We departed the Galapagos Islands at 12:40 PM and arrived in Quito at 5 PM local time.  Too late for the latest bus to Mindo, our next destination.  We hired a taxi to drive us the 2.5 hours North to Mindo.

My Grandfather owned a small limousine service, and later in retirement worked as an independent driver for a larger company.  So, whenever I’m being driven for a non-metered ride, I always think of him.  Growing up, he would swing by on a Sunday morning after dropping someone off in the area.  Always in an ill-fitted suit.  Always with donuts or bagels.  And always for coffee.  He would tell us about his clients and air any grievances or shocking news.  ‘They didn’t tip’ or ‘This guy hires a limo service for everywhere he goes!’  It makes me sensitive to their plight, and I always smile if I’m in a car that reminds me of his.  Golf magazines tucked in behind each seat, some candies and a bottle of water.  Most importantly, the front seat would need a giant briefcase, a bunch of maps and a magnifying glass.  He always had a magnifying glass.  It’s funny how we can associate common objects with people.  I wonder what people associate with me?

So, it was a nostalgic ride.  Steph and I watched ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ on my computer.  Coincidentally, it’s the only movie I have downloaded.  So, I have watched it exactly 9 times in the past 7 weeks.  4 times in Spanish.

We arrived at the Dragonfly Inn / Beehive Restaurant just in time for dinner.  I tried to order chili con carne and spaghetti bolognese and the Waiter said it was too much.  I stuck with the chili and after a few bites ordered the spaghetti as well.  Which, in hindsight was really spaghetti with chili con carne poured on top.  I ate every bite.  The food in Ecuador is very good.  Colombian food was, well a little boring.  We’ve had a much wider variety of foods and with much more flavor.

<food pic>

Our accommodations were in a lodge overlooking a rushing river.  It’s very pleasant sleeping by the sound of the river.  It sounds like rain all night and puts me right out.  Steph may have slightly suffered the consequence of my comfort.  In my dream state, I formed a solid cocoon of blankets and pillows and left none for her.  I imagine it was something like this:

The next day we rested.  It rained all morning and afternoon.  I drank an inordinate amount of coffee, read, ate and slept.  Mindo is so tranquil.  It’s a very small town in the Northern Highlands of Ecuador.  Primarily it’s a refuge for bird watchers.  We had a rather drawn out discussion of what the drama of a bird watching club might be:

Ofelia: “Martha, did you hear Blanche claimed she saw three yellow-throated warblers?  She barely knows the difference between a ground finch and a common sparrow”

Blanche and her lies.  She’s a menace to all aviary enthusiasts!  Our one ‘adventure’ of the day was a chocolate tour. Our guide bore a strange resemblance to Daniel Day Lewis and had a lot of the same inflections of his character ‘The Butcher’ in ‘Gangs of New York.’  Honestly, this alone made the tour worthwhile.

The content itself was interesting as well.  The chocolate they make on site, contains only cocoa and sugar.  No oil, water, or anything.  Seeing the process from plant to chocolate was really interesting.  And delicious.  The rest of the night was spent in a slight food coma and relaxing at our lodge.

The next morning, we decided it was time for a real adventure.  We were going ziplining.  10 different ziplines, ranging from 100 to 500 meters long.  Each soars across an open canyon of rain forrest. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous.  And my first pass over the canyon maybe included a combination of high-pitch shriek and Super Mario ‘wooHoooo!’

I’ve heard mixed reviews about ziplining, but this was incredible!  It was such an adrenaline rush and such beautiful surroundings.  The below video, is the longest, highest and fastest route in Mindo.  I really appreciate my lackluster fist pump at the end.

We also needed to figure out what we were going to do next.  Steph leaves in 3 days.  We decided against any significant travel and opted to stay in Mindo.  But, we moved up the hill.  We are spending our last few nights in a perfect lodge and nature preserve.  Our rustic room, features a full view of the rain forrest including a never ending hum of insects and birds.  The lodge is away from any form of civilization and thus provides 3 meals per day.  The next few days, we will slowly migrate from library to library.  From pool one to pool two.  And we can refine our billiards play to near expert level.  We couldn’t possibly love this place more!

There are only a few other guests here, a  group of Chinese bird watchers.  Dressed head to toe in camouflage, their cameras, which look like what you see at an NFL game are also cloaked in camouflage.  And they seem to be speaking in a foreign language, perhaps as a further way of hiding from the Ecuadorian birds.  I wonder what Chinese bird club drama sounds like?