I LOVE ROOM SERVICE!!!!!!!

Joel Versus the Volcano

I'm not sure how intelligent it is to cohabitate with a smoking active volcano. But the view from our room was amazing!

Looks Like We Weren't the Only Ones Havng a Ball

On the way back from the waterfall, we saw a monkey swinging around on the power lines, so we pulled over to get a better look. One more shot for our catalog of big wild animal testies. Yay!

South of the South Border

While staying at the resort, we took an overpriced taxi into the small rainy town of La Fortuna for a store run and dinner out. On the advice of the concierge, we decided to indulge in some tex-mex at a local joint on the edge of town. The food was pretty good and the beer was very cold. However, we couldn't tell if it was because we were gringos, because our waiter was having an off night, or the because the place was one of those themed restaurants, but the waitstaff was purposefully, directly, and extremely rude to the us. (Anyone know the name of the restaurant that made that famous?) But we got out of there unscathed--aside from the food poisoning--and ate on site the rest of the stay.

Wait For It

Not engaged...























ENGAGED!!!

A few more gratuitous waterfall/proposal pictures

Some TV Just Plain Stinks

There was even a big flatscreen above the bidet; and the rain simulating shower came right out of the high ceiling.

Tabacon

So, we've been over the engagement and how great Tabacon Thermal Spa and Resort was. But holy cheet, meng! This suite was sweeeeeeet!!!

Glossy-A

In this picture, Cotopaxi looks like it has three distinct peaks; but that effect is provided by the base of the ginormous glacier on top. The glacier is actually melting at an accellerated rate of 4 meters per month. Our guide told us that experts are pretty sure it's due to global warming, and not due to the fact that the glacier sits on top of an active vocano that, based on it's history, is due for a very violent erruption within the next twenty years, if not tomorrow...We'll see.

Weird Wild Shtuff

At the base of Cotopaxi, there was a large, long, flat plain and a very shallow lake. There were also wild horses. Yes wild horses still exist...I did not know that. So, we decided to pay the guide extra to tame a couple, and we rode them back to our hotel in Quito.

That's not true. But there really were wild horses at Cotopaxi, which I thought was pretty neat.

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi: National Park and glacier-capped volcano. This was quite an expedition. We hiked up through sand, rock, snow, and ice--yup, it snows at the equator--to the base of the glacier, which put us at just over 15,500 feet. We stopped there.

Lavenia

Ol' Ba, did you notice what the restaurant was called? Made me think of a black french beret, Casey Montgomery, and of course you, buddy.

Oh, and can you believe my surprise to find Alan Arkin working there as a waiter? Wouldn't stand still for a picture or an autograph. That is one hard workin moviestar.

Birthday Yummy

So just as we did in Paris for Nikki's 21st birthday, in Quito for her 24th, we found an overpriced restaurant that would make us feel poor and uncomfortable and allow us the opportunity to appreciate our own cooking, and a really good, really greasy no frills cheeseburger from Redmill. I think I speak for both of us when I say it was super fun and super awkward--just like it was in Paris--which made it all that much more romantic...I hope. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PEEKLE!!!

Birthday Luxury

When running water becomes a luxury and the smell of sewage an everyday thing, I'll tell ya, staying in a room with all the hot running water you can handle and a king-sized bed with freshly cleaned sheets is an effing treat!! I just have to thank Pickle for having a birthday, so we had an excuse to spend the money on such a treat. Thank you, Pickle, and Happy Birffday!!

The place was called Casa Foch, and was so worth the few extra bucks. Super friendly, helpful, clean, intelligent, kind, happy, ect. It's in new town, or the "Mariscal," and we definitely recommend it.

Don't Worry, I Won't Quit My Day Job

I just couldn't get enough of this cloud. All snuggled up behind the mountain, like it was hiding from the city waiting to pounce. Thank you digital photography; out of 200 horrible pictures of the hiding cloud, we found four only slightly bad ones to post.

High on the 'Feriqo!

Meanwhile, back in Quito... conditioning for our upcoming Cotopaxi trip, we took the Teleferiqo (gondola) up to a 13,500 foot lookout over the city. Quito is so long--or wide if you go by their maps--you practically have to turn 180 degrees to look from one end of the city to the other. We rode the 'feriqo up and hiked a bit more and froze as we watched a huge shadow devower the city as the sun set over the surrounding volcanos.



Side note: we had really hoped for a romantic ride up in the gondola alone: there was absolutely no one behind us in line. But a split second after we got on the thing, a fully armed cop-type dude came running up and jumped in the cable car. It freaked us out at first, but we calmed down after about ten minutes of the guy constantly whisper-yelling "Charlie-veinte, Charlie-veinte" into his walkie talkie. Not funny, haha, at all...well, actually it was pretty damn funny, but strange.

Equator in Ecuador....Who Knew??

From Tena, we bussed it straight to Quito arriving a little ahead of schedule, giving us a couple of days to goof off. So, we headed straight up to the actual equator that made Ecuador famous and, of course, we kissed whilst simultaneously standing on both hemispheres. World travelers: worldly kissers.

And obviously, while we were at the Ciudad Mitat del Mundo, we took in a few miniature museums and an Ecuadorian Soul Sista concert...for free!!!

Remember Shooter's?

Anyone reading this blog that lived in Durango, Colorado in the nineties might get a kick in the memory lane pants from this one.

Thumbs Please

After meeting Mr. Locos, and drinking the sacred 185 proof jungle juice, we had our choice of taking another afternoon "walk" in the jungle, or cutting out after lunch. We opted to catch a ride back to Tena to tell the tour operator about some of the things I didn't talk about here, and to try to get some of our money back (I try to break free from complainy-pants mode in this blog, though I don't do all that well). He was very receptive to the complaints and suggestions; however, when I mentioned a refund, it was as though he was pretending not to understand what I meant, even as he was understanding every word I was saying. Anyhoo, I try not to drone on, and only plug places and services when we feel they really deserve it, but I have to give Amarongachi tours two thumbs down. Don't get me wrong--we had a great time. I don't want this blog to be viewed as a delivery system for negativity, and I won't go into the complaints we had. I just needed to get this off my chest: Amarongachi = 2 thumbs down.

Shangrila, however--which, ironically and sadly is run by Amarongachi--gets four thumbs up!!

Blame it on the Hooch

On the last of our days in the Amazon, we set out into the jungle in search of the long lost indigenous tribe of Santa Monica. Actually, we drove an hour and a half down a small dirt road to a village inhabited by about forty people. All related to and/or sired by--the larger percentage of them of the latter group--the Shaman of the village, aptly nicknamed Huevos Locos.



Our to do list for the day:
-Meet the shaman, who was drunk from his homemade grain alcohol (185 proof)
-Drink some of Huevos Locos's hooch (hey, we didn't want to offend him)
-Drink locally made and recently fermented yuka wine
-Eat the big, fat larva of an elephant beettle (not good; not good at all)
-Buy a locally made neclace to "help" the community
-See, for the first time, a cocoa tree
-Pick and peel cocoa fruit
-Analyze and eat a cocoa bean
-Appreciate chocolate made in Switzerland
-Appreciate never having to eat beetle larvae again (hopefully)














































Yeah, go ahead and put a check mark by every item on that list.