more difficult to crest this peak because of the glacier. Of course it is only possible to go there with specialized equipment and a guide.
For the northern peak it is not necessary to have particular glacier equipment but it is recommended to use helmet and rope because of abruptly changing weather conditions.

Gulliver Expeditions is a tour operator for hiking and climbing tours such as the Illinizas tour is one. Of course it is not a tour to start off just after arriving to Quito or heights like this. Gulliver Expeditions therefore offers some acclimatization tours to well-prepare their clients for the next step higher.
Because I am not a well-trained hiker on those heights I will go for volcanos like corazon which is on a more comfortable height for me. But of course it must be a spectacular thing to climb and enjoy the view after reaching the summit.

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Between waterfalls, soccer and brownies: lovely weekend in Mindo

As an intern from Gulliver Expedition which is actually a tour operator in Quito it is possible to go on several trips they offer. I took the chance by heart that we had a 3-days weekend because of the Indepence Day of the biggest city in Ecuador Guayaquil. If I haven’t had to leave my passport in the General Office of Migration I could have gone by plane to some jungle or beachtrip. Never mind, I took the first bus to Mindo on Friday. The trip was like this: 

And my neighbor had to eat some of them cheese things with some hot sauce which was in a tiny little pot. Of course this guy has to drop this thing exactly on my backpack and pants. Thank you!

Finally I arrived in Mindo, bought a ticket for las cascadas and went from hostel to hostel to find an available room. In the Caffekasku I liked it the most so I wanted to spend my night here. Cheap and quite cozy, nice people and good fresh juice. There I met some people who just finished their biking tour from Nono to Mindo.

Soon I was on my way to the waterfalls. Because of the holidays there were so many people I had to wait like 45 min, but the nice guy took me a bit earlier because I was travelling alone. The view out of the cage was stunning and was looking forward to hike and take a swim. The first waterfall was only 15min of a hurrying walk with a family from Quito. It was quite nice to see but as expected this one was absolutely crowded. On the other side there was a another way down to some more waterfalls, they were much nicer and it was so refreshing to take the swim in the clear water. 

After this super hike I went to the chocolate tour as everyone else and enjoyed – altough I’m Swiss and always surrounded by delicious swiss chocolate – the still warm and melting brownie, not for the last time this weekend.

Actually I wanted to go for a shower and then maybe have a drink somewhere. On my way back I passed a bar in the centre and I guess each habitant of Mindo was here to see the soccer game between Ecuador and Urugay which was actually the entering game for the World Cup Qualifying. There I met a young couple from Irland – they know how to party – and a guy from Switzerland, that incidentally used to live in the same street back home in Switzerland as I do. 

Traditional dinner, a special kind of openair cinema and those funny people made this trip unforgettable – even without canopying. It’s a unique experience to travel by yourself. Enjoy! 

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Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

The Yasuni National Park is located in the western part of Ecuador and the richness in species is nowhere bigger than here. Even the USA and Canada together doesn`t have a biodiversity like this part of the ecuadorian rain forest has.

And unfortunately under this reserve are some huge oil resources to drill. With an approximate amount of $ 7 bn this is of course something that would help Ecuador to develop and improve things like infrastructure and children's education. The ITT-initiative which was created by President Correa was thought to save the Yasuni National Park. Therefore UN-Members should have paid $ 3.6 bn which is half of the oils value but in august it was collected only 13.3 m. For this reason Correa disclosed that the world has failed Ecuador and that he has no other opportunity to abandon the ITT-initiative. That means that the oil drilling in Yasuni National Park is now going to be permitted.

On thursday there was held a big demonstration in the old town of the capital, Quito.

It is a really difficult decision to make. On the one hand there is a natural reserve which houses so many species and it would be a big misdoing to destroy those living creatures environment. On the other hand there is really a need to this income Ecuador earned through this sell of his oil. As I work in the tourism industry and cannot stand it when there is such a damage in environment that obviously will take many lives I would certainly appreciate if they wouldn`t  explore those resources.

Hopefully I will get the chance to visit the Yasuni National Park during those four months of internship with Gulliver Expeditions. There are some beautiful ecolodges where you can observe the lovely nature. Maybe yourself will get the chance aswell to visit the Park.. Have fun and take care of it!

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Getting out of breathe - in 10 minutes

After one week after arriving Quito I was very pleased to spend a day out of the city and breathe some wonderful clean air high up in the Andes during the Quilotoa Tour.

I arrived with swiss punctuality at 6:45 at the meeting point Plaza Foch and 90 percent of the other participants were already there. Everyone sitting in the bus and waiting for 5, 10, 20 minutes until a single lady finally arrived and we could go heading firstly to Papa Gayo.

Papa Gayo seems very nice and cozy. About 8 pups have been there, maybe they were born a month ago. After this stopover we headed to an indigenous market. From shoes, jackets and hats to fish and huge guinea pigs you could get almost everything you can imagine.. Most colorful and the best scent you could get between all the sorts of fruit and vegetables.

After this event we drove further to a cottage made out of grass and no windows at all to keep the inside as warm as possible on 4000 meters heights. The room was fulfilled with guinea pigs their smell and cheeping sounds. It`s the most popular meat in Ecuador and therefore comprehensible they share their place with those animals.

Arriving at the crater Quilotoa - totally freezing - we got a very tasty soup and a rice dish with chicken. Luckily I met two Swiss girls at the same age and some traveller from London. It was very funny and we really enjoyed the time. We didn`t try to go all the way down to the beautiful lake but after half the way we returned. Due to the sandy ground and the poor oxygen I was totally done after 10 minutes. Also the view was breathtaking.

After a long trip back to Papa Gayo we got some delicious chocolate cake and some tea. Chatting and having fun it has been a very good ending. Those daily tours are the best possibility for interns to getting know their surroundings and very good way to travel. There are of course other day trips for example the Cotopaxi Bikes Tour. I`m looking really forward to do the next trip! 

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Living in Ecuador in a Nutshell

Dear travellers, students abroad or just a common blog reader,

being in a country, which is not your home country or the place you grew up, can and will always turn into a great adventure. Ups and downs, new friends, strange language, other culture, getting lost and yet always finding your way back again, random chats with everyone, other currency, friendly locals, gringos, I could go on forever.

I found a site by chance, made by some students in Quito from abroad. It may tell you, or give you just an idea of how it is to live in Quito, Ecuador. 

http://thetimeistudiedabroadinecuador.tumblr.com/

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

enjoy! 

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Saving río Jatunyacu - with loads of fun

On 1. June 2013, around 280 happy people got together and made it happen: a massive rafting event to bring attention and protection to the río Jatunyacu in Tena. 

It sounded cool, so we joined them. Of course.

Located in Tena, Río Jatunyacu is one of the few rivers in Ecuador which are clean and accessible to tourists. This makes it a perfect location for adventurous and sustainable tours.

But, recently, locals reported illegal exploitations of stone material from the river. Which means, an immense number of trucks and working machines are digging the river, making the water dirty, destroying the natural watercourse and habitats of animals.

So, rafting being the main sport in this area, the impact of uncontrolled exploitation would be fatal.

Trucks and working machines at the río Jutanyacu

Reacting to the circumstances, the Fundación Rio Napo, which dedicates itself to protecting natural and tourist areas, (www.facebook.com/fundacionrionapo) organised, together with some rafting agencies from all Ecuador, a massive event. People were invited by Facebook to participate the "Jatunyacu Rafting Masivo", an event to bring attention to the river Jatunyacu and its need for protection.

Feeling lucky, four members of the Gulliver Team packed their swimsuits and sunscreen and hopped into the bus to Tena.

In Tena, some four or five busses full of smiling faces brought us and some 280 people to the point, where the rafting would start. It was only then, when we realised, how big this happening really was. Around 37 rafting boats, each of them carrying 7 rafters plus a guide, floated around, ready to start. They were surrounded by lots of kayaks, even a dog with a lifejacket was running around and barking happily.

Some of the rafters, giving the paddles time to relax before it goes further downstream.

After brief paddling instructions and some what-if-explainings, one by one, the boats took their way down-river to the first rapids.

The river just didn't know what was happening! Full of joy, the river flowed by, offering the almost 40 rubber boats countless rapids and waves, making the rafters go "woohooo". Some of them took a dip into the fresh water (voluntarily - or not! haha), thus floating around and hanging lazily in their lifejackets until they were pulled back in to the boat. Now and then, the rafters had time to put their paddles into the boat, relax and enjoy the sun and the beautiful scenery of the jungle.

Some of "Team Gulliver", all having a blast

As every group had his own way of expressing their fun, you could hear different types of shouts, screams, songs, etc.. Some played "we will rock you" with their paddles, while the guide was dancing, some smacked their paddles onto the water, making .. well.. smacking.. sounds, and ours was a simple but strong "yeah", followed by laughter.

All in all, it's been a great day, full of joy, fun, action and good people. So if you happen to be in Tena, or plan to pay it a visit, jump into your swimsuit and shorts, cover your skin in sunscreen and get yourself into the rapids of this oh-so-beautiful río Jatunyacu, which will be a protected area soon, hopefully.

The photos were kindly given to me by Rafting Ecuador (www.facebook.com/rafting.ecuador);

the information about the río Jatunyacu and the exploitations are from Fundación Río Napo (www.facebook.com/fundacionrionapo),

Thanks and cheers, Becky

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Walking the streets of Mindo

Last saturday we arose in the middle of the night to catch an early bus to "Mindo lindo". Armed with hiking boots, water and a lot of sandwiches we took our seats in the bus and woke up two hours later surrounded by lush forrest and low hanging clouds.

As soon as you're stepping out of the bus you breathe humid and heavy air and your clothes will stick to your limbs like a stupid song sticks to your brain.

(p.s. remember that song "I'm a barbie girl, in a barbie woo-oo-oorld" muahahaha)

But it belongs to a true tropical feeling, and you feel relaxed almost instantly at arrival, as the pace in Mindo is definitely not the same as in buzzy Quito.

We strapped our hiking boots a bit firmer and started to hike up to the canopy zip lines, stretched above the trees of Mindo. It's about a 40 minutes walk through incredible green forrest, crossing some small but wild rivers, where tubing is the thing to do (white-water rafting with bound together inner tubes). We skipped all touristy adventures and went directly to the most touristic one: canopy.

About 12 zip-lines are stretched from one side of a small canyon to the opposite side. There's a brief explanation about what you should absolutely not do while zipping and shortly after I found myself flying through the air, almost losing my helmet (what exactly would you need a helmet for anyways?), but with a big grin on my face. So what you're basically doing, you zip from one point to another until you're back again where you first started. After about three zips I got brave enough trying the "superman". Your strap gets fixed at your back as well as to one of the two guides. Then you have to swing your legs around the guide standing behind you and (the actual hardest part) let go of the zip-line, so your floating in the air with your upper body, only a few meters above the tree-tops...

Flying above Mindo's lush forrest is quite exciting and gives you a "king-of-the-world-kinda-feeling". Pretty cool.

After burning up all our adrenaline, we were in serious need for some super-delicious coffee and brownies. The brownie actually is a hyper-compressed mass of dark chocolate with a thin, crispy chocolate mantle. I'm not much of a chocolate-lover, but this dark, squared lump of chocolate was just soooo good, you can't stop eating until your body is shaking in severe sugar-overdose. Qué delicioso! 

The rest of the weekend was spent with some walking through the streets of Mindo. There aren't many streets, actually, but walking the same pace as Mindo's citizens you can spend a lot of your time just strolling around. 

We were almost instantly fascinated by Mindo's buildings. You could call them actually sustainable.... as soon as they're fallen apart enough so it gets a bit dangerous living there, the houses are given back to the nature: bamboo plants grow through wooden walls and ceilings, stray dogs nestle next to chicken on the empty ground floor, hummingbirds fly through open windows.

Peaceful recycling one could say.

But not only fallen apart houses are to be found, Mindo has some real nice wooden blockhouses with colourful gardens surrounding them. Walking past, you smell the lovely odour of big tropical flowers, you see butterflies, soundlessly clapping their wings to fly totally uncontrolled around you, even stray dogs seem more peaceful around those paradisal gardens.

Mindo is an absolute magical place, only a two hours drive from Quito, but still totally different

- slowly, peaceful, relaxing, hot n sticky and surrounded by the sounds of nature.

p.s. bring insect repellent!
p.p.s. like to be up to date about our interns' stories? Subscribe below :)

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Semana Santa the Ecuadorian Way

Eastern and the holy week (semana santa) is the holiest and most important holiday in Ecuador. In Quito it's celebrated with a huge parade through the narrow streets of the old town, el centro historico.

The parade is held on viernes santo, holy friday, and Quito's town centre turns into a purple mass. Thousands of citizens walk the procession of "Jesús del Gran Poder" (Jesus the Almighty), dressed in purple robes or dressed as Jesus, dragging a huge crucifix made of big tree logs during the whole parade.

When the hundreds of Jesuses walk past you, you see them trembling under the weight of the crosses, some of them even walkin bare footed.. They want to feel and live the same agony Jesus was going through, which they obviously did.....

The parade is really impressive, but it goes on quite slowly and for a long, long, long time.

And being the tallest person there by far (well, not really, as Tessi is taller haha), soon you'll feel a bit trapped by purple dresses and thousands of visitors, which all seem to gaze up to you instead of the parade.. So, after an hour, the two giants at the parade left and made their way to Cotacachi with other members of the Gulliver team.

We had planned a weekend full of sporty activities. But instead it got a weekend full of shopping, some more shopping, eating and feasting.

In other words, awesome.

The first point on our weekend's bucket list was the leather market in Cotacachi. We expected it to be full of stands with thousands of leather jackets and boots and stuff. Well, it was full of stands with thousands of things... But mostly some clothes or food or jewelry. There were some shops directly at the feria (market) selling actual leather wares, but those were more expensive than expected. So after some leather gazing, touching and sniffing, we hopped off to the city center of Cotacachi, which is jammed with beautiful small leather shops. 

I guess I tried on every red leather jacked the city could offer me.. but after number 128 I had to realise, my arms were not meant to be short enough for those jackets... shame.

Full of hopes of still finding some things to spend money on, we went to Otavallo...

oooooh Otavallo.. a heaven for shoppers and souvenir gazers.

Jammed with fabrics, art, handmade silver jewelry, alpaca hoodies and souvenirs, tourists and Ecuadorian melt into one mass of crazy shoppers. Fun, Fun, Fun!

My eyes brightened up, my hands got sweaty, my heartbeat raced like a technobeat, and my knees trembled, as I was just happy to shoot myself into some bargaining and money spending fun!

Writing and thus thinking back to this very special moment, there still appears a smile on my face.

There wouldn't be enough time on earth for telling you what I bought, so I'll move on to the next day, which included my second favorite hobby... Eating.

After having a small breakfast at our hostel  we got ready to get the best breakfast our tongues will ever taste - el Café de la vaca.

After sitting down and ordering, your table gets filled with one deliciousness after the other. First, wooden plates with a divine hump of cheese for each one of us, followed by huge vases of fresh, selfmade juices, a basket full of fresh bread, croissants and mouthwatering biszcochos, an exquisite homemade "mora"-marmalade and to make an excellent breakfast complete, a steamy casserole of delicate scrambled eggs, refined with tomatoes and herbs, and topped with a layer of baked ham.

And what else is there to do after such a delighting feast than lay down on the grass and enjoy the sun.....

Semana Santa, me gustas tú. 

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New Blog for Gulliver Expeditions

The host of our previous blog, posterous.com, is closing down at the end of this month. So the interns of Gulliver Expeditions were working on a new blog to tell their stories, show their pictures and to share their experiences of Ecuador.

Here it is!

Have fun searching through our blog, enjoy the stories and let the pictures inspire you for your next trip to Ecuador!

Cheers,

the interns

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Three Great Months in Quito!

After 3 months of living and working in Quito I am now off to see more of this fascinating country. Within these three months I have seen a lot of the Ecuadorian highlands! Whether tours with Gulliver to Quilotoa, Cotopaxi, Otavalo or weekend trips with the other interns to Banos, Mindo or Cuenca; it’s been a great adventure filled with fun and many, many laughter. 

written by Monika M

Quilotoa is just a beautiful place and the Cotopaxi bike tour was thrilling and literally breathtaking regarding the altitude of 5000m. Otavalo’s market is worth going to a couple of times..because even though all of them seem to sell almost the same things, they are not..it’s fun to see what they are selling and how they are trying to sell their goods! The market’s colors are amazing..so colourful!

"Banos de Agua Santa" was a great adventure as well..simply the way there was worth being called “an adventure”. Two taxi rides, one bus ride and a minivan ride in the middle of the night where none of us was sure where it was taking us exactly. Mountain biking down the road of the waterfalls and a 3-hour hike along the many trails in the mountains surrounding Banos were part of our trip.

Mindo was not less exciting. A lot of nature to be explored and a fun canopy adventure with the 25 meter “Tarzan” free fall jump as great finish. Great chocolate and beautiful butterflies!

Cuenca is a beautiful colonial city in the southern highlands. Many old churches, museums and little market towns all around Cuenca! Great!

Living in Quito is as well excitement enough! The city is beautiful, especially the historic center. It feels like being in Spain! The Mariscal is the nightlife center of Quito and is fun throughout the week and throughout the night! Riding the bus is as well, let’s say..a cultural experience. In the morning and in the afternoon there is almost no bus that actually has space to fit more people..but it doesn’t seem to matter to the Quitenos. If there is no space, well, then they (and I accustomed to this manner as well) will just make space…with the arms, elbows, the forward facing backpack, a woman’s purse or with the words “permiso” or “siguan por favor”…a bus can therefore never be crowded enough! It seems like the Quitenos love it even more the more people are inside the bus and the hotter and the stinkier it gets! ;-)

Food in Quito is as well great! There are various options..from typical Ecuadorian food to burgers, bakeries or hot dog stands. Some European stomachs may like it, some won’t! But all in all – there is everything you wish for and many, many things to be tried out! 

I had a great time in Quito and with Gulliver and its employees – a fun, entertaining and instructive time!  

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Baños - a fine city.

A short story about my first days in Ecuador...

It all started with the plane landing on Ecuadorian soil in Quito. I arrived at the new airport Mariscal Sucre in Quito and got picked up by two drivers from Gulliver. They both gave me a kiss on my right cheek, and two minutes later I found myself in a van, surrounded by traffic and honking cars, totally exhausted from the long flight.

I arrived at the host family, where I met two other interns and a friend of them. They were sitting on their beds, obviously waiting for me.

We’re going on a tour, they said.

Come with us, they said.

It will be fun, they said.

My face was already asleep, I couldn’t move my legs anymore, had no money at all and I had already realised, that I didn’t understand a word Ecuadorians were saying.

Let’s go, I said.

On our way we picked up another girl, and so, jammed in a way too small taxi, the fellowship was born.

At the bus station we were told there weren’t any busses going directly to Baños, so we had to change the bus somewhere. As I didn’t understand anything at all, I was just following my companions around like an innocent puppy.

We took a bus to some unknown place, which didn’t matter to me, all I wanted was a place to sleep. After what felt like 2 minutes of sleep I woke up, standing somewhere between wild dogs, while the others were discussing something I didn’t understand with a taxi chauffeur. So again, the five of us climbed in a taxi, way too small for us.

And again I woke up, standing somewhere next to a food stand with some individuals and some more dogs. The taxi driver said, there will be a bus anytime soon to Baños, no worries. But the bus didn’t show up.

And again the girls discussed with some taxi drivers. But apparently they all wanted too muchosdolares for the ride to Baños, and some of them looked too groggy to be able to drive. After what felt like 5 hours of waiting, a small minivan drove past and someone screamed “Baños” out of the window. The next I know was, I was finally sitting again and so I slept for another felt 2 minutes. It was only after about 40 minutes of driving, that one of the girls said: “Well, that’s weird… We don’t trust any taxi driver standing there, but when some small minivan drives by, we all jump in without hesitating...” She was right, but I didn’t care, all I wanted was sleep.

The rest of the trip was not as adventurous, but still real fun and a good time.

So, the next morning, after a short night’s rest in a hostel, we were in for some activities. We decided to hire mountain bikes to visit the famous cascadas (waterfalls) of Baños.

The street goes up and down hill, but never really steep. However, as soon as I had to push a little harder into the pedals, I was breathing like a walrus running on land. Obviously, because of the altitude of almost 2000m…

On our way we had some nice activities like waterfall-spotting, hiking and, best of all, tourist-watching (it's fun to watch and hear tourists scream when they race down the canopy line between two brigdes). 

The bike trail runs through beautiful green hills surrounding Baños. It took us about 3 or 4 hours, including tourist spots and lunch. The ride back was easier, though.

The next day was a hiking day. After a good breakfast (delicious pancakes with fruits and dulce de leche, a must-eat!) we set up to hike to el Virgen de Agua Santa. About 600 steps and some brief stops (just for enjoying the view and maybe getting some oxygen into our lungs) later, we soaked in the amazing views over Baños and the surroundings.

After a few sips of water we were heading down a small path into the wild nature of Baños. Going up and down (more up than down, actually) we encountered some downhill bikers, cows and rain. Making the path wet and slippery, the rain was one of the not-so-cool encounters. Nonetheless, after about three or four hours we reached the top of 2,660m where we enjoyed a sip of a cold cerveza and where we swung ourselves into the air.

The rest of the day was spent with some souvenirs shopping, chocolate drinking (a must-do for all chocolate lovers out there!) and strolling around until we took the bus back to Quito.

Long story short, Baños definitely is worth a few days visit!

And yes, they were right to say it will be fun....

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Mindo Lindo - High Adrenaline Chocolate Party

After a rainy week in Quito two friends of mine and I decided to go to Mindo over the weekend.

So on Saturday morning we hopped on the first bus and arrived after 2,5 hours and a flat tire in the warm and sunny Mindo. We immediately started our search for the ultimate adventure and ended up in the small office of one of the numerous tour operators. They introduced us to the various options we had to get "adrenalized". Canyoning, Tubing, Canopy, Waterfalls, ...

It was really hard to decide what crazy thing we should try out first. We agreed on canyoning, 3 waterfalls and an amazing landscape. We were very happy with our decision to book this tour.

Totally wet, exhausted and smiling like idiots we returned to our hotel to get ready for the next part of the "ultimate Mindo-Experience": a Chocolate Tour. That even sounded delicious... and it was! We learned how to make the best cocolate fondue ever from scratch.

The next day we managed to squeeze canopy, jumping from a 12 meter waterfall and tubing on a crazy little river into 7 hours of fun.

After one last delicious "almuerzo" we got on the last bus back to Quito, wishing that weekends would consist of more than just two short days...

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