Amazon Basin, Quito and area, end of this adventure

I am currently again in Quito, essentially I have one more night here before I begin my long journey home.

But first lets talk about the Amazon Basin! I spent 4 days in the Amazon Basin, aka Amazonia. The trip was pretty cool, it starts with a quick flight, then a 2.5 hr boat ride up a shallow but very wide river, followed by a 15 minute walk, followed by another like 45 minute canoe ride on a lagoon.

A few things to note about the lodge itself, La Selva. Firstly power is only available from 5:30am until 10pm, essentially, this means the humidity in the rooms after 10 with no fan is rather intense. Secondly the food is absolutly amazing, the deserts and decorations of the dishes was impecible.

Days at Selva go something like this, wake up call at 6:30, breakfast at 7, first activity at 7:30. Back to the lodge around 11, sleep, lunch at 12:30, sleep, second activity around 4:30, dinner 7, lights out 10. Oh, somewhere in there you also have to find time to dry out your stuff, as the rainy season in the forest is just getting started.

Great days filled with nature walks, hunting for frogs for a research project, listening to howler monkeys, watching the forest from the tree top lookout, pirannah fishing and if you were crazy enough swimming in the lagoon 5 minutes after tried to get pirannah in the same place.

The experience could only have been better if they 2.5 boat ride home could of been on one of the many fast boats the passed us, the experience is one thing getting there, but at 5:30 in the morning when your forced to leave in such advance... well a fast boat seems appealing.

Back in Quito, I sent out today on one of my only real adventures in Quito, a day trip out to the Otavalgo markets and accompaning area. The trip lasted 12 hours!!! I did see 3 different volcanos, but given the height there are clouds hiding the tops of the bad boys. The trip wast kind unique in that the driver I hired brought along his wife and at each stop he was excited to show her these great things, not just me. For me this instilled that he truly thought the things he was showing me where great as he wanted his wife to check them out aswell, he wanted more photos than me!!!! Near the end his wife finally declined a few photos as he was going crazy taking photos of lunch, and these bread things/bakery.

Sadly tomorrow is the start of my journey home, different factors mean I leave Quito at 11am Saturday and will be in Vancouver around 11am, Sunday.

This adventuring stuff is hard work, 5:30am wakeups, don't think I've slept past 8am in 4 weeks. Henrique, we need to talk about me having an actual vacation after all this hard work, I need a rest!!!! =)

As usual more photos on Flickr via the link in the top right.

Dapper-soon-to-be-in-Vancouver-Dan