San Jorge Eco Lodge Milpe - All Inclusive Mindo

... of hail and rain just prior to the game. Our raingear was great for keeping us somewhat dry and for protecting us from the sloshing of beer in the aisles behind and above us. It was an exciting match with spectacular goaltending on Ecuador's side. The crowd cried, 'Yes, it's possible!' and 'He cries, cries, Maradona,' mocking the famous Argentinian coach and ex-player. Ecuador, the underdog, won 2-0, prompting the following day's headlines to ...

... only half of everyone was paying attention. As the instructors gave out directions it began to look more and more like an Abbott and Costello routine with everyone wondering who said what. “What do we hold on to?” “What is this strap for?” “How do I stop?” “What did he say?”
It turned out to be pretty safe as those who didn’t figure it out before they jumped figured it out as they went, and nobody plummeted out of the canopy ...

... them to an "official money changer" and, even with my dodgy maths, managed to spot that he tried to cheat me out of $4! Cheeky tactic, but not working on me, I'm afraid!

I finally arrived at my hostel in Quito at about 11pm, almost 18 hours after I'd started my journey. I was absolutely exhausted but still managed to get up at a reasonable hour to begin my week of sloth watching Wimbledon! It's all over now but it's been bliss to get up every morning and watch some quality ...

... to watch the game. Most guests were at the game watching it first hand, and after dinner we had the place to ourselves, so we put salsa on the stereo and David, Darwin, his girlfriend and Milli salsa danced the night away (I was working). With all of Quito lit up below us, and the rain lightly falling, salsa playing as loud as we wanted it was the most authentic, perfect night. Until David passed out and started drooling all over his chef’s uniform, but still, pretty amazing.

... teachers from the local school how to speak English so they could teach it! Comedy. I was effectively writing their curriculum for them! It also renewed an itch that I´ve had for some time, that maybe teaching is the correct vocation for me. Food for thought.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. Five or six hours a day with some of the friendliest and most gracious people I could ever have hoped to meet. By the time I left, I felt I ...

... dirt track up to the lake. it was very entertaining watching the procession of vehicles sliding in the mud slowly making their way up to where we were watching from. It turned out that this day was a national holiday and to celebrate there was going to be a rock concert and extreme sport festival held up at the lake. There was quite a buzz about the place suddenly and a great community feel as everyone helped each other dig vehicles out of ...

... weather. Our early start bought us relative few species and the only high light was a broad billed mot mot - a member of the Kingfisher family, this was a beautiful multicoloured bird. We took a break for lunch and met later in the afternoon. As the rain started to fall so did our spirits. Our guide picked us up and we expected a wet and uneventful afternoon. We were very wrong - the birds came out with the rain ...

... people weaving blankets with elaborate picture-patterns that they do completely from memory. Also, just before leaving Museo Intiņan, we saw a Shiuar hut that, although some parts have been restored, is an original from over 200 years ago. There was a pen of guinea pigs in the hut, because the Shiuar people believed that if the guinea pigs were quiet, that signified that there were no evil spirits in the home. Speaking of guinea pigs ...

... inflatable boat like the special services use, only with less ammunition and more American old age pensioners) back to the boat. Evenings on the boat tended to follow the same routine, we'd get back from the afternoon activities, shower and change, head to the bar for a beer and be debriefed on the day gone by before being briefed on the day to come, then we'd have dinner, the Americans would all mysteriously disappear the moment the meal was complete and our ...

... legs, the annoying little flies just seem to appear from sand fly-city and go on full attack! In less than a minute, while bartering with a local over how much it would cost to rent broken down bikes for a few hours, both of us had at least 15 blots of blood covering our legs where the lovely sand#$ers had done their dirty work. Wait, ten seconds, Namaste, Oh Shanti Om. OK. Thank you for the bites my little friends, I will itch them in peace. So, supposedly ...