Chris Trost's Travel Blog: Chris Trost's 2018 Panama, Colombia, Ecuador & Galapagos Tour (Part 2)

Day 15 – Friday, November 16, 2018 – Amazon

Itinerary: Sightseeing in Amazon, Ecuador. Morning hike in the Misicocha Private Nature Reserve while viewing the beautiful flora and fauna up-close. Afternoon visit to a cacao plantation and the AmaZOOnico Animal Rescue Center.

Daily Journal

Weather: 80F and sunny

I awoke to a heavy early morning rain shower at 5:30 am. Because two walls of our room were nothing more than floor-to-ceiling screens, I could hear the sound of the rain hitting the trees and plants just beyond our balcony outside. I laid there in peace for several minutes till the rain subsided and the sun tried to peek out from the low hanging clouds.

Early Morning Rain in the Amazon

The Rain Lifted to Reveal a Beautiful Day

I then got up and showered, then went down to the restaurant to sip coffee down by the pool until the restaurant opened at 7 am.

After breakfast, the group assembled down at the river, wearing their fashionable knee-high rubber boots in preparation for a 2-1/2 hour hike through a nature preserve a few miles up the river. The river very swollen from the heavy rain last night and the current was running very fast. The boat motor labored as we made our way up the river against the current and at times we got splashed with water and I felt like the boat could tip over at any moment.

Napo River from Hotel

Boarding the Boat

On Way to Nature Preserve

Upon arrival at the Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, we got off the boat and trekked through the water and mud viewing the beautiful flora and fauna up-close. The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest ecosystem, with innumerable species of tropical plants and insects. Along the journey, we crossed a bouncy suspension bridge and flew through the jungle on a short zip line basket ride. The most interesting tree we saw was the walking palm tree, which has root appendages hanging off its side that look like a penis. Our guide said the natives called the appendages the Devil's Penis while members of the tour group chuckled and snapped photos.

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, Tarzan Vine

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, Walking Palm

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, Devil's Penis

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, Cannabis

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, Fungus

Misicocha Private Nature Reserve, Lichen

At the end of the visit to the nature reserve, we were supposed to take a ride on a traditional balsa log raft down the river. But the heavy rain earlier in the day made the water too dangerous to raft on so we headed back to the hotel for lunch.

After lunch, we spent an hour walking through the small town adjacent to the hotel. There wasn't much to see but there were a few souvenir shops and I bought a few handmade beaded bracelets.

Punta Ahuano

Punta Ahuano, Dragon Blood

At 2:30 pm, we once again donned our knee-high rubber boots and got back in the boat and headed up the river to a cacao plantation and the AmaZOOnico Animal Rescue Center.

Upon arrival at the cacao plantation, we hiked a short distance to the visitor center through flower arbors and cacao tree groves.

Upon reaching the visitor center, we learned how chocolate is made. Large cacao pods grow on trees. When they ripen, the pods are picked and cut open and the seeds removed. The seeds are then dried, roasted, and ground. Our guide cooked the ground chocolate in a pan on the stove and added milk and sugar to it. She then served up a delicious chocolate spread that was like peanut butter in consistency.

Cacao Plantation

After the chocolate sampling, the children at the plantation put on a little song and dance routine for us. Like at the Embera Village visit in Panama City last week, the kids pulled members of our tour group onto the dance floor to dance with them. Naturally, I got picked. I couldn't resist dancing like one of the Rockettes in my rubber boots. It brought smiles to the faces of all the native kids and their parents, especially the teenage girl sitting on the sidelines.

Cacao Plantation

Following the cacao plantation visit, we got back in our boat and went back down the river to AmaZOOnico, an animal rescue center for rain forest animals. Most of the animals in the refuge have been confiscated from people who have kept them as pets, or have been traded on the black market.

AmaZOOnico Animal Rescue Center

AmaZOOnico's primary goal is to rehabilitate every animal and return it to the wild. The reality, however, is that 1/3 of the animals arrive in such bad condition, they don't survive. Of the remainder, 1/2 have such severe issues that they cannot be rehabilitated and must live out their lives in captivity.

Our guide led us through the rescue center, which was comprised of a series of enclosure housing animals like, parrots, big cats, toucans, macaws, anacondas, camins, capybaras, wild pigs, and monkeys. The tapir was quite "excited" to see us. The birds and monkeys were also quite riled up by monkeys from the wild who hovered around outside their enclosures looking for an easy meal.

Following the visit to the animal rescue center, we headed down the river to our hotel, relaxed at the pool for a little while, had dinner in the early evening, and then went to bed.

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Day 16 – Saturday, November 17, 2018 – Drive to Baños & Patate

Itinerary: Travel to Patate, Ecuador. Along the way, visit El Pailon Del Diablo waterfall and the town of Baños.

About Patate from Lonely Planet

Daily Journal

Weather: 70F and overcast in Punta Ahuano, 65F and overcast/raining in Patate

I woke up at 5:30 am, took a shower, packed my suitcase and headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

I was a little irritated with the hotel because smoke had wafted into our room all night from the small village behind the hotel. Not only did my clothes and towels smell light smoke, but also my throat was quite irritated. The hotel only had screens so I couldn't close a window to block the smoke.

The group of us who traveled together in South Africa 4 years ago took advantage of the setting and sunny weather to get a group photo.

The Group I Travelled to South Africa with in 2014
Chris, Ellis, Ellen, Deb, Heather, Russ, Janet, Joe & Isabelle

At 8 am, we checked out of our hotel and headed down to the river and boarded the boat for the 20-minute ride up the Napo river to our waiting bus. We then had a 7-hour bus ride to our final destination in Patate where we were welcomed with higher altitudes and cooler temperatures than we had experienced the last 2 days.

Fishermen on the Napo River

Around 9:40 am, we made a rest stop. It was interesting that gas prices were $1.03 per gallon for diesel, $1.98 per gallon for regular, and $3.00 per gallon for premium.

At noon, we reached Rio Verde and the powerful El Pailon del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron") waterfall. This spectacular waterfall features a huge stream of water plunging into a deep gorge, with viewing platforms on both sides reached by walking paths, steeps stairways, and a suspension bridge. We noticed on the way down to the gorge that lots of people were soaked to the skin as they made their way back up the path. We walked down one platform and were greeted by the waterfall roaring past only inches away. We then went back up the steps and caught the trail leading to a suspension bridge overlooking the waterfall and gorge. Great views and we didn't get very wet at all.

Pailon del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron") Waterfall

Following the waterfall visit, we continued our journey to Baños, an idyllic little town known for its hot thermal baths and the sometimes steamy Tungurahua Volcano.

Upon arrival, we enjoyed a nice lunch at a local restaurant called Donde Ivan. Afterwards, we visited a local crafts store to see a demonstration on vegetable ivory, a traditional craft that utilizes palm nuts to make jewelry and animal carvings. We ditched the group in the middle of the demonstration and ventured out into the town on our own.

Donde Ivan Restaurant

Craft Store Visit

Craft Store Visit

Craft Store Visit, My Souvenir

We stopped at an indoor market with handmade crafts and a food court. When we came out, we saw our tour guide and group standing at the end of the street. Several of the group joined us as we walked up and down the colorful streets. We watched taffy being made, visited several shops, churches, and parks, and then headed over to a bridge from which the young adults were bungee jumping. After watching a young man and lady jump off the bridge, we wandered back up the street for coffee and baked goods before returning to the bus and continuing our journey to Patate.

Baños Walking Tour

Baños Walking Tour

As we made our way back up into the Andes Mountains, the road got very steep and narrow. We eventually took a shortcut to the hotel in Patate that involved driving on a winding, twisting, one-lane road with no guard rails up to about 8,000' above sea level. The huge drop-off next to the road prompted several people on the bus to put on their seatbelts.

Harrowing Drive from Baños to Patate

Around 6:30 pm, we arrived at our hotel in Patate, Hacienda Leito, which was started by the Jesuits in 1700. The property was nice but I wasn't impressed with the room since it was on the backside with no view. Plus, we had to pass by a large mastiff in a cage who barked at us every time we went by.

The main building housing the office and restaurant was beautifully appointed with a bar and sitting area decked out with overstuffed chairs and antiques. The dining room was also very nice.

Hacienda Leito

Following dinner, I returned to my room to hang up the clothes that didn't dry at the hotel in the Amazon region yesterday and repacked my suitcase for tomorrow's trip back to Quito. I abandoned a lot of clothing and shoes, as planned, to lighten my suitcase for the trip home. Unfortunately, a ceramic souvenir I bought in Cartagena got broken. But I was able to glue it back together once I got back home.

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Day 17 – Sunday, November 18, 2018 – Drive to Quito

Itinerary: Travelled back to Quito, Ecuador. Along the way, visited a local market in Salasava, a Rose Plantation, followed by lunch at Hacienda La Cienega. Farewell dinner at hotel in Quito. Late evening departure for airport.

Daily Journal

Weather: 55F and overcast. Steady rain in Quito.

Although the accommodations were great, I got the worst night of sleep the entire trip. I developed a cough a few days back that only got worse as the days went on. I'm not sure what caused it. Perhaps the drastically changing weather conditions and altitude, the smog in Quito, or the smoke that wafted through the air at the Punta Ahuano or Papallacta hotels. But the cough kept me up most of the night and I got maybe two hours of sleep.

I got up 5:45 am, checked in online to our flight back to the US, showered and headed over the main lodge for coffee. I ended up roaming around the grounds since the lodge didn't open till 6:30 am. Lukas the dog, who belonged to the housekeeping staff, followed me around.

Hotel Hacienda Leito

Lukas, Hotel Hacienda Leito

Car Club Guests at Hotel Hacienda Leito

Around 6:45 am, the rest of group had gathered in lodge. We chatted and sipped coffee while we waited for breakfast at 7:15 am. After a delicious breakfast, we gathered for a group photo on the steps of the lodge with our guide and driver, and of course, Lukas the dog.

Tour Group Photo at Hacienda Leito

At 815 am, we departed Hacienda Leito for Quito.

Mountains in Patate

From 9 to 9:45 am, we stopped in the indigenous town of Salasava to shop for handmade crafts. Other than the market, there wasn't much to see.

Craft Market in Salasava

From 11:30 am to 12:15 pm, we stopped at Rose Success Plantation south of Quito. It contained greenhouse after greenhouse of roses in all colors and varieties. Although roses are not native to Ecuador, the country has a perfect environment for rose cultivation and is presently one of the world's major producers. Roses are produced to bloom and mature on specific holidays and occasions. We toured the plantations as we learned about the farming process, from planting to exporting.

Rose Success Plantation

Following the rose plantation, we drove a short distance to Hacienda la Cienega for lunch. It is one of the oldest and most historical haciendas in Ecuador, belonging to the descendants of Marques of Maenza dating back to the 17th century, with a spectacular view of the Cotopaxi volcano, in the background. After lunch, we wandered around the grounds of the Hacienda.

Hacienda la Cienega

Lunch at Hacienda la Cienega

Cotopaxi Volcano Near Hacienda la Cienega

We arrived in Quito at 3:30 pm and checked into the Hilton Colon Hotel, the same hotel we stayed at earlier in the week. We hung out at the hotel bar and lobby since it was raining pretty hard outside.

Eventually, I grabbed an umbrella at the bellboy station and took a walk in the park across the street from the hotel and around the block till the 6:30 pm "Farewell to Ecuador" dinner at the hotel. Despite the rain, the park was filled with vendors selling handmade crafts for Christmas while kids played soccer on a field nearby.

Driving Back to Quito

Statue in Park Across from Quito Hotel

The dinner was nice. At the end, we said our dreaded, tearful "goodbyes" and went back to the room until it was time to head to the airport. It was a good thing I set an alarm because I fell asleep 15 minutes before we were supposed to leave. My alarm jarred me awake at 9:10 pm and the bell boy came at 9:15 pm to take my luggage downstairs. By 9:30 pm, we were on the bus to the airport 45 minutes away.

The flight was scheduled to depart Quito at 1:35 am, but just before I left the hotel, I got a message from United Airlines that our flight would be delayed one hour. When we got to the airport the gate agent told me that I didn't have enough time to make my connection in Houston, so she rebooked me on a later flight to Chicago.

After checking in at the airport in Quito, we had time to kill so we walked up and down the concourse several times while the departure time of our flight slipped another half hour to 3 am. By midnight, I was ready to sleep because I had gotten very little sleep the night before. Oh, the joys of travel.

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Day 18 – Monday, November 19, 2018 – Fly Quito to USA

Itinerary: Flight Ecuador to USA.

Daily Journal

Weather: Houston 48F and rainy. Milwaukee 32F and cloudy

The day started in the waiting area of the Quito airport at 9,000' above sea level. Our United 737 flight home was delayed 1-1/2 hours from 1:35 am to almost 3 am.

By the time the inbound flight from Houston arrived in Quito, my eyes were sore, my brain hurt, and I could barely stand up straight. Mechanical issues they said caused an equipment change in Chicago.

Leaving Quito at 3 AM

When I checked in in Quito, they already knew I would miss my connection in Houston so they rebooked my flight to Chicago to the 10:08 am flight from my 7:35 am flight.

The flight was uneventful. I woke up at 6:30 am, set my watch back one hour and went back to sleep. I woke up again at 6:15 am with 30 minutes left in the flight. Despite sleeping, I knew I would be tired again later since I had had no sleep the night before.

We landed at 6:45 am, which would have given me ample time to get to my original 7:35 am flight had it not been for the lengthy customs and immigration process we endured in Houston. Although we breezed through the high tech immigration process, the process to screen bags at customs resulted in a 45-minute wait for our luggage.

So I was stuck on the 10:08 am flight to Chicago from Houston. After I collected my bag, I jumped on the train to the Terminal C. I wandered around the terminal, got a cup of coffee from a vendor who didn't charge me because the cashier was in the bathroom, then sat in the gate area waiting for my flight.

Arriving Home in Milwaukee

The flight boarded on time at 9:25 am and we were on our way to Chicago by 10:08 am. We arrived on time at 12:47 pm and I caught the CoachUSA bus to Milwaukee just outside the terminal. I was back in dreary, cold Milwaukee by 2:30 pm and walked 5 blocks home from the bus station. I immediately unpacked, did all my laundry and put away all my travel gear. A few hours later I was back to my usual routine but with great memories of the trip fresh in my mind.

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Chris Trost's Travel Blog

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Chris Trost's 2018 Panama, Colombia, Ecuador & Galapagos Tour (Part 2)

Day 15 – Friday, November 16, 2018 – Amazon

Day 16 – Saturday, November 17, 2018 – Drive to Baños & Patate

Day 17 – Sunday, November 18, 2018 – Drive to Quito

Day 18 – Monday, November 19, 2018 – Fly Quito to USA

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