11/29/10

Mindo Weekend with Katrina (November 12-14)

Katrina and I were fortunate to be able to meet up for a weekend in the small cloud forest town of Mindo. After nearly 2 months of traveling on her own through Ecuador, we crossed paths again! We will be traveling together for about 2 weeks in December and she is attending CIMAS during winter quarter, so it was exciting to see my fellow Evergreener and do a little planning.
I arrived in Mindo about midday on Friday and found a hostel in the jungle. Since it was the beginning of the off-season, the room was free! I walked around a lot that afternoon, exploring the nearby roads and hummingbird sanctuary. It was raining for most of the time, so I stopped in at a Chocolate Café that roasts and grinds their own chocolate and coffee and the hot cocoa and freshly made brownie were quite amazing! I picked up Katrina at the bus station later on and we had some Mexican food! We hiked back to our hostel in the jungle and slept soundly while rain pitter-pattered on the roof.
Katrina was still feeling a little queasy the next morning, so we took it easy and enjoyed a place with few people and lots of trees! In the afternoon we walked up the road to the “tarabita” or cable car, which crosses a valley and leads to some hiking trails and waterfalls. Unfortunately we were a little late in the afternoon to do it Saturday, but we made our way back into town and enjoyed some tasty food and more from the Chocolate Café! It was once again raining for most of the day and I was beginning to understand the meaning of “off-season”!
On Sunday we actually got to ride the cable car and see lots of waterfalls before leaving and it was quite impressive! The crossing went over a huge valley and the bridges leading between waterfalls were equally as shaky! Katrina and I parted ways once again when we returned to Quito and we said “Hasta en Diciembre”!

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