July 17, 2018 – July 19, 2018

Mindo is 2.5 hours from Quito but a world away in terms of the environment.  In 268 kilometres of winding road we dropped about 1,500 metres in elevation.  Gone were the volcano peaks and bare mountains, replaced by lush tropical forest and gorges.  Gone were the high rises, traffic and urban dwellers, replaced by palms trees, people on horseback and children playing in the stream while their mothers hand washed clothes and lay them on the rocks to dry.

We stayed for a couple of nights at a hostel/campground, that had some pretty nice facilities.  The pool looked amazing but it was rainy and a bit cool most of our time here, so we didn’t end up using it.

Our first evening there, I grabbed my headlamp and headed to a toilet near the pool.  As I opened the door I was thinking about a story I had read on a blog about a cook shelter with a snake that lived in the roof.  I opened the door and looked up, knowing I was being a bit paranoid, but happy to see nothing there.  I closed the door, dropped my shorts and sat down, and started to do my business, when there, on the door jamb, about 2 feet from and at the same level as my face, was a huge, hairy spider.  He had a smaller body, maybe the size of a dime, but super long, hairy legs, and pronounced mandibles.  He was about 4 or 5 inches in length.  I stared at him as I finished up, he stared back and started to pinch together and release his mandibles, and started doing a series of spider squats….”Is that a sign of aggression?”, I thought.

Derek getting arty with his camera.  Diamonds of dew.

As soon as I could I was out of there, leaving the door open and immediately went to the owner to tell him of the large spider in the toilet.  He came to see, saw the spider, immediately jumped backwards, and said, “I am sorry, I need to kill that spider, he is very dangerous!”.  Apparently, he is a kind of jumping spider, which, in my opinion, makes him even ickier.  Anyway, I now have a new bathroom routine.  I check all walls, floors and ceilings AND I lift the seat (if I am so lucky as to have one), to make sure there is nothing hanging around underneath.

The next day we took a taxi with Piper to Cascadas Tarabitha, where we, for $5US each (Piper rode for free), we took a cable car (metal basket?) pulled back and forth across a gorge by a repurposed 4cyl. Nissan motor at one end. We then hiked to several waterfalls.

The ride across took about one minute.

The rainforest from above.

One of many waterfalls.  At this one you could climb up above where there was a picnic shelter and more waters in which to play.

Piper chasing a stick.

We saw this tiny owl along the path, he was about 12 cm tall.

One of the bridge crossings.

Derek decided he needed a swim at this beautiful little spot.  There was a small waterfall around the corner to the right.

And so he took the plunge! And it was cold!  I opted out but regretted it later when I started to overheat from the uphill sections of the hike.

Vines and flowers on the canyon wall.

The cable car ride back.