AdventureCPA

Quito to Mindo....then back to Quito and out of here for Europe. Shortly before leaving the US the Wall Street Journal had an article on the bird watching capital of Ecuador...Mindo.  Only a two hour bus ride away from the capital ($3.10 per person) so with a few days left we took the city bus to the bus and arrived in Mindo Monday morning. Mindo is high in the mountains East of Quito so it appears to be technically in the Cloud Forest.  It certainly has plenty of clouds and rain.  Typical weather is morning sun until about Noon followed by mist and rain the rest of the day.  I guess the birds like it as it has become a birder destination.  Very much a tourist town with the required restaurants, taxi drivers etc.  We chose to stay during the week as it is said to be popular with Quito residents escaping the city on weekends so rates are down. Obviously, rain equals rivers so there is also tubing, butterfly attractions and hummingbirds.  Think I...

Ecuador ....first to Ibarra and Octavalo, then Quito. Upon arrival in Ibarra on a Sunday afternoon we walked to one of the city parks and came across this city band concert.  Nice afternoon although all the music sounds the same to my ears. Ibarra is a midsized city that we stopped at in order to consider a detour to the Ecuador coast . (New road built within the last few years).  Unfortunately the new road did away with the old railroad that was a classic travelers story...decend a few thousand feet from bare mountains to the steamy seacoast with the adventurist passengers riding on the top of the train. But it is no more....now just the inside of a german built bus. However the day after we arrived there was a nationwide bus strike for all intercity bus lines.  Little dispute that the government mandates lower fares for students and elderly but has not reimbursed the bus lines to the tune of about $72,000,000.  Only a one day strike as they dont want taxi dri...