In January 2017 Giselle headed to Cotacachi to stay for 2 months on her own just to see if it was someplace she could retire in. I invited my cousins Dan and Rose Fisher to fly down with me for a visit in February. We rented a truck and travelled a lot, trying to give them a similar experience of Ecuador that we experienced on our first guided trip. It was a lot of fun!
And so it begins… (2/3/2017) - Here I am, 1 day before heading back to my paradise and it is dumping snow here in Vancouver. My cousin Danny Fisher and his wife Rose are heading down from Terrace as I write this. I will have to… Read More ...
Snow Day… (2/5/2017) - We woke up this morning to about 8" of fresh, heavy, wet snow. The drive to the airport at 4:15 was uneventful...the subaru loves the snow! We arrived at the airport to what was supposed to be a 25 minute… Read More ...
Cotacachi – Our Little Paradise (2/7/2017) - Cotacachi - a small town in north central Ecuador. Political centre for the Canton Cotacachi (sort of like a county seat) in the province of Imbabura. It is a beautiful little town nestled in the valley between two extinct volcanoes… Read More ...
Cuicocha Laguna (2/8/2017) - Day one of our trip started out very energetically - is that even a word? A short 12 km drive out of Cotacachi took us to a large crater lake formed on the side of Cotacachi Volcano. Cuicocha Laguna is the equivalent… Read More ...
Papallacta – Hot Springs and Mountains (2/9/2017) - On Thursday, February 9, we booked a stay at Termas de Papallacta, a beautiful spa resort located high in the mountains between Quito and the Amazon Basin. Instead of going over to Quito and then up, we took an alternate route… Read More ...
Otavalo Market (2/11/2017) - The Otavalo Market is the largest Indigenous market in South America! Every Saturday, the market square in Otavalo is chock full of indigenous art, crafts, textiles, jewelry, foods and musical instruments brought in by artisans from all over the country.… Read More ...
Quito- the Old Town (2/13/2017) - Our good friend Wilson agreed to meet up with us in Quito today for a walk around in the historic district - A UNESCO world heritage site. The buildings here are all over 400 years old or so. There are… Read More ...
Churches and Cemetaries (2/15/2017) - After a day of rest, we met with our guide friend Marco Vega whom we met while on our first tour of Ecuador. He was our guide at the Amazon resort Casa Del Suizo, in Ahuano, on the Napo river.… Read More ...
Cuy! (2/16/2017) - After a short shopping trip in Ibarra, where we found Ecuadorian wine, we decided to look for a restaurant that serves a sort of national dish of Ecuador. There is a small town between Ibarra and Cotacachi called Chaltura. It… Read More ...