MINDO: The Cloud Forest

After a long and exhausting previous weekend and a tiring time getting caught up at work, going someplace to relax was at the top of my list. I hadn’t seen anything outside of Quito in five weeks yet so going away was pretty much a priority. A number of people were planning on going to Mindo, which is located in a cloud forest in the Pichinincha province about two hours west and slightly north from the city. Just about everyone left Friday afternoon from a bus station near the school, but a few factors led to my decision to leaving Saturday morning. First, I hope to have internet this week; however, directions were lost in translation and my roommate and I thought that it would happen before the weekend. Second, almost all of the school buses leave right after the day is over on Friday, and I am not a person who rushes well under pressure. That night, my roommate and I went to a new restaurant (to us) called Sur, located on Av. Portugal between Av. Elloy Alfaro and Av. 6 de Diciembre. Rather pricy food, but I ended up having some delicious salmon and Portobello stuffed ravioli.

In the morning, my fellow Milwaukee friend, Jeanine, and I taxied to the Ofelia Bus Station in the northern side of Quito, costing only $5. We bought our tickets at $2.50 each. These kinds of buses, that go throughout the country, charge passengers about $1 per hour of driving, so it is a rather economical way of traveling through the country, and quite comfortable, too. Before departing from the station, a woman walked onto the bus and was selling small, bagged snacks for 50¢ each. One bag was filled with caramelized, coffee-covered peanuts. The other was some sort of plantain chip, but I am not entirely sure of what they were. Either way, they were both delicious and only cost me a dollar.

We left at 8:20 A.M. and headed north for a little while before heading west. The scenery, though very dry and brown, was stunning. I am consistently blown-away by the fact I am surrounded by the top of the Andes mountain range. Within 45 minutes there was a noticeable temperature and vegetation change. Within an hour, all the vegetation (including monstrous palms) were the loveliest shades of green. It began to feel like I was living on the equator.

The road wrapped back-and-forth along the side of the mountain. The engineering that must have been in place to design a road to perfectly go from Quito to Mindo, without ever having to traverse a bridge, was mind-boggling. And, when I say on the side of a mountain, I mean looking up and down you could barely tell where the top of the mountain and bottom of the valley were. The road was also just big enough to accommodate two lines of traffic. It crossed my mind a couple of times the possibility of flying off the edge, and thank god it didn’t happen.

We arrived in Mindo around 10:30 A.M., and made a turn off the main highway, and headed into a small valley surrounded by peaks. It became apparent why it is called the cloud forest, because they both look to be one in the same. Jeanine and I went separate ways. A few friends were staying at Cabañas Bambú, and I decided to try and find it because the prices were reasonable. All I had to direct me was a map that was literally created in Paintbrush. This seemed risky to me because I was in a different city without having made reservations. There are a lot of different hotels and hostels in Mindo, so it didn’t turn out to be a bad strategy. After walking down a dirt road, across a creek, and alongside a river for about 10 minutes, I arrived at my destination. Bambú is so freaking beautiful, and I may end up staying there the next time I visit (the Yellow House, I guess, is the perfect place to go if you like birding). Lush gardens with flowering plants separate buildings from each other. Leo, the owner, gave me a quick tour before showing me to my room. For $15 a night, I got my own room with a shared bathroom, and a deck with four hammocks. There are other options for rooms there, including having a private bathroom, at a higher price point. The facilities also include a pool and ping-pong table, volleyball net, pool and hot tub, and dining area.

After unpacking, I made a quick costume change into my swimsuit and shorts, hiking boots, and sunglasses. I had a general idea of where I wanted to go but no idea of how to get there. I took a risk and walked away from the town center and came by a crossing point over Rio Mindo, which takes you up to hiking, waterfalls, and ziplining. I kept making my way up the road, which quickly directed toward the top of a peak. Signs indicated that this would also take me to Cascada Nambillo. After about 40 minutes, I was nearing the top when a bus filled with tourists stopped and picked me up. I might have only had about half a mile to go, but it was really nice to take a break from my climb. We stopped at this cable car that appeared (to me) to run off of a motorcycle engine. At the price of $5 , you get a round-trip ride, of 1.5 minutes one-way, between two mountains… and kid you not it was at least 500 feet above the forest floor if not more. Don’t get me wrong because it is a structurally sound system, but the danger of it was exhilarating.

Turning to the left, a pathway leads you to Cascada Nambillo, as well as several other waterfalls. I made my way directly to Nambillo. It was a spiritual experience for me…I was reminded of going to the Boundary Waters. Granted this is an area for tourism but I was feeling connected to nature. It made me wonder about each of my grandparents. Did they ever get the chance to do and see all the things they wanted to in their lifetime? Being in Ecuador is a dream come true, and I am still in disbelief that I am really here.

I reached the waterfall, stripped down to my swimming suit and hopped in the water… A cha chai! The water was cold yet refreshing. I waded in a small pool where the water wasn’t moving too quickly. Had the water been warmer, I would have swam closer to the falls, which are at least 25 feet high. After a little while, I redressed when friends showed up. I joined them up the mountain because it looked like rain and I was starving. A young man with a sweet pickup truck carted us down the mountain to our hotels. He whipped down the road and blared Metallica. Again, I am in disbelief I live here! After arriving at Bambú, the group of us staying there changed and headed back into town for lunch. We ate at this sweet location called A lo Original. Most people ordered the Pollo, one person got the Tilapia, and I had the Carne. Each of the plates cost $5.50 and were loaded with rice, lentils, yucca fries (YUM!), and mixed salad. SOOOOOOOOO GOOD! Afterward, we had coffee at The Beehive Café (ran by a German man), and dessert at El Quetzal. If you go there for dessert, have the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. It looked super decadent.


We went back to the hotel, hung out in the hammocks and told stories before going back into town around 8 P.M, to a karaoke bar filled with locals. Someone said that the Ecuadorians sing some of the saddest happy songs, and these dominated the night before the Gringos took over the microphone. Best of the night was Josh’s rendition of “Creed- With Arms Wide Open.” I took a turn by singing “ABBA- Fernando,” which stirred the crowd of friends and locals into clapping to the beat. Who knew, ABBA must be alive and well in Ecuador?

After getting up in the morning, we headed back into town to purchase our tickets back to Quito and have breakfast/brunch. We stopped at La Repositeria, which is run by a German woman (seriously, where did all the Germans come from!?). Seriously good food, and we ate an inappropriate amount of Nutella. After we accomplished our tasks, we went back to the hotel and took some pool and hot tub time.

We packed up and headed back to town to meet up with Jeanine. Before boarding the bus, we stopped at A lo Original again, but this time I had the ceviche con palmito (heart of palm) that came with an orange-colored lemon and plantain chips, and a Bolón de Chicharón. Seriously, this food is amazing.

This was just the weekend I needed and I can’t wait to return to Mindo for some more adventures. Maybe I will be able to go there with visitors in the future J