The Rainforest Near Quito

The Rainforrest Resort
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We got back from the Galapagos and were transfered to our hotel. Super tired we just chilled out for the night.  The next day our car came to pick us up to take us to the Arasha Resort in the rainforest just 2 hours outside of Quito.

A little on Quito...the city is pretty blah.  There isn´t really interesting buildings and the people are nice, but there is no energy, it it just there.  It is probably like the Colombus, OH of South America (Sorry if you are from there).  However the best meal I´ve had the whole trip has been in Quito, carne asada.  It is just a grilled flank steak, but served with spiced lentil beans, rice and plantains, but not sweet plantains, salty fried ones that a not greasy.  yum, yum.

Arasha in the Rainforest

What we thought was the The Fruit Farm
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So the 2 hour drive was nice, down through the mountains filled with green viney trees, waterfalls and a bunch of small shanty towns.  We arrived at the Arasha and I forgot I signed us up for a tour, so we dropped our bags and were off to and Organic Fruit Farm a 20 minute drive away.  We pull up to this shabby shack with our guide who doesn´t speak english that well, and he is going to traslate for the owner of the farm, who is walking out of his shack with a machaede, (which everyone carries in the rainforrest). So we go on the tour which is pretty cool he uses sugar with milk and lets it ferment or something like that as a natural insectisid.  It is he has bamboo, pineapples, oranges and a bunch of other stuff that we typically don´t have in the US.  So the end of the tour is this guys house.  Which is a mansion in Ecuadorian terms.  Big yard, pool, BBQ, Cabana, etc.   So we are thinking this guy lives in a shack we pulled up to, when really it is this nice place.  See the pictures for reference.

Gigantic Bamboo
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The rest of the day was at the hotel hanging by the pool and just chilling out(finally).  Dusk is the best part of the day there.  It is so beautiful there are hundreds of hummingbirds flying about and the whole place has a glow to it.  It is so beautiful.  That night was dinner and then the resort has Karaoke, which we were the only participants.  So it was funny just singing to each other, but it beats going after a really good sinnger at Ernie´s (Kate you know what I mean).

on the raft
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We were one of 4 other groups staying at the resort so that was a little weird actually, since we just came from a ship full of people. but it was nice to have some time to ourselves.

The next day we wens on a cadcades and lagoons tour.  This was a hike into the rainforrest and a stop to swim in a lagoon and undera waterfall. It was awesome¡  So beautiful and the water was to clean and refreshing after the hike.  I'm including pictures. The rest of the day we just chilled until our all-included spa appoinments, a hydrotherapy(aka a bubble bath) A facial and reflexolgy massage.  All of which were good for the price, but as with many things in Ecuador, sub-par compared to the US. After dinner we chatted with the stafff since they were the only ones there speaking English and went to the movie of the evening...Father ot the Bride 2.

This guys actual house
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Our last day and the day we left was pretty cool.  We made rings out of palm nuts and made our own chocolate, from cacao beans to the tasty treat we eat.

On the way to the Airport we stopped at the Citudad Miel de Mundo, Also know and the Equator.  So now we can say we{ve been in both hemispheres at the same time (Pete, that's for you).  Actually what was cool were the backpakers there balancing and egg on its slimmer end...and they did it, see pictures.

So long to Ecuador and hello Peru.