Thursday, November 1, 2007

Jungle Pete's Ecuador Adventures!

The hurricane is headed up the Atlantic. All the loose ends at work are taken care of (er..comfortably ignored), the cats are set up for 11 days watching whatever the tivo is set to record while I'm gone. All that's left is to firm up the itinerary.

Ma-Le is the best planner and gave me a list of options for our trip in Ecuador. Since this is my 4th trip in as many years we thought we might head to the south towards the Peruvian boarder. We'll spend a little time in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and Ma-Le's home. Then it's off on the adventure. But maybe we should head to the Amazon....

Ecuador is amazing in diversity of habitat, wildlife and culture. I've experienced the Amazonian rain forest (called the Oriente), the Pacific coast, the capitol Quito in the Andes Mountains as well as Lake Quilitoa (pictured above - the height from volcanic lake to the caldera's highest point was over 1000 feet - the lake over 700 feet deep).

It's really tough to decide so I'll leave it up to the readers. The options on this trip include:

  1. heading east to an erupting volcano where we would most likely see monkeys in the nearby jungle. The warm mineral springs are considered to have natural restorative properties and can be bathed in, in the evenings while fiery pyroclasts are belched from the volcano in a natural display of fireworks.
  2. head southeast where we would visit waterfalls, caves and a zipline that puts you high up in the rain forest canopy where you zip along like a bird without wings, feathers, hollow bones or the need to poop before you take off. Ok nothing like a bird except your in the air. Maybe more like a flying squirrel. This trip also includes a visit to the city of Cuenca which has the highest number of centurions on the planet. Again - something in the water!

So with those options - check out the poll on the side bar and vote for which trip you'd choose! Stay tuned for Ecuador updates.



Was I supposed to let go?

11 comments:

  1. Hey, I vote for the vocano! I have a thing for vocanoes. My favorite memory of Costa Rica is the vocano I saw. Pete,when you get to the top of the vocano, tie a rope to a sturdy anchor and hang on like Tarzan would and go for it!!!!:)

    Have a safe trip!Praying for your safety.)
    marianne

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  2. I can do that! Any other requests for dangerous behavior? :)

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  3. Well, can I vote for whichever is safer? Is there a safer choice? I think that I'd go for the monkeys. Who passes up a chance to see monkeys?! Besides which your nephew voted for the erupting volcano.

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  4. Despite my disparaging remarks about meterologists - Jim the meterologist in Texas has arranged for the hurricane to move away from the Miami area. So I can fly out safely. Pants on Fire in Plymouth, Ma was also doing the hurricane safety dance but accidently attracted up her way. Way to go hurricane wisperer. Everyone stay safe up there.

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  5. I'm leaning toward the volcano and therapeutic soaking option, but perhaps ziplining through the forest canopy and relaxing by a waterfall would be equally enchanting... toughie. Natural wonders abound at both locales--but the intensity of a volcano is hard to beat! Can't wait to hear the details upon your return :)

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  6. U should not stop in the Peruvian border... go to Peru and have some tacacho .. yummy

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  7. awww reunited con tu amor... how sweet... i think im gonna cry.. hahaha..... u should get more viedos like this maybe you can win a prize in AFV -lily

    i'm telling u man.. this is all u gotta come up with to write a blog i am doing my spanish version...

    hey have u met SCUBA SMURF?

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  8. u are leaving your cats alone... thats it im calling animal control...


    i say go to the hotsprings

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  9. ah yes, we are enjoying the high winds in Plymouth MA today with gusts of 75 MPH! It's fun! What will be more entertaining is watching the DirecTV guy hook up our satellite in this weather. AH tivo!

    In addition, you grew up with monkeys, go for the zip line, sounds dangerous!

    Pants on fire- haha l'il sister

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