From up on Even Higher

From here, you imagine that if the mountains and clouds weren't there, you have the feeling that you could see forever.

One of the few planned activities on our journey to Ecuador was to tour the Parque Nacional Cajas (Cajas National Park).  We had originally planned to hike the Cajas on Thursday, September 4th.  But while taking the city tour via double decker bus on our first day we both got a little winded climbing stairs due to the 8,000 ft. elevation of the city.  In the Cajas we would be hiking in the 13,000 ft. range, so we decided that we would need to wait until towards the end of our visit to give ourselves time to acclimate to the over mile and a half high elevation.  You've heard Denver referred to as "the mile high city".  Well, Cuenca is at an elevation over 50% higher than that.

The Cajas was certainly on our "don't miss" list regardless.  But for a few days the hike looked to be in jeopardy.  Not due to the lack of acclimatizing, but you'll remember that Jana twisted her ankle a couple of days after we arrived in Cuenca.   While many days she wouldn't admit how much it was aggravating her, she soldiered through the pain.  We made every effort to keep her off her feet as much as we could to give her ankle time to rest.  Each time we headed out in the morning to walk the city, which as you've seen was a lot, we wrapped her ankle in an Ace bandage.   Each night when we returned for the evening, we iced her ankle to reduce the minor swelling, nursing the ankle along in an effort to make sure we could hike the Cajas in just a few days. 

Finally, on Wednesday this week, we felt like the ankle had healed sufficiently to commit to the hike.  So we stopped by one of the local tour companies, Terradiversa, and made our reservations for the hike the next day, Thursday, September 11th, which was the last day possible for us being that we were leaving on Friday.  At a cost of $50 each for an all day group tour with an English speaking guide, that also included lunch, we felt that was a pretty good deal.  

We were picked up at our apartment yesterday at 8:00 a.m. by our guide, Javier.  He said that we were the only ones on the tour today, so as it turns out we had a private tour.  Javier is a very nice and knowledgeable young man who graduated in tourism from the University of Cuenca two years ago.  He aspires to own his own touring company some day and I suspect he will be very successful in his endeavors.  As we drove up to the Cajas, only a 30 minute drive from Cuenca, he explained the ecology of the Cajas to us.  He told us about the four different forest zones found in the park and some of the negative effects the non-native trees have had on the native plants.  

Our hike would be split into two parts.  First, we would hike for approximately an hour and a half around gorgeous lake, of which I didn't catch the name.  On the site was an abandoned beer distillery that had provided Cuenca with libations for over 100 years.  To reach this part of the park we traveled on the same 150 year old cobblestone road we had been on earlier in the week when we visited the condo development taking place just outside the park.   From this point, I will merely let the pictures do the talking.  But keep in mind that the few photos below are a mere smattering of the near 400 photos I took on our trek and whittled down to a little over 200 edited pictures to be posted on my Google Plus site.  If you like what you see below I strongly encourage you to click here.

The toughest part about this blog entry is selecting the photos to share in the blog itself.  I have skipped so many incredible pictures to this point in the journey I again ask that you click on the link above to see the full breadth of what we have experienced.  Here are a few more to whet your whistle.

I experimented some with the macro setting on the camera, as was demonstrated in the yellow "shoe flower" above.  As we left the setting of the first hike at 3,100 meters or just over 10,100 feet elevation, we got back into the car and headed up to an elevation of approximately 3,900 meters or 12,975 feet.  That's where we began our second hike, which last approximately 2 hours, took us over 4,000 meters (13,125 feet) and traversed a landscape like no other on Earth.  

Consider the fact that it is just over 40 degrees Fahrenheit and we are merely 40 miles west of the Pacific Ocean and only about 150 miles south of the equator. However, we are at an elevation of 13,000+ feet.   These three forces combine to create one of the most unique settings on planet Earth.  Just think of yourself being in a desert, that has an abundant supply of water, in a soil so rich it could essentially grow anything, but an elevation that keeps the temperature so temperate that growth is stunted.  It is a truly remarkable place!

To warm the bones before the hike, of course I had to have some Ecuadorian coffee!

As you can imagine, the plant life here is like that you have never witnessed, and likely won't unless you visit the Cajas.  Our guide informed us that there are at least 19 plants that are endemic to the Cajas alone.

The plant above blooms only one time in it's 20 year life span.  Once it blooms, it begins it's decline, as witnessed in the photo above.

Like all wonderful things, even this magnificent outing had to begin to wind down.  As we headed back towards the park visitor center, we saw some of the wildlife that call the Cajas home.

And as with any good play, you expect an encore.

From there we descended back down to 11,000 feet where we feasted on our almuerzo of the day, fresh trout from the Tomebamba River, the freshest of water that originates in the Cajas National Park.  We dined in a unique setting as well.  Enjoy....

Fortunately, that wasn't to be our last supper.  But it's very hard to even continue from here, as to relive the experience is simply that overwhelming.  The trip to the Cajas was extremely moving and one of those pinnacles in life you are able to experience only on rare occasions.

However,  I still owe you a report from our relaxing day the day before our trip to the Cajas and I dare not skip over our redux of Fabianos (remember incredible pizza from the last report) for our last supper in Cuenca last night.  But, even beyond that is the setting from which I type this very blog post.  We had no idea, but sans Cajas, we may have just saved the best for last.  Stay tuned!

Hasta Manana!




  

Zona Refrescante'

As we were sitting over our almuerzo yesterday, at what has become our go to stop for lunch Zona Refrescante', we reflected over just how healthy of a lifestyle we have been leading for the past week or so.  All without even really making an effort!  Sure I still have had my share of cervezas and Jana has had a vasso de vino or two, and we've had a couple of meals that wouldn't be found on a Jillian Michael's diet plan.  But the vast majority of our meals have been so fresh and, well, refreshing.  Not only have the meals been refreshing but on average we've walked over 3 miles a day just taking daily strolls through the city.  

Just as in the photo above, almost all of the meals we've had here have been made from fresh ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables and organic meats.  I'm not trying to sound like a health food fanatic here, but it's amazing how much better you feel when you don't wake up bloated from all of the salt and other preservatives you put into your body the day before.  

Our almuerzo at Zona Refrescante' yesterday started with the sopa (soup) made of potatoes, chick peas and basil.  We were provided with a creamy hot sauce that I couldn't tell you what was in it but it spiced everything up just right.  Next came the main course, which consisted of a chunk of white meat chicken and a rolled up something that had chopped red peppers, ham, cheese and I think chicken, all covered in a cream sauce.  We called it a chicken cordon bleu roll up, I don't know what they called it.  We also called it excellent!  That fit right in with the fruit salad, rice and corn cake that was on the plate.  All washed down with a freshly squeezed mora jugo (blackberry juice).  When we both cleaned our plate we just looked at each other and said, WOW"!  Our waiter then brought us a small plate of whipped dairy cream, something that is very common here and was meant as a palate cleanser.  The lunch was perfect, the setting was perfect and the price, even better at $4 each.  

To make these incredibly fresh meals, the restaurants merely have to go around the corner daily to the mercado and pick up the ingredients that were likely in the field yesterday morning.  Before lunch yesterday, we were strolling around the city and took a little walk through the mercado ourselves.  Just imagine all of the fresh meals you could make everyday from fruits and vegetables like this.

And the fresh, non-processed cheeses, incredible!

Just walking around the city is not the only healthy aspect of the day, but taking your time and taking it all in is good for the soul.

Of course, if it's the soul you need to work on, you have plenty of options and opportunities here.

And on any given day if you don't have time to go to the mercado for your fresh fruit, you have plenty of other options right on the street.

When you get tired out, you just pop in the nearest halenderia and get a scoop or two of some of the freshest ice cream you've ever had.  Then sit down on the park bench and do what you've become very good at, lick your cone while you watch the people walk by.  

After such an exhausting day, what else to do?  Siesta time of course!  

On occasion you need a little more relaxation, so just head to your favorite watering hole for your two for one libation of choice.  For this evening Jana chose Sex on the Beach (lol) and I went with the more relaxed Pina Colada (note to self, Pina Colada 2 for 1 ends at 4 pm).  

That's where the "healthyness" ended for the day, but not the freshness!  Finally, we made it to the place we had been dying to try, Fabianos Pizzeria.  Leading up to our trip here I had read in many ex-pat blogs how Fabianos was the only "real" Americano pizza in town.  From all the walking we've done, I can say there is no shortage of options for pizza here.  but we chose to wait and only splurge on pizza at Fabianos.  Are we glad we did or what?  

We met Bev, our "landlord" for dinner at 5:30 p.m. at Fabianos.  She is a wonderful person and joy to chat with.  We told her how awesome our trip has been and how perfect the accommodations are.  I think I mentioned in a prior post how her apartment has every appointment you could want or desire, she simply thought of everything!  

But tonight we were together to enjoy the pizza at Fabianos.  To start with we had the absolute best calamari any of us have ever eaten.  It was lightly battered and cooked to perfection.  The Pilsner Grande was priced right at $1.65 and our Superduper Grande Supremo pizza with pepperoni, sausage, green olives, green peppers, mushrooms and onions was simply OUTSTANDING!  And to stay with the theme of this blog entry, all of the ingredients were obviously just purchased at the mercado that morning, you could just tell the freshness in every bite. When in Cuenca, do not miss Fabianos!

Bev was headed off to meet some friends to play trivia at Roux Bar, we opted to head to one of the coolest bars I have ever swerved into.   The name of the very small bar is "Far Out". The owner is a German ex-pat who is a brewmeister and almost refuses to serve any beer other than his own brew.  Not because he wants to profit from his wares, but in typical German mindset, he simply doesn't want to serve anything less than the best.  I had his blonde offering and it was, simply put, excellent!  

Turns out, he and I had a lot in common.  We discussed the nature and status of world politics while listening to tunes from the absolute single largest music selection known to man.  He told me that if I wanted to hear it, just look through the alphebetized catalog that was as thick as a New York City phone book and tell him what we wanted to hear.

Well, turns out I had an artist on my phone that he didn't have in his collection.  Not only was he surprised, but he gave me a thumb drive and asked me to copy the album for him.  I'll take the thumb drive back to him this evening and my friend Lynne Campbell, guitarist extraordinaire from New Zealand, will now be heard in Cuenca, Ecuador.   Pictures at 11.

Hasta Luego!