Lindo Mindo

So I am back in the concrete jungle of Quito after a blissful getaway to a nearby rural town called Mindo. It is located in a cloud forest and the fresh, moist air felt so good. Our hostel resembled a tree house tucked up in dense tropical vegetation right next to a river which I loved listening to just before I felt asleep. Like the Hostel in Puerto Lopez, this one had a great owner, lots of hammocks, and a baby kitten for entertainment. I’m going to start expecting these features! The locals in Mindo were friendly and I could tell it was another town where everyone knows each other. A local even told us that they all refer to each other as their neighbors, even if they are not. An observation I have after traveling for a few weekends is that when you travel, you end up meeting all kinds of people along the way. Whether it is other lodgers at the hostel, your guides for your various excursions, shop owners, or random encounters; it is easy to meet people from all ends of the Earth. It’s a little unusual, but there are a lot of Germans that travel, volunteer, work in Ecuador. They are everywhere, and I don’t really get the connection between Germany and Ecuador.
Our day activities included ziplining, hiking, jumping off 40ft waterfalls, and eating seriously good food. You know, just a normal day...Not! It was a blast. It’s one of the more beautiful places I have ever seen with all of the waterfalls, exotic flowers, and untouched forests. Today, we went to a butterfly sanctuary with little flutterbies flitting and fluttering all around us. Fun fact: Ecuador is in third place for having the largest diversity of butterflies in the world. You go Ecuador!
It would be a lie to say that my travel buddies and I survived the weekend sin problemas (problem free). The only ATM in town didn’t work which was most unfortunate for those of us light on cash, a guy friend of mine lost all of his money (which those of us with little cash were kind of depending on), and I have the biggest butt bruise of all time due to my not-so-graceful landing in the river from 40ft up. I think the whole world winced when they saw me hit the water. Aside from that, Mindo gave Puerto Lopez a run for its money and I hope to go back some time while I am here.



Top 5 of the weekend

5. Hangin with all 'dem flutterbies

4. Churrascos for lunch (steak, fried eggs, avocados, rice, french fries, salad....$4)

3. Joining in on the Saturday night dance party in the street for a little Macarena

2. The four of us riding in the back of a truck standing up, pretending it was a chariot

1. Ziplining upside-down!