Papallacta hot springsss

Hot springs in a cool green mountainous setting...sounds like a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, doesn't it? :) Yesterday a bunch of friends and I piled into my friend Angel's Land Rover and drove about 50 km/30 miles from Quito to Papallacta to enjoy the natural hot springs there. It was a most lovely and relaxing day!!!!

A brief pit stop provided a golden opportunity to capture this Kodak moment.

The car was quite full, but it was a pleasant ride, nonetheless. At one point, we reached an altitude of over 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles/13,000 ft.). For comparison, Quito is about 2,800 meters (about 1.7 miles/9,200 ft.). My sinuses could feel the difference. :)

Ahhhhh....so nice! There were around 10 pools of varying temperatures to soak one's weary bones in or to take a quick refreshing dip in. Surrounded by tall mountains covered in vegetation, one could just lie back in the water and ponder the sheer beauty of nature. A good investment of a $7 entrance fee.

Ugh! This pool was less than appealing not only because of the "natural" greenish brown color of the water, but also because it was like dipping your entire body into a watery ice chest. Sooooo cooooold! It was actually painful to submerge yourself in this water, but my friend Alex assured me that it would be "refreshing" to take a dip and then head to a steamy pool. NO! It hurt going into the cold water and it hurt going into the hot one afterward! Thousands of pins pricking your body inside and out upon entering a hot pool with a frozen body is not my idea of refreshing. ;P Ah well, at least I tried it!

The sounds of the river flowing beside the hot springs almost lulled me to sleep as I reclined in the pools. The river, the source of the water in the cold pool, was just as frigid as I'd expected it to be.

A few of the "Calaveras."

The chicas of the group (with wet hair in the cold mountain air, no good ;) )

Marcelo, Angel, Sylvie, Alex, Ansy, Yo, Sarah

After the hot springs, we ate at a restaurant nearby. The grilled trout was divine! So tasty!
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Another spectacular weekend excursion!!!!

Mindoooooooooo!

I hope to have more weekend trips like this last one!!! My friends Ansy (from France), Sarah & Sylvie (from Holland) and I went to the town of Mindo which is about two hours away from Quito by bus. Mindo is literally made up of just a few streets. The main street leads into the main square which is lined with restaurants and businesses where locals play cards or chat with neighbors while waiting for business to saunter in. But the town itself isn't why people travel here...it's the cloudforest that surrounds it...

Walking up to la Casa de Cecilia hostel in Mindo, visitors are greeted by the lovely site of a couple wooden cabins engulfed by greenery and exotic flowers.

Our room was upstairs toward the back of this cabin. Our clothes decorate the balcony like Tibetan prayer flags because of our tubing adventure (keep reading).

The Fates themselves led me to this room! SpongeBob covers! Perfect!...I should have wrapped the bed's mosquito netting around my entire body while walking around Mindo instead of just protecting myself at night with it. Even though I practically bathed in bug spray each day, I missed my elbows. Those bloodsuckers found my Achilles' heel and now my elbows look like they're covered in boils! So gross! My poor friends had it much worse; their entire legs are now covered with itchy, bloody pockmarks. No good. But I was informed by a local that there have never been any reported cases of malaria in Mindo. Phew!

The view from the hostel room just makes you sigh in contentment. The bridge goes over a little, but fast-flowing river. I'll take the sounds of rushing water over blaring reggaeton and car-honking any day (the sounds that lull me to sleep in Quito)!

Posing by the river behind our cabin. (Hey, at least I'm not "living in a van down by the river!")

Breathtaking flora of vibrant colors studded the blanket of green covering Mindo and its surrounding areas. I really wish I had a bit more knowledge about botany so I could identify even a few of the gorgeously different flowers, trees and plants I came across.
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Ansy and I began our Saturday by slipping on some sturdy harnesses, helmets and gloves in preparation for some zip lining. For $10 each, we zipped along over 7800 feet of wire several hundred feet high. Flying across that fertile valley was one of the best experiences of my life! The wait time before the initial plunge was utterly frightening, but once my body began slicing through the air on that cable, I didn't want to reach the end! Exhilarating!

Ansy prepares for the launch across the wire that you can just barely make out in this photo against the backdrop of dense foliage. Those stylish gloves we wore were for maintaining balance (so you wouldn't twirl around while flinging across a thin wire in the sky) and for light braking (not to worry, the guides did the major braking so the gloves weren't really necessary for that).

There she goes! What a rush! My turn!Coming in for a smooth landing.
One of our guides, Juan, just...dare I say it...hanging around! Oh dear. I embarrass myself sometimes. :)

Ansy does the Supergirl pose for an incredible view of the valley below!

Just like a bird! Well, an awkward-looking bird to be sure, but a bird nonetheless.Our very capable guides Juan and Carlos unhooked my friend from the wire as the three British guys who accompanied us (Greg, Dane and Ben) rehydrated. Between each zip line (13 total), we had to walk uphill in the heat and humidity. Quite a workout!

The SuperGirl pose really hurts with the harness digging into your stomach as your legs are wrapped around your guide! My airplane wings/Supergirl arms flopped downward toward the end of this particular zipline.

Dane was the first of the boys to attempt the butterfly. We had a lot of good laughs at his expense; it was just too perfect!The butterfly was definitely my favorite way to zip!
Ansy and I stop for a pic, delaying the final zip line. We didn't want the thrills to end!

Juan preparing to coast down the longest (and almost the fastest) line yet.

On the walk back from the wonder known as zip lining, we stopped on this bridge for a quick snapshot (and yes, I AM rocking the fanny pack!). The very river behind us turned out to be the site of the tubing adventure we have no photographic evidence of. For $6 each, we tagged along with our British zip lining companions and headed down the river on a makeshift raft of about 7 inner tubes tied together with rope. I felt much better once I put on my helmet and life jacket. :) But it was so much fun! Even without the security blanket I like to call my glasses, I put aside any fears of crashing against sharp rocks or of falling into rushing rapids and drowning (no great risk of either of these events actually taking place with our two very agile guides hopping about and maneuvering the tubes) to enjoy a 20-minute cold bath and adrenaline rush.

Dead snake along our walk. Big creepy bug. Adequate descriptions, no?

Walking around the main square and enjoying the eerie green lights illuminating the trees.

Our Saturday night looked a little different than usual. There's really not that much to do in Mindo after the sun goes down, so why not join a bunch of energetic kids in a game of nocturnal street soccer? These boys were so cute and thought it was hilarious that these gringas wanted to play with them! Definitely the highlight of my evening! (I look like such a giant in this pic! ;) )

This was at our favorite restaurant El Quetzal cafe, which was also where the infamous Mindo chocolate tour took place. We learned about the various steps of their organic chocolate-making process: cacao beans are harvested, thrown into a pile and allowed to ferment for three days under banana leaves, spread out to dry for a week, roasted, crunched into tiny bits of cacao nibs and their shells, put in front of a giant blowdryer to separate the nibs from the shells, processed in a grinder that plops the stuff out like dog doody, mixed with cocoa butter to make it smoother and sweeter since the nibs are incredibly bitter, and then poured into molds to make the yummy chocolate bars to satisfy any chocolate craving. I may have missed a step or two because I was distracted by the sight of freshly-made brownies coming out of the oven. :) We got to try cinnamon and lemongrass flavored chocolate in addition to a brownie with home-made coffee ice cream. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the lemongrass sample! My chocolate palate is finally maturing beyond just M&M's!! :)The girls and I hopped into a local "taxi" on Sunday morning to head to a butterfly sanctuary of sorts. I have a feeling that most people needing a ride in Mindo are either uber sweaty from zip lining or completely drenched from tubing so taxi drivers prefer to have their clients sit in the bed of the pickup. My friend Joana works at Mariposas de Mindo on the weekends to help her parents who own the beautiful property. Joana gave us a lovely tour on the butterfly stages. I found it fascinating that the cocoons were camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings (some looked like leaves, others like clumps of fruit) and that they become transparent when the butterfly is about to make its grand entrance into the world.

The big guy on the left was drying his wings for a few hours before he could take flight with his brethren.The butterflies fluttering about were simply gorgeous!

They may not look like it since they are at rest, but these are two of the very colorful hummingbird varieties darting about Mindo. There are hummingbird feeders hanging from trees around homes, hostels, restaurants, and more. These were just outside of the butterfly "farm." Even in Quito you can see colorful hummingbirds buzzing about.

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It was a bit difficult to return to the noisy, polluted capital after a weekend of natural wonders and relative tranquility, but that just means I have to return to Mindo very soon!

Purple People! - Cucuruchos!

For me, Good Friday usually means a day off and sometimes going to church if I'm feeling virtuous. This year I was fortunate enough to be in Quito for the Good Friday procession in which hundreds (even around a thousand maybe) of Catholics demonstrated their repentance by donning purple costumes and walking barefoot along a predetermined route within the Centro Histórico for hours on end. This tradition dates back to soon after Quito became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and is most definitely one of the most surreal things I've ever seen!

The procession begins at the front entrance of the Iglesia de San Francisco where all the participants file out of the church and into the streets.

Police and security presented a heavy united front.

Carrie, Jonathan, and I decided to peek inside the Iglesia de San Francisco since we had some time to kill before the procession. We spied groups of good Catholics visiting the stations of the cross and praying at each one.

All of the human figures' faces hid behind the traditional purple Lenten cloths.

Inside the church, preparations were reaching the final touch phase as the figures of Jesus and Mary sat poised and ready for the procession.

A cucurucho posing for pictures offered a minuscule glimpse of what was to come. (I thought it rather indicative of childhood innocence that the small boy to the left should be perched atop an instrument of execution and remain so nonchalant about it.)

Carrie, Jonathan, and I met up with the rest of our Good Friday crew at Juan Carlos' spectacular home situated in the south of the Plaza de San Francisco. These balconies provided the best vantage points from which to observe the procession. I love having connections! ;)

Me and the boys: Juan Carlos and Pablo

The plaza de San Francisco was slowly acquiring more and more visitors. Pretty soon it was near impossible to move through the plaza as it became saturated with anxious spectators.

The procession started early this year and began with an oral reenactment of the sentencing of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. Purple-clad cucuruchos began to file out of the church around 11 a.m. and didn't stop pouring out of the main entrance of the church until an hour later. Cucuruchos are people who dress in purple robes and purple cone hats (frighteningly reminiscent of the KKK) who walk in the procession to repent for their sins and prepare themselves for Jesus' resurrection on Easter. Some wore complete costumes while others were shirtless and many were barefoot. I was astounded by the sheer number of willing participants.

We were so lucky to be able to watch the procession from Juan Carlos' home. It was the perfect way to view the event! Thanks again, JC!

Roman soldiers escorting Jesus.

Cucuruchos were mostly violet, but a couple different hues popped up every now and then.

Religious figurines and images accompanied countless faithful followers.

My stomach turned a bit to see the little ones involved. It's one thing to be an adult and make a conscious decision to walk barefoot for 4 hours in the oppressive heat (or torrential rain at one point); but it's approaching child abuse when you force your child to do the same (especially if they're wearing thorns or barbed wire on their heads like the young bo below!).

I'm pretty sure this is not fake vampire blood from Halloween since a crown of barbed wire was attached to this teenager's head.

So little!!!

Dios ilumina mi corazon para cumplir tu santo mandamio?. ~ God illuminates my heart to fulfill/complete His (your?) holy commandments?. (Not sure about the last word or why he chose tu instead of su...)

Las Verónicas followed the cucuruchos shrouded in purple veils and praying together. (Veronica wiped the face of Jesus and an impression of his face remained on the cloth.)

A stream of purple flowing through the streets.

Mary might need to go on a diet as she was around 300 pounds according to Juan Carlos' sister-in-law.

Jesus leaving the Iglesia de San Francisco.

People threw rose petals as Jesus passed. Hundreds of people pushed and shoved their way to get close to Jesus to ask him to heal them or to hear their prayers.

Juan Carlos' niece was the cutest thing! She handed us rose petals (which were also used in the house blessing ceremony I attended) to toss toward Jesus as he passed by in his glass case.

Balloons were released as the end of the procession left the plaza. The pigeons were a bit confused.

When the procession returned to the plaza, participants were tired, hot, and dehydrated. Some people wore makeshift shoes to protect their aching and blistered feet.

A few people carried branches or leather whips for self-flagellation purposes.

The silvery metallic coneheads were perhaps the strangest to behold.

Eerie

We saw some gentlemen who had wrapped their torsos tightly with barbed wire! (Jonathan and Carrie saw people with cacti strapped to their backs, too!) There's still a bit of contention as to whether or not the blood trickling down participants' faces and bodies was real or not. Sometimes it looked a bit fake (see above), but other times far from it (below).

People applauded when St. John the Baptist returned to the plaza.

St. John has a bit of 5 o'clock shadow!

A sea of umbrellas that, for most of the procession, had been used as protection from the hot sun, but quickly turned to protection from a brief deluge.

We were able to watch the downpour from the comfort of Juan Carlos' gorgeous office.

How very poetic that a rainbow should appear on Good Friday.

I am somewhat glad that plans to go to the beach this weekend didn't exactly work out. I don't think I'll have another opportunity to view something like this for a very long time. In spite of the mixed feelings I experienced as an observer of this ritual, I am glad I was able to unravel the mystery of the purple KKK-like figurines I spied in a souvenir shop during my first few days in Quito.