Quito and Mindu

Quito and Mindu

         We started our Ecuador trip in Quito (named after the Quitu people) and Mindu, places which are only about an hour and a half apart, but are polar opposites.  We didn’t get to spend all that much time in Quito, but we visited a plethora of museums, churches and monuments, which Quito is full of.  We started off standing with the giant Virgin Mary on the top off a hill watching over Quito…and my goodness the city of Quito is huge and goes on forever. We then stood on the exact Equator line, which was a pretty funny experience…first they take you to take a picture at a monument of the equator line, and then they tell you that its not actually the real equator line…so you go to take another picture at the real equator line.  There were all sorts of funny activities…such as the egg balancing challenge, and the walking in a line challenge, and testing the strength…apparently it is ridiculously hard to balance on the exact equator line, and stepping to the side a bit makes all the difference.  There are strong forces pulling you both North and South at the same time.  Also, when draining water from a basin on the equator there is no whirlpool…but move the basis to the side a bit…and there is a current again…pretty cool.

         We also learned some about the indigenous tribes that have lived in Ecuador, and interesting traditions and ways of life.  The Waorani people still live in the jungles in Ecuador today, and maintained their culture and ways for the most part…sadly their jungles are under threat by the oil industry.  They live in the Yasuni jungles, where in one acre of land, there are more trees than in all of the North America…this provides a lot of the oxygen that keeps the world alive…wow.  We also learned how to shrink heads…there was a tradition where tribes would behead their prisoners and wear their heads as jewelry around their necks.  We also learned about some interesting death/burial rituals.  They used to bury loved ones in womb shaped tombs, with the idea that people should leave life in the same way that they enter life. 

         The city of Quito is huge and packed.  It’s the second largest city in Ecuador, with a population of 2 million.  There is impossible traffic all day everyday.  The streets are packed with people, cars, taxis, and busses, and everybody wants to get where they are going faster than everybody else.  It becomes a bit of a scary competition with endless honks and seemingly near accidents.  But somehow there are rarely accidents.  In the end, the bigger you are, the more right of way you have.  As a pedestrian, you have no right of way.  Busses take over.  They will drive where they want, when they want, cutting all other vehicles off and running lights like there’s no tomorrow.  On a side note, going for a running in Quito was a failure and a half.  Anyway, Quito, from the little we saw is a dynamic city full of culture.  I hope I will be able return to explore the city more.  Also, at pretty much all clubs and bars, it seems to be ladies night all night every night.

         After Quito, we traveled the “cloud city” of Mindu, up in the mountains near Quito.  It was incredible. Not only were we living in the clouds, we stayed at a hummingbird and butterfly reserve.  We were also surrounded by an array of brightly colored, aromatic, tropical flowers.  The only sounds were birdcalls, insects, and the rushings of the river.  It was so peaceful, so beautiful and pure.  Apart from the appreciating peace and serenity of Mindu, we got to go on a crazy, freezing tubing adventure that would most definitely be illegal in the United States.  So much fun, and I definitely almost peed my pants the whole time.  Next, we went ziplining through the forests, and one of my friends kicked her fear of heights in the ass.  I also went for a few incredible runs in the mountains of Mindu…welcome to both hills and altitude Illana…who is from flatland, zero altitude Minnesota.  But, no matter, I was running in the clouds and rainforest…and the way back from one run, I got stuck behind a herd of cows for a good 20 minutes which was pretty amusing.