Quito, Mindo and Canoa... the "Royal" Tour

Biking through the Andes Mountains, from Quito to Mindo

I had a little less than a week between MKE having visitors, which is when I went to the Quito Zoo and Botanical Garden. My friends Anne and Ande planned a few months in advance to come visit me while in Ecuador and I tried my best to prepare them for what they would experience here... which involved more of what they would need. For example, in the USofA you can easily pay for something with a $20 bill or credit card. In Ecuador, especially the places we would be going, that wouldn't be so simple. So I made sure to let them know to bring plenty of small bills. I told them what kinds of clothes to bring based on the three different environments we would be visiting (Sierras, Cloud Forest, and Coast). I guess I didn't quite prepare them for everything, like the quantity of street dogs that we would find. Crossing the street when you have any opportunity. Coping with the winding roads and stop-go jerking driving. For me, this was a fun trip to build and share memories, but also recognize how much I anticipate before I step out my door.

SO MUCH GREEN! And HUGE leaves

Prior to their visit, I very loosely prepared a couple itineraries. One if we were going toward the North and another couple for the South. Based on my prior blogs/videos, I knew we were going to involve biking and the coast but that's it. After careful consideration, I decided and took action on a plan that involved biking from Quito to Mindo, then busing to Canoa and back to Quito, and Quito would only get the final day of their trip. Note: I love Quito but I would hardly describe it as an exciting tourist destination. Maybe a tourist layover-destination (to the Galápagos or the Amazon, etc.). I was particularly excited about this because I hadn't done this biking tour before, and the last time I was in Canoa was May 2015. I also was going to learn more about the busing to-and-from that part of the coast because I simply hadn't necessarily done that before.

One of the most fun parts of the trip was biking from Quito to Mindo, via a small town known as Nono. I would share with you the GoPro footage BUT I accidentally left my attachments and casings in my apartment. Funny enough, my helmet provided to me had a GoPro mount on it already. I just didn't have any of the other stuff. OH WELL, looks like I will be doing that biking trip again! For this, I booked a tour a couple days in advance with The Biking Dutchmen, located near the Mariscal. From start to finish, it took about 6 hours (including stops). There were two stops that I had fun at. One was a normal rest stop, where we got to try out balancing on a cable-as-a-bridge. The other was having lunch at the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. That is a place worth checking out for a future trip. Oh, the varieties of hummingbirds! The vistas! God, I love Ecuador.

We only spent the rest of the afternoon and the following morning in Mindo before heading toward the coast. This trip was, in ways, a lot of firsts for me. I hadn't done this biking tour before, and I hadn't visited the Balneario Nambillo. This one is located further up the mountain, but same road, from the tarabita. Mindo was just, well, Mindo. The morning was a fun time, but we had to leave to get to the coast before dark! For those of you interested in reaching the coast via Mindo: You must first go to Santo Domingo, as there is no direct bus to the coast from Mindo. There is a bus you can take Mindo-Santo Domingo but it takes about four hours as it goes toward Puerto Quito and then makes its way back inland. There is a more direct bus from San Miguel de los Bancos, which takes about 1/1.5 hours. We took a camioneta though. Then from Santo Domingo, you basically have to take a bus to Pedernales and then transfer to Canoa. The ticket prices seemed steep... $15 for three tickets from Santo Domingo-Pedernales, and then $12 from Pedernales-Canoa. On the plus-side, we left Mindo around noon and got into Canoa around 6 PM. It was humbling being in Pedernales for the little bit of time we were there... the city appeared to be making process in its recovery from the 2016 earthquake. Canoa, on the other hand, is making progress but still not near completion.

True love does not come to you, rather it has to come from within yourself.

We got one good sun day in Canoa, the rest being overcast for most of the day. It was so nice to be back on the beach, after not having been since February. The food: perfection. The company: awesome. The relaxation: full effect. Something that is worth noting is there is no bank or cajero automatico in Canoa... though they can be found in San Vicente and Bahia de Caraquez. I didn't do much except lounge around and read. Anne and Ande went for runs and walks up and down the beach and got a good feel of the town. My favorite night was when we stumbled across a beachside bar and had great conversation and practice with a didgeridoo. 

After a few days in Canoa, we needed to make our way back to Quito. It was timed perfectly because we still had all Friday before taking a night bus directly back to Quitumbe. Again, this had to be accomplished in San Vicente. We got our tickets, and then I took them across the bay to Bahia, my first beach destination in Ecuador. My heart both lifted and sank. It was great to walk around this town and see what has changed, and disheartening to see the extent of damage still from the earthquake last year. The high rises were either being repaired or on the verge of collapse. I did take a few pictures of the aftermath so that I could compare both of my experiences, but it was still incredibly depressing. My heart goes out to the people on the coast and I hope they have a full recovery.

One of the schools, abandoned from the damage

Complete destruction of a building in Bahia

View of the night sky, opposite the sunset in Bahia

The night bus went smoothly, for me at least. I am pretty sure I slept almost the entire way apart from the couple of stops at gas stations or picking up people... the assistant on the bus talked SOOOOO LOUDLY. Travel tip to those of you who don't mind/enjoy taking the buses: bring at least a buff and headphones/ear plugs. Seriously, I slept like a baby. Now, we had the option of arriving in Quitumbe (leaves San Vicente about 9 PM) or Carcelén (leaves about 10:40 PM) terminals in Quito and we opted for the former. Arriving in Quito around 5 AM and then my apartment about 6 AM, we were bushed. However, we still made a relatively early start for sites around Quito. They really wanted to visit the equator. We took the trole to La Ofelia, and then another bus to Mitad del Mundo, costing about $0.80 total, each. This was, again, my first time here in forever. The Ciudad de la Mitad del Mundo constantly transforms! 

After spending a couple hours there, we went by taxi to the Mercado Artisenal en Jorge Washington to do some souvenir shopping and seeing more of the city. After getting some bomb shawarma, we retired back to my apartment before they left on their night flight back to the States. 

This was a fun and exhausting week. I couldn't believe how much we packed into a short period of time, how many regions we were able to visit, and activities to complete. After three years of living here, I finally feel like I have a foothold on how to navigate the country and handle the unexpected. Thank you both for visiting me, and I am elated you had great experiences and learned a lot from your brief time here. 

The main advice I would give anyone thinking about coming here is to have an open mind and be resilient amidst challenges. Especially if this is your first South American destination. This is definitely not the USofA, for which I appreciate greatly. Go with the flow and try to understand why things are they way they are, rather than make judgements. This might not be your "normal" but it is for millions of other people. My guests took this with great stride, and they did well with handling culture shock. And while it is a "different way of life," you can learn so much about yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. 

With that said, I am now off to return to the coast for my remaining Summer vacation for diving, reading and relaxation, and mariscos!