After a good sleep at the Cayman Tuesday night, we were revitalized once again. The first thing we did was email our friend Bob in Canoa to warn him about the bus to Quito, which he might be taking in a week or so. Tips from other travellers are invaluable so we like to help out when we can.
After the included breakfast at the Cayman, we walked about 12 blocks to the artesan market where there are probably about 100 different vendors selling Ecuadorian crafts. We bought a few things including a $15 double hammock that one of us will have to figure out how to hang in our screened porch. We don't usually buy much on our travels but the artesan market is a great place to see some beautiful Ecuadorian weaving and other crafts.
After an afternoon nap, we took a taxi to visit Josh's friend Parshan, who had invited us for dinner. We had originally planned to go the night before but we had some miscommunications and our bus ride from hell so Parshan was graceful enough to re-schedule.
Parshan cooked us an excellent Persian dinner and we enjoyed meeting her boyfriend Lucas who is also an architect. A great evening but shortly after 10 pm we had to leave to get some sleep before our 4:30 am wake-up call.
Yesterday morning we were all set and left the hotel at 5:30 am in the taxi that, this time, was waiting for us. It's about a 45 minute drive to the airport with no traffic. We knew we'd have to go through security and customs so we wanted to be in good time for our 9:10 am flight to Bogota.
All went smoothly and the flight to Bogota took only an hour and 40 minutes. We had over 3 hours in the Bogota airport which is also quite new and nice. At 2:30 pm we boarded our Air Canada flight for Toronto. Unfortunately, we sat on the runway for about an hour while some cargo had to be unloaded for some reason. We never really mind when they unload cargo they're not sure about. Safety first. Besides, we had another 3 hour layover in Toronto so we had lots of time.
Eventually the plane took off. They served a complimentary meal with wine, which was nice. After dinner one of us went to the back and chatted with the flight attendants, returning with her pockets full of more wine and snacks. Not a bad flight, although it took about 6 1/2 hours. Many people on the plane were too late for connections in Toronto but we were fine.
By the time we cleared customs, re-checked our bags and went through security, we had to wait only about 45 minutes before boarding our Ottawa flight. That too was uneventful. We arrived in Ottawa about 1:30 am and so did our bags, thankfully. The 10 minute taxi drive to our hotel cost $13.70 so I gave the driver $15, even though we knew he could have taken a shorter route. Apparently $15 wasn't enough because he popped the trunk and didn't even get out of the taxi to help me get the bags out. I was inclined to leave the trunk open but didn't want to be an idiot. There's a big difference in attitude and expectations between some Canadian and Ecuadorian service providers.
We've now had some sleep and are all ready for our youngest son Dylan to pick us up to drive us home in a couple of hours so this is the last blog post for this trip.
A few final thoughts on Ecuador:
There are many nice places in the world to visit and we would like to see more of them. However, we also intend to go back to Ecuador, particularly to Canoa which really suits us.
We really enjoyed the variety of fresh, tasty food in Ecuador. There are big differences between the food in the highlands and the food on the coast but it's all delicious. There are lots of fruits and vegetables with which we were previously unfamiliar.
Never put anything that doesn't come out of your body into the toilet. Use the basket instead. Ecuadorian plumbing is delicate.
Whistling is alive and well in Ecuador. Especially on the beach, where the surf is thundering, many people are adept at whistling to get the attention of a friend or co-worker.
Ecuador has a bit of a bad reputation for crime but we had no problems and saw fewer scams than we've seen elsewhere. However, travellers always need to use common sense anywhere. In general, the people we met were very trustworthy, pleasant and helpful. They are very proud of Ecuador for good reasons.
Travel by bus in Ecuador is very cheap and, with a couple of exceptions, our bus rides were safe, comfortable, clean and enjoyable.
Being fluent in Spanish would be very helpful. We always get along but there's not much English spoken in Ecuador and we would have got along easier if we were more fluent. A goal for next time.
The sun in Ecuador is very intense, much more so than in Canada or in the Caribbean.
The climate in Ecuador, even though it's on the equator, can be cool and damp in the highlands. The buildings aren't usually heated so they can be cooler than Canadian homes. On the coast, it's much hotter.
Most people in Ecuador are indigenous to some degree. In Otavalo, for instance, it's very obvious that most people are indigenous not only from their dress but also from their physical features including the fact that many are less than 5 feet tall. On the coast, people are taller; there are more black people and less traditional dress.
There are children everywhere who look well cared for.
Finally, a few more pictures:
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