Colombia and Ecuador
Posted by Karen on October 20th 2007
Written on the 2007 Alaska to Brazil expedition
So far…
Well Colombia was lovely and we have to say that (if only to clarify), for us it felt one of the safest countries we have travelled through, we had absolutely no trouble and never once felt unsafe and are all quite happy to be advocates for Colombia and would encourage anyone to go! Obviously there are still some troubled areas, as is the case with a lot of countries, but with prior planning, a little common sense and local knowledge, it is easy to avoid any potential problems. The people are great and very welcoming, going out of their way to make our stay as easy as possible, the country side green and clean and the towns and cities surprisingly modern. These people have perfected the Salsa and dancing is a huge part of their culture. Their moves were perfect and it was a true pleasure to see how it’s done for real, both on the dance floor and spontaneously in the street. Colombia is definitely moving forward and well away from it’s troubled past.
After spending a couple of weeks all up exploring the main attractions (although you could easily spend a couple of months here and still not be bored), it was onto Ecuador.
Our first taste of Ecuadorian life was the famed Saturday markets in Otavalo. This is where all the locals gather to sell their wares. The live animal markets start very early in the morning and it is a photographers dream, as everybody is so intent on selling, buying and bartering they pay no notice to the odd Gringo snapping away. The main market is simply wonderful, crammed packed with locals wearing their national dress, the men and women looked proud and dignified and none of it was a show for the tourists. They all take immense pride in their appearance and it was fascinating to see our first real taste of indigenous South American people. The markets held everything from hand made wooden spoons to the latest fashion in ponchos. Shopping was definitely the main agenda of the day!
It was then on to Quito where our time was spent mixing between the old town with its wonderful old churches and markets and the new town, with its fantastic nightlife and extremely good restaurants. Some had sore feet, others had sore heads but all and all a great time was had.
From here it was a short trip to Tena, the gateway to the Amazon jungle. Here, most participated in a 3 day jungle safari, staying in one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to, Shangri-La Lodge, a jungle lodge built into the side of a mountain, overlooking an Amazon tributary (river) and miles and miles of jungle, as far as the eye could see.
Various jungle activates took place and an awful lot of trekking was done as we had requested a ‘hard’ tour in our efforts to get fit for the Inca Trail later on down the track. The non jungle goers either choose to take in some of reputed Ecuadorian white water rapids and do a kayaking course while others went to The Galapagos on an 8 day sailing trip. This, for those who went, was one of the highlights of their travels so far! And they all came back raving about their experience, posh boat, amazing marine life, snorkeling with giant turtles – the works!
We are now in the sleepy, chilled out little town of Banos, under the watchful eye of a still very active volcano, soaking the arching muscles in it’s famous hot springs and then it’s onto Peru….
Until next time…
