The Visit

I booked a flight on Tame from Loja to Quito. The airport is actually 24 miles from Loja in a low valley in Catamayo. My flight left at 7:30am so I went to Catamayo the day before and stayed in the Marcjohns Hotel. Catamayo is warmer and more humid. Rice and cane are grown in the valley. Capital City Bank canceled my ATM card and pissed me off. I have another card with another bank, thankfully. I now have my new CCB card which Sally brought with her. The runway points right into the mountains so at take-off we had to climb quickly. This means you take on less fuel to lighten the load. I wouldn't want to fly in on a cloudy night. Met a few 'Mericans who were studying herps in Ecuador and were on their way to the Amazon. Interesting guys. Arrived in Quito and took the bus for $8 to the old airport. We had booked a room at Hotel Antinea in Mariscal. I found a dependable taxi driver named Gustavo to take me back the the airport on Wednesday to meet my sisters at 11pm. The new Quito airport is 50 minutes out of town in another low valley. I took Jan and Sally to the historic center the next morning. We had to leave becuase there was a protest scheduled for the afternoon. They adapted to the altitude rather well. Then we took the Teleferico up to Pichincha at 12,500ft. I had never been up there. The ride on the gondola was a little spooky but we managed. Sally found some popcorn and sat and ate while me and Jan went for a short walk. I was out of breath as well. Met a kid from Portugal who rode back down with us and advised us on a trip to Mindo, where he had just been. First we were off to Otavalo.
I made arrangements with Gustavo to drive us to Otavalo in the afternoon. Two hours and $60. We had booked a room at Las Palmeras Hacienda and checked in to a room with a fireplace. Sally and Jan really enjoyed Otavalo. I have a friend there who owns a coffee shop on the plaza but she was in NYC. We went to Peguche Falls and Sally nearly fell off the side of the trail. Close. There was a concert in the plaza and a 17-piece band was warming up. For 45 minutes they warmed up. Then they played one song and left the stage. Next group warmed up for 45 minutes. One song and bye-bye. There are some things in this country I will never understand. We took a boat ride around Cuicocha crater lake. The weather cooperated with us for the entire 10 days they were here. They bought a lot of  cloth and chocolate at the Otavalo markets. Some jewelry as well. I bought another Kena made of bamboo. Found another taxi driver to take us to Hotel El Crater on the Pululahua volcano. Checking out of hotels and using bank cards is always tricky. They never understand how the process works and you have to watch them carefully. In less than 2 hours we were at our next hotel. We had a huge room with picture windows on both sides of the room. One had a view to Quito and Cayambe volcano and the other a view to the crater valley. Beautiful place. We went to Mitad Del Mundo, which is the equator. Well, not really. The monument and yellow line are about 400 feet off from the real equator, which is at Intiñan Museum. The Museum is very interesting. You balance and egg, show how water changes direction going down the drain, and experience a lack of resistance and balance.It is amazing. You can't close your eyes and walk a straight line on the equator. You fall off. Back to the hotel and a private taxi to Mindo. Arrived within 2 hours at Las Terrazas de Dana hotel and another large room with a private balcony where we were served our breakfasts. We sat at Dragonfly in the town and had lunch while hummingbirds buzzed around the feeders hanging a few feet away. 12 species of  hummers. You could feel the breeze from their wings as they flew around us. The owner of Dragonly is a cranky Kraut that no one likes but we had a good lunch and dinner there despite him. The owners of our hotel are from Spain and were very attentive and kind. We did the chocolate factory where they ferment cacao and make everything from tea to cocoa butter. Very interesting. We went to the butterfly farm which was another fascinating experience. I did a little birding around Mindo while the girls were getting ready in the mornings. We had visits from Toucans and Aracaris in the trees off our balcony. Mindo is very small and tranquil. I will return soon.
I found another dependable driver to take us back to Quito in a nice Toyota truck. In 2 hours were were back in Mariscal. I booked a room at Vieja Cuba which was a mistake. They put us in a small room with 2 beds. It was noisy. Hotel Sebastian had a huge corner suite for a few dollars more so we went there for 2 nights. In plaza Foch we watched Ecuador tie with Paraguay. Everyone wears tee shirts of the national team. Everybody. I had mine. The plaza was packed and we got a good table at FochBBque. I was glad Jan and Sally could experience the pride Ecuadorians have for their team. We booked a day trip to Cotopaxi the following day. The onion rings and beer caught up with Sally the next day and she could not go with us. It was a very strenuous hike along the lake at Cotopaxi and I don't think Sally would have been able to walk it. Our guide Pedro was very nice and informative. He enjoyed looking through my binoculars. We had a couple from DC with us. She was Ukranian. They were nice to travel with. We had a drink with them in the plaza later that day. For the last day we checked into Hotel Quito. Jan and Sally would fly out at midnight. We sat at the bar on the top floor overlooking Quito. I like it up there. I go there a lot. Jan and Sally left in a taxi at 8:30 and I went for a beer. I'm so glad they were able to come to Ecuador.
I flew to Cuenca and here I am in my room on the river. I don't know what I will do next. Instead of taking another apartment I might travel to Peru for a month or more. I just don't know yet. I will decide next week. Must go birding. Great grebes are looking for me.