Mindo Ecuador Waterfall Tour Adventure

Water rushes over our hiking path in Mindo, Ecuador. I try to cross without using my hands!

All the Quiteños know Mindo. They venture to this cloud forest town for adventures in nature. 

The editors of Lonely Planet don’t mention Mindo in their guidebooks, yet.

Iona and I stay at La Casa de Cecilia. This is our ground floor room.

Once they do - once the town has a few ATMs, once there are a few places where it is possible to pay with a credit card - foreign tourists will storm it.

In order to visit, one must budget and bring cash.

Rather than made a reservation with one of the two or three sterile resorts that take them, it is best to set aside money for each day and stick to your limit. Follow your fellow tourists and join with them to collect discounts on common lodgings and activities. 

View of downtown Mindo from the back of our waterfall tour "taxi."

Iona and I take a three hour bus ride from Quito’s Ofelia bus station to Mindo.

As our driver ascends the switchbacks and the air begins to get  thinner, mists roll in over the craggy, bromeliad and vine covered mountains.

 Nature along the trail (clockwise from upper left): Morphos butterfly. A photogenic relative of the violet. A bromeliad sprouts up from a few slivers of rotten wood. 

We arrive and find an English speaking tour operator across the street from the bus station. Other tourists arrange for a waterfall tour with us. Negotiating a group rate saves us $4 each.

With Nambillo Falls as our final destination, we hike past seven smaller, equally spectacular waterfalls.

One of our Australian friends takes a solo dip in this lovely cascade.

Our entire party gets wet here. Iona and her friend are the last ones out from under the falls.

While everyone enjoys splashing in a waterfall, far tumbling water feels deeper in significance for me.

These dramatic drops evidence the relative youth of the planet. Where water has time to do its work, mountains are brought down to the size of hills. Meandering brooks through a meadow are sometimes the only evidence that water was responsible.

Don't forget to use water tablets if you fill your canteen from these springs!

Iona backs me up as I hug a mossy tree.

Waterfalls demonstrate for how water connects all life. Once most of the planet was like the cloud forest: humid, dense with vines, difficult to navigate. Then the clouds came to earth in the form of water. 

One of a number wood slat and cable bridges on the trail. 

It was water that brought humankind to land and, with its kinetic force, water made a rough landscape habitable for humankind.

We leave Mindo grateful for - and in awe of - water.

Tennessee Valley California Hiking Adventure

Tennessee Valley Cove in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 

When I’m looking for a quick escape from San Francisco, Yosemite, the Russian River, and the Napa Valley are close at hand.

But each of these options requires significant forethought. I wonder if will they be crowded with international tourists on a given weekend? Is there an incoming convention or a gigantic cruise ship in port? That could lock up available lodging and recreation.

Then, since like most San Franciscans I don’t own a car, I have to plan out the transit.

Which bus connects to which bus where?

Finally, do I have the money to truly enjoy these places?

The Tennessee Valley Trail as seen from Wolf Ridge.

My ideal solution to the getaway problem is the 76 bus. From Van Ness and Geary the 76 bus line will take me to the Marin Headlands and The Golden Gate National Recreation Area for the price of my daily commute to work.

A dramatic scene from the climb to Tennessee Point.

The United States Navy once based defensive operations for the Pacific in the Headlands. The buildings are still standing, converted into artist spaces, non-profit offices, history museums, and hostels.

The real treat for me is how much land is left untouched by development. I can hike a dozen miles of trail before seeing so much as a vehicle or a home.

Matt and I make our way to the Headlands on a sunny, blustery day with the goal of hiking the Tennessee Valley.

Matt buffeted by winds at Rodeo Beach. 

We start off at Rodeo Beach where a number of men with metal detectors are scanning the strand for treasure. Notable relics are said to wash up here.

A pair of parents with young children hikes up ahead of us to Tennessee Point. It’s an easy, physical hike… but we’re going all the way up the mountain.

Atop Fort Cronkhite, we explore the old ramparts and vacant magazines. We make our way to Wolf Ridge and the Tennessee Valley Trail. We find columbines, blue flax, monkey flower, California poppies, and white yarrow blanketing the scrubby hills.

California native plants L to R: blue flax and yellow monkey flower.

At Tennessee Valley cove, we enjoy the drama of the Pacific Ocean tides. Iron clotted cliffs bolt rust red into the sky. I’m so distracted by the landscape my boots get caught in the undertow and flood with seawater. Matt, too, is blissed out with endorphins and beauty. 

Lima Love Park Adventure

Yours Truly beside the Sun Window at the Love Park. The inscription reads, "Tu de este lado y yo del otro como dos remos," or "You are on one side and I am on the other like two oars." At this moment, my boyfriend Matt and I are on either end of the Atlantic Ocean! :<

 Lima’s residents have a penchant for public flora…and for public displays of affection.

Gardeners have encircled fountains and granite statues with native ornamentals since the founding of the city.

Lovers on benches, beside the water, against the cold stone, wiggling their toes in the grass: were more numerous than pigeons in Lima’s parks even then.

The Moon Window at the love park. The benches in the park were inspired by Gaudi's manic mosaics at Parque Guell in Barcelona.

Kissing bodies  younger than they should have been or more married than they should have been hid in the manicured roundabouts, screened from view by a moat of muscular horses and grinding carriage wheels.

Today, PDA is no less ubiquitous in Lima. And urban planners have extended the greenbelt with two well landscaped pedestrian promenades.

It is the custom when one makes a commitment to a loved one in the park to make a heart with pebbles in the sand with the couples initials scratched in the center.

Avenida Arequipa’s handholding strollers can walk all the way from Lima Centro to the beach between lanes of frantic traffic with impatiens at every footfall. Tourists more conspicuously walk a similar East/West route through the desirable neighborhood of Miraflores (literally “Look, flowers!”) to Parque Kennedy where cafés and art are in abundance.

Poet Antonio Cilloniz is credited for inspiring the construction of El Parque del Amor, (“The Love Park”) in the early 1990s when he made a public observation that cities only dedicated monuments to their warriors and not their lovers.

"El Beso" by Victor Delfin. Delfin and his wife were the models. They are depicted barefooot!

Planners involved in a coastline redevelopment project, which would be capped with the addition of the dramatic cliffside mall Larcomar six years later, seized the moment and commissioned a sculpture from Victor Delfin. Within months, “El Beso,” the enormous pink monument at the heart of The Love Park was erected with Cilloniz’s quote inset at the base.

There is a small set of risers set into the park across from "El Beso," where, every year on Valentine's Day, Lima residents have a contest to see which couple can kiss the longest!

I visit The Love Park and see a mother taking photos of her son and his new fiancée while wiping tears from her eyes. A gay couple and a straight couple sit holding hands on opposite sides of a long mosaic bench, each blissfully unaware of the other. Hang gliders take off from a neighboring cliff and float overhead like love letters in the sky.

La Ronda Condo Adventure

(L to R: On the balcony of the La Ronda condo with El Panecillo in the background. A five minute walk up Morales brings you to this plaza and an even more amazing view of the monument.)

I had a wonderful time staying at Liliya and Leo’s La Ronda outpost.

It is magnificently situated with a vertiginous balcony overlooking cobblestone streets with the statue of El Panecillo in the near distance.

Readers should know that this handsome, two bedroom Quito unit is available for rental. At the time of this writing, the condo is miraculously available for the peak season (from May 18, 2012 throughout the summer.)  

Frequency Hopper readers who book Liliya and Leo’s La Ronda condo can receive a $25/mo discount!

Bear and I greatly enjoyed our comfortable Queen size bed.

This may not seem like a lot of cash, but as your dollar goes further in Quito, $25 will get you to any of the nation’s borders on a bus AND pay for your snacks!

You can contact the owners and see more pics here.

There are all sorts of other money-saving reasons to use Quito as a base.

Flights to Guayaquil, where all Galapagos Islands cruises board, are about $200 round trip if you pay cash for a local airline instead of booking credit card style with a provider in your home country. (The savings over a flight booked directly to GYE from SFO was around $100 to $150 per person.) 

The only way you can do this is if you are on the ground in Loja or Quito.

Also, from Quito one can more readily book or build day trips to the makets of Otavalo, the natural beauty of Peguche/Lago San Pablo, the not-in-Lonely-Planet adventures of Mindo’s cloud forest, and the hot springs resort of Papallacta.  Again, you MUST be paying with cash. 

A table in the living room area where I set up my writing desk. 

I favored Liliya and Leo's condo over a number of comparable units primarily due to it's location. I had the opportunity to stay in New Town, but the vibe isn't at all the same.

Once one is on the ground in Old Town, bakeries, fruit stands, and family run restaurants are all about. One of the best adventures is finding your favorites. 

There are numerous activities within a quick walk. It is difficult to think of a European capital with so many cathedrals of architectural and historic interest in such close proximity to one another.

The Changing of the Guard at the Plaza Grande is a must-see every Monday at 11 am.  I was fortunate enough to book the first part of  Holy Week and got treated to a street carnival on Palm Sunday.

(L to R: The archway to La Ronda just West of the condo. Yours Truly with my traveling companion Iona outside the condo after Palm Sunday festivities.)

Weekend nights, one hardly needs to venture into La Mariscal (aka “Gringolandia” in local parlance) for entertainment. Andean music, street vendors, and artists populate Morales Street.

When one does elect to explore, the inexpensive transit lines are all nearby. Taxi drivers always know Plaza Cummanda for fetching and dropping off.

I had a guest for two of my four weeks here. We enjoyed cooking meals in the clean, serviceable kitchen and posting details of our adventures online using the secure wireless internet. It was lovely to have a washing machine on site, also, for when we came back wet or muddy.

(L to R: The condo's lovely bath. Liliya's "welcome kit" for renters features dish and laundy soap, spare lightbulbs, paper products, and tea things.)

Liliya has a philosophical attitude about the distractions and annoyances of Quito. I found her wisdom and experience to be a generous bonus.

She and Leo clean the place top to bottom between tenants. In fact, the day I left, they put every piece of fabric in plastic bags and washed it.

I can’t wait to return to Quito for another writing retreat and expect to use it as a weigh-station for future travel in South America.

Cafes I Have Known: Greece Editon

I made lovely new friends in Greece between fits of ruin and museum hopping.

Boo’s Café – Athens, Mainland Greece

When I was a child, my parents nicknamed me, “Boo,” for my numerous, good-natured attempts to startle and scare them.

So when I came to Athens and saw the sign for “Boo’s Café” on the street behind my hotel, I felt it was a good omen.

Sipping a Greek coffee at Boo's

The atmosphere for this stony lair is surprisingly out in the open. Each of the windows pivots to become a door on to the street. The dark antique rosewood chairs for patrons to sit in are playfully mismatched.  

High color oil paintings, beaded mannequins, leaded glass, and other over-the-top props cover every wall.

A short walk from the hotels on Omonoia Square, (Sarri Street between Epikourou and Kreizi) Boo’s is primarily an after-dark place. Weekend nights are just right!

Their daytime patrons are theater district managers, art and furniture sales people who come in for a hit of Greek coffee and a wrap and then dash. Tourists linger over postcards and biscuits.

Boo’s doesn’t have a website and they don’t have Wi-Fi. They aren’t even listed on Google Maps. 

There are plenty of places in Athens that do have those features. My experience has shown that such serviceable locations often have less character.

So make a friend and hunt out for Boo's without your devices for a change!

Yankos Café – Adamas, Milos

On the touristy island of Milos, Yankos is easy to spot. It's on the East end of the pier. 

Two huge illuminated spheres with dancing shadows spotted from a distance turn out to be pedastaled fishbowls flanking their entrance.

While that gimmick makes them hard to mistake, the basics of Yankos are top notch.

It’s a place to center oneself and get work done. There are a half-dozen laptops open at any time many of which belong to locals.

I am in love with the feeling of being constantly adrift at Yankos. Gauze curtains blow like sails, dial lamps loll like suns. White sofas crest against blue canvas chairs connecting you to the surf and surrounding sea.

Fried cheese. Some poor little cow had to push all that out!

I returned for meals at Yankos based on the food and exceptional (multi-lingual!) service.

Breakfast is the big meal on Milos and there are many local specialities worth trying.  I recommend 

a the watermelon pie, a strudel-like pastry topped with candied watermelon rind.

Though I am eating vegan now, I ate copious amounts of fried cheese while I was in Greece. The wedge of locally sourced cow proteins at Yankos was the size of my head with whole tomatoes and lemon for garnish. These are generous folks.

The Edible Egilsay Farm Adventure in Orkney, Scotland

A view from the bunkhouse of the Edible Egilsay farm.

This far north, the sun doesn’t set in summer, it moves elliptically out to sea and hums under the horizon. The night I arrive,  an enormous full moon is setting off the inky blue.

Tingwall is where I’m to meet the Egilsay (pronounced Eagle-see), ferry at 8 am.

I elect to walk, but fail to account for the maps distortion. The distances north and south on the map are actually two times the East/West distances!

Your's Truly on mainland Orkney, the gateway to Egilsay.

Running up empty roads at 7:45 am,  I’m at least two miles from the pier. Luckily for me, a local handyman named Roger, the first car I’ve seen since 3 am, picks me up as I hitchhike. I arrive before the ferry docks.

At the other side, Alice is present to greet me.

She’s already been in the bunkhouse for a month. Already, the peas are coming up!

Alice stands guard on the road to the Maeness farm.

For the next few days, I too will be growing food as part of the Edible Egilsay project, a permaculture farm.  The farm provides food for attendees of the like-located Orkney Solstice celebration.

Alice says they are hoping to make 200 meals for festival goers from the farm's produce. We plant beet root and dig up rocks. We water everything carefully.

Harvey, the island’s pet llama, lopes around the premises, inspecting our work.

Harvey wandering the grounds.

The Orkney Solstice Festival began when Bazil Sansom decided the disused part of his family's farm would make an idea locale for a small summer event.

Mainland Orkney already had history minded endeavors scheduled at Maeshowe and other Neolithic sites. The Orkney Folk Festival, while a change from typical summer festival genres, had a staid, predictable feel.

Also, with Brits saving up hundreds of pounds each year to be deafened for days on end at music industry engines like Glastonbury and Rockness, there was demand for non-corporate options.

Orkney Solstice channels the spirit of Burning Man – filled with D.I.Y. entertainment and a homey feel. "No one pays and no one gets paid but everybody shares something."

History marks Egilsay as the location for the legend of St. Magnus. This church commemorates the spot where he was martyred.

His partners in the continuing effort to provide this space are the indefatigable Roz Corbett and Alice Warren. Throughout the year, the raise awareness for the festival and their permaculture project with a series of fundraisers. 

The duo also keeps the world abreast of their movements with a zine and a Wordpress blog. 

Most of the contributors/attendees/interested parties are young people from Glasgow and Edinburg. Though "nearby" they are still a distance from Egilsay as far as the distance between Chicago to Washington D.C. It can take a full day to reach this outpost via public transit. 

(clockwise from above left:) A polytunnel habitat. Reclaimed windows make a shelter for beans. The backseat of an abandoned vehicle becomes a bed for lettuce.

The bookshelf at the Edible Eglisay reflects the tenants interests. I read a pamphlet on why restaurants should be abolished and browse several books on growing one’s own produce.

When the sun is rising, rain begins to fall.  Rain and wind are near constants on these islands.

It is a myth that there are no trees in the Orkneys, but there are mostly grasses and brush. 

Where there are trees, they are low to the ground, swept back dramatically by the fierce winds. Only the cliffs and hills blunt the elements.

But the views are lovely. There is nothing quite like wandering the seaweed strewn shoreline with sandfleas nipping at your feet collecting shells in the full daylight of 4 am. 

Even in May, it is very cold, so we have a coal fire in the bunkhouse.

Alice fixes the coal fire!

The food is delicious. We take turns making meals. On the morning I'm preparing to leave, Alice makes up a huge steaming plate of wildcrafted mushrooms, potatoes and red cabbage as I write her a testimonial.

Your's Truly enjoying breakfast at Edible Egilsay.

Gardening starts every year around April 1, continues steadily until July, and then occurs periodically through the end of November. 

If you are looking for a place to hide out for a while and work hard, this is an unbelievable location with a supportive, "pitch-in" crew.

A 5 pound per night donation is advised. You can write the gang at edibleegilsay@hotmail.co.uk. 

Mindo, Ecuador Bird Watching Adventure

A kingfisher in Mindo, Ecuador

The ground is colder than the air. There are long pauses between cricket hisses and frog groans. The cloud forest is waking up.

The van is late leaving and our group will have to hike fast if we are going to catch a glimpse of the elusive Andean cock-of-the-rock.

We find the way to the lookout shelter in the dark using phone lights and the red-eye polarizers on our cameras.

The pre-dawn path to the birding shelter has us knee deep in mud!

Julia Patino, our guide, teases us, “Didn’t anyone tell you to bring your torches?”

For a half-hour we trudge through mud and then we wait.

The Andean cock-of-the-rock is shy, rarely perched “in the open.” If we are lucky we will see a hint of bright red plumage.

Patino initiates some bird calls, then names the birds that respond. This technique is called pishing.  Her calls are remarkably effective.

She sets up a sight for us, predicting where the birds will land and how they will move or react next.

Over the course of three hours, we see parrots, toucans, and a broad variety of taningers. We see velvet coronets, and rufous motmots, and a golden headed quetzal.

And we see our Andean cock-of-the-rock. Three of them, in fact!

Birding is big business in Ecuador. In the tourist town of Mindo alone there are three full time birding operations featuring multiple guides with gaggles of letters behind their names.

Julia is independent and has been working in the region for over a decade. She knows all the sweet spots:  not just in the sanctuaries, but on random hillsides and highways.

Our group sitting down after birding to relax and share impressions.

When we break for an early lunch, I’ve improved my life list by nearly 30 species. 

Now that’s what I call a Big Day!

Peguche Falls Adventure

Your's Truly at Lago San Pablo. Pijal is the mountain in the background.

Otavalo has become known over the decades for its surreal open markets.

Chinese knock-off products share stalls with traditional Ecuadorian crafts. A waxy, roasted pig’s head advertises every lunch counter and dogs kick leftover bones through the stands of local superfruits.

The market scene in Otavalo on a typical Saturday.

My hiking pal Iona and I launch our day trip from Quito’s northernmost neighborhood, called “La y” (“the and,”) indicating it’s history additive to Old Town Quito.

Transferring from the city’s Trolle line, we board a provincial coach. The total round trip cost is only $7, but one pays a little bit of that $7 every time one transfers to a new coach (six times), so it is wise that we are carrying change in coins.

Though the travel time is advertised as two hours, the trip north takes almost three as the coach stops for a seemingly endless array of non-paying Otavaleño passengers and food vendors.

Once in Otavalo, it is clear the principal experience is actually having made the pilgrimage on a Saturday. 

My hiking companion, Iona, in front of Otavalo's Town Hall.

Many Otavaleños “made good” in Quito return, wearing their native costumes and to be a part of the community ritual. 

Unlike other parts of Ecuador, where a man like me with long hair stands out, I appear to be emulating the Otavaleños on the day of my visit.

It is traditional for Otavaleño men to grow their hair long, and wear it in a pony-tail or braid it. Of all parts of the regional costume, the men's manner of wearing their hair may be the solitary pre-Columbian element. 

The preservation of this tradition is so revered that Otavaleño men may keep their braids if they elect to join the military in Ecuador. 

Since all the goods available in Otavalo can be purchased conveniently at similar prices elsewhere, we spend little time at the busy market. 

We decide to journey 4K southeast of town to the natural attractions around Lago San Pablo. 

Iona alongside Lago San Pablo. Volcan Imbabura in the distance.

Lago San Pablo is unusual for a number of reasons.

First, there is a algae-like mold in the marshes surrounding the lake that is unique to the area. It was created when lava flow from Volcan Imbabura blocked the lake’s natural drainways.

Second, the lake is home to the Andean climbing catfish.

The fish use their tail and mouth to climb rocks. The fish likely migrated by land down from the higher elevations to Lago San Pablo using these unique skills!

Third, the cane from the lake provides raw materials for the local artisian speciality: mat weaving.

When we visit, two older women are actively harvesting the cane to take home and braid.

We make our way around the lake and spot several different paths relevant for hiking off into adventure. 

The locals people are very friendly and quick with a kind word or helpful information. They are also enjoying their Saturday.  Three brothers spend a considerable amount of time on logistics before we watch them attempt to ride the a bicycle all at the same time.

Ultimately, the back road to Peguche is the one we stumble up. 

Two views of the Peguche falls.

One woman is standing on the banks using the water from the falls to help plait her daughter's hair. 

On the path running along the falls,  I spot a kind of mountain rhubarb with numerous red hairs and chuquiragua flowers.

Local flora includes relatives of raspberry and allium as well as eucalyptus and chiquiragua.

Many people expect this region to have a tropical, jungle climate, but Otavalo and environs are semi-arid. Pampas grass, agave, and eucalyptus grow here.

Our options for crossing to the business end of the falls are a large felled tree or a rickety suspension bridge with missing slats. We wisely take the bridge.

The sign for this bridge discouraged visitors from jumping while walking across, apparently the cause of some missing wood slats.

The Peguche artisan village is meant to showcase local weaving, but it is essentially another point-of-sale for inexpensively made semi-authentic souvenirs.

Painted rocks and placards at this structure explain the native ritual of Yamor, an annual cleansing in the falls.

While it is likely that many of the flutes and seed jewelry was created locally, I examine a charango which seemed typical of the available items. The instrument is strung with monofilament to perform as a child’s toy and spraypainted with a stencil of Spongebob Squarepants.

Iona makes a purchase: roasted plantain and corn-on-the-cob from an open fire.

Yours Truly and a reconstructed, pre-Columbian stone circle. 

An oddity I enjoy in the village area is an unmarked, unexplained pre-Columbian ruin.

From information gathered online, I understand that the most of the cobblestones on the ground are original, but that the walls and alcoves have been almost entirely reconstructed.

Hopefully, the same interests that reconstructed the stone circle will see to it that some kind of signage or marking can be established to give tourists a greater appreciation of its significance.

Cafes I Have Known: Tennessee Edition

When I land in a new town, the first things I look for are a great cafe and a great used bookstore. 

Here are two of my picks to take the guesswork out of cafe hopping on your next visit to Nashville or Knoxville.

Visiting the Ryman Auditorium in Tennessee was a dream come true. 

Frothy Monkey - Nashville

A pleasant bike ride from downtown, the Frothy Monkey is the go-to hangout for Belmont University students and organic food connoisseurs from the nearby Hillsboro and Melrose neighborhoods.

I chanced there when I was couch surfing around the block, near Dolly Parton’s motor coach livery.

I achieved total brain freeze from the strong iced coffee and achieved total aesthetic piety from their locally sourced salads.

My songwriter hosts were giddy to receive a bag of FM’s espresso roast as a parting gift.

Yours Truly preparing for another day of scaring the natives.

Best feature: a variety of micro-areas within the two adjoined ranch-style structures allows for sunny, shady, booth, and bistro style table hopping. 

Old City Java – Knoxville

Old City Java's Direct Trade coffee is widely regarded as the best coffee in Knox. They are located in a nostalgic part of town near the railroad tracks. 

The wow-inducing environment includes reclaimed windows and doors for wall paneling, exposed brick bearing walls, and an inverted bay window façade.

They don’t even have to try.

This is probably the reason their “coming-soon” website is so laughably bad. On the home page, the designer takes name credit for its non-existent proprietary content with a copyright date that has been auto-updating since 2010.

 

Is that an angel in my cup or is Knoxville just glad to see me?

Over several visits, I had the satisfying hummus plate.  When I got stuck in my work on the Great American Novel,  the painted ceiling, inspired by Van Gogh’s “Stary Night, ” kick-started my daydreaming again.