Otavalo to Las Peñas

I arrived in Otavalo at about 2pm on the 21st. I had forgotten how much I had liked Otavalo the last time I was in Ecuador. I went to the hotel I was at last year and he gave me the same room overlooking the Imbabura volcano.  I went to the Daily Grind coffee stand and met the owner Bonnie. She hails from NYC but keeps her horses in Virginia. She was an advertising consultant and now gives children the food and educations they require. A very sweet lady. I also met a very handsome gentleman named George who was in Ecuador to climb Cayambe. He aspires to visit every country in the world and climb the highest peaks on each continent. He has accomplished much of that already and will climb Everest this year. He wanted me to confirm that a picture he had taken was, indeed, a condor. It was. I got my bird too. A much smaller tropical doradito which is difficult to find among the reeds of Andean lakes.
I finally bought a Panama hat in Otavalo. The markets are fascinating. The fabrics and colors brighten every corner. I also bought a Quena, which I will learn to play. A musician told me I paid too much and should have bought the bamboo instrument and not the one made of wood. Live and learn.
Christmas was very special in Otavalo.The children's parades and the music was enchanting and calm. I spent the evening listening to Andean music and drinking a local wine.
Birds were on the agenda and one of Ecuadors top birders, Roger Ahlman from Finlandia, told me  where I should visit. The area is called the Chocó region and has birds found only in the NW corner of Ecuador and SW Colombia. Last year the FARC's were farking around and mines were exploding with people on top of them. Things have calmed since then and so I took the bus to Ibarra to spend one night before I set off in a bus for San Lorenzo. Ibarra is very different from other parts of Ecuador. The people seemed very tense and unhappy. The locals asked me if I spoke Castellano, as they do. What? The further north and west I went the more difficult it was to understand them. One night was enough. Let the birding begin!
I took the 8am bus to Gualchan and arrived at Hacienda Primavera by 10:30am. The driver was waiting to take me the rest of the way to the hacienda. The same family has owned the lodge for the last 90 years. $92 a night includes all meals and free horseback riding. A few Germans invaded and broke the tranquility. Alexander introduced himself then his wife, from Iceland, complained that she expected the hacienda to be bigger. She mentioned something about an embassy so I Googled his name and sure enough, he was the German Ambassador to Ecuador. He had been Ambassador to Japan. We had a nice conversation. His wife said there were only two people from Iceland in Ecuador and that the other one lived in Vilcabamba. I told her I had met him and she seemed astounded.
Alex the manager, spoke English and drove me up to the cloud forest at 5:30am. I asked that he come and retrieve me at 11. I made the mistake of starting to walk back instead of birding the upper elevations. I dipped on several species of bird that I might have seen had I stayed up top. I did see plate-billed mountain toucans. And the Germans drove by and stopped to chat. "Did you see any big
pretty birds?" one asked. I wanted to tell her there were beautiful seagulls in the trees.
After my biding walk, Alex drove me to Lita and I checked into a little hostal for $10. I intended to explore this area but needed a driver, The owner's nephew, Alejandro, drove me around  to explore a little and afterward I bought him a few beers and we chatted. He was 30 with 3 kids but he lived alone. He was amazed by Google Map on my phone. It is incredible that people in rural areas have no idea what a map is or how to read one. I know more about Ecuador than they do and I have been told that by several people. I know where I want to go but depend on them to get me there and when they can't be shown on a map I have to convey detailed descriptions. It usually works out.
I left Lita on the 9am bus toward San Lorenzo. I had directions for the driver to drop me at Tundaloma Lodge on the Tululuvi River. The bus was crowded. We passed homes which most folks I know would not use as a shed for their tools. The closer we got to San Lorenzo the culture changed. It was mostly black folks descended from a slaves which had colonized here as a result of their ship running aground. Or a mutiny. Who knows. These folks were among the poorest I have seen. And the most overweight. I could barely understand the Spanish they spoke. The bus drooped me at the lodge and a skinny kid and his wife and baby met me to carry my bags. I carried the heavy one. The lodge was on the river and set in the forest. Perfect for the birds I was seeking. $34 a night for a cabana. My first bird was a white-tailed trogon! Black-cheeked woodpecker was next. I birded the entire time. I must have sweat off 5 pounds. Hot was not the word. Sweltering. No breeze. Humid. Birds everywhere. I awoke to my favorite bird calling. A common Potoo. In 2 days I racked up 11 new species. As the new year was coming I needed to beat Noah Stryker who was doing a big year around the world. His stay in Ecuador was in March and he ticked off 625 species. I was at 604. I finished 15th out of 100 for the year on eBird. I have seen 724 species total in Ecuador and have a life total of 1225. I am happy with that.
San Lorenzo was like nothing I have ever seen. A quick trip to town to get seabirds, all of which I have seen before. The shanty houses are over the water on stilts. They have no bathrooms. They were all getting ready for New Year eve. At the cash machine most were taking out a $20. Most had to have help using the machine. They could not read. I took out $260 which is more than they live on in 2 months. Boats were ferrying folks to Colombia for $10. I was tempted to go for a ride. For birders, this is one of the most dangerous areas of Ecuador. The taxi driver warned me of thieves. I do not blend in well. Some girls wanted to look through my binoculars. I held the strap and let them peer though. They loved it. All eyes were upon me. Time to go back to the lodge.
Next day rain. It's the holiday so not many buses running. A taxi driver took me to the terminal where there was a bus ready to go to Esmeraldas. Drop me in Las Peñas, por favor. So here I am. I had rum drinks and beer and watched people dance to some great Latin music. Mostly Colombian bar owners. A thin, Iman look-alike took a shine to me and made my drinks strong.  Blue eyes pay off sometimes.
The hotels are packed and I had a $10 room which sucked. I just got a much better room for $15, right on the Pacific Ocean. All the people will leave tomorrow and I will have it all to myself.  The Holiday is over. It is raining. The dirt road is lined with beach shacks which serve as restaurants and bars. I like it here. In a day, or two, I will pass through Esmeraldas and go to Mopiche.  I have a sore throat but that won't slow me down. I don't have to sing for my meals or drinks. But I could! I hope I make it through this next year. Saludos amigos.  


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