Mindo’s fresh air made us thirsty for adventure. Setting aside our fear of heights for the exhilaration of gliding above the cloud forest, Laurene and I set out early to go ziplining.

Making our way through the cloud forest

A local named Giovanni picked us up in his truck for the winding drive up the hill. We were racing against time since I had to return to Quito to work in the afternoon so I was glad we had decided to fork over the $3 for the lift up the road.

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Last weekend the boys set off on a jungle adventure six hours away from Quito. Since I was working and unable to join them, on my days off I decided to explore one of Quito’s closer destinations: the tranquil village of Mindo. I’ve been drooling over Freddie’s pictures of his trip to Mindo, and it did not disappoint.

My friend Amy arrived with our new video camera the night before and I had been carefully observing her to see whether she was experiencing any signs of altitude sickness or jet lag (and nagging at her to keep drinking water). When she professed that she felt fine, I set our Mindo plan in action. Amy, Laurene, and I raced to find a bus to take us the 2-hour drive to Mindo.

The bus ride to Mindo was nearly as beautiful as the town itself: a windy hilltop road snaking through the lush forest. The surrounding mountain range was draped in fog. (more…)

Mindo is a small town that’s only about 2.5 hrs away from Quito but lightyears away in terms of lifestyle. Ecuador’s capital city is a sometimes chaotic collection of sights, sounds and smells that tends to overwhelm even the most experienced traveler while Mindo is almost the exact opposite in everyway.  In Mindo there is a main road that has everything you need from a pizza place, tour operators, small general stores and internet cafes with the mountains and surrounding cloud forests only minutes away on foot. We got to Mindo around 10 am on a Thursday where we checked into our awesome hostel  that was tucked away in the the thick of the jungle along side a little creek that provided the perfect backdrop for lounging on the hammock with a little aguarardiente, the local firewater made from sugar cane and good company. Wildlife and nature abound in this little piece of heaven.  Just from walking around we spotted orchids, butterflies, humming birds and breath taking scenery. This is the place to go if you feel trapped by civillization and need some time to get away from it all.

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My experience in Quito thus far can be summarized in the 2 words that comprise the title of this post.  I have had the pleasure of traveling all over the globe in my life time and never have I adjusted so quickly to living in a foreign country .  When I first arrived here 3 weeks ago today I had no idea that this city and country would win me over so quickly.  I think it’s the colonial architecture that reminds me of my time in Mexico, or maybe it’s the Spanish that is beautifully spoken all around, the music, or the food that is so delicious. Something makes me feel that  I have been here before and I probably liked it back then too.  To be fair though it hasn’t been all perfect for me here, we have been repeatedly warned about the safety concerns in around the city, I have yet to find a job and am still trying to make sense of the Ecuadorean way of life.  I am making a trip along with a friend to Mindo which is an awesome little town about 2 and a half hours from Quito.  The place is supposed to be in a cloud forest and be full of animals and amazing plant life for me to photograph. I can’t wait. Hope to have some good shots for this weekend.