Mindo

Mindo, Mindo, Mindo!!!

Any apprehensions we had about finding our bus were gone in an instant. Its clear that bus stations in Ecuador have dealt with too many clueless gringo’s so everything is very simple. Easier for us, I guess. The bus ride was a memorable one, quickly descending the country on small two lane roads hugging the forested hills. It was a bit sickening too, as there seems to be little regard for turns that do not induce G-forces on the body.

We made it to this tourist only town, settled in a valley of a cloud forest. Which is quite literally what it sounds like. Every evening, and most of the day too, wind from the Pacific hits the wall known as the Andes mountains, and the moisture settles in this valley. Fog descends on the forest, like a really nice version of Silent Hill. There are many unique birds that make this forest their home as well, though we were much better at hearing them than spotting them.

We spent the afternoon on a chocolate tour! Yumbo’s chocolate has their processing facility in Mindo, after the beans are shipped from the coast. Ecuadorian beans are apparently elite. There were lots of Ecuadorian chocolate shops we found while travelling Belgium and France, though we never tasted any. But in Ecuador, we have had a lot of Yumbo’s. Their dark chocolate bars are simple, with easy flavorings. They let the cacao do the talking.

We learned about the process from start to finish, from bean fermentation to tempering at the end. And a delightful tasting was had after, with 10-15 chocolates that we tried, alongside a hot chocolate and a brownie. The whole experience was wonderful.

Our first evening was spent relaxing in the hostel hammocks among the trees, listening to birds and reading. We’re still a little tired from the adventures of Quito and Otavalo. And the travel day too. Dinner was a lovely plate of chicken, beef, rice, beans and fried plantain.

We had a big day for our only full day in Mindo. Ziplines in the morning and a hike to some waterfalls in the afternoon.

We took our taxi to Canopy ziplines, where we got kitted out and sent over valleys before we even knew what we were doing. The experience was a lot of fun, and the views were great from the top of the forest. Clouds were still all around us, but we were flying.

Then they took us on the swing. Apparently Cam knew this was coming, but I must have missed that memo. Its a rope swing, and they just drop you off a tower before the ropes carry you through the trees. They also didn’t tell us that its a freefall at the start. By the time your winched in, there’s no going back, as the tension will drag you off of the tower. Probably a good way to do it. The swing was a good bout of adrenaline and joy for us both.

The waterfall hikes were a good adventure. You start by taking a cable car across a valley, where a little restaurant and a map of the three trails to various waterfalls. The cable car had a lovely view of a different clouded valley. The walks were fully through the jungle, walking on well trodden paths between roots and rocks.

Each waterfall had its own sort of charm to it. Some were swimmable, and I took one dip, never drying in the humidity of the forest. The rain was on and off the whole time, but that was welcome in the heat of the lower elevations. It was a good hike, but it was hard with all of the ups and downs along the hillsides.

We splurged on a grill-house for dinner, and had delicious ribs and chicken. Retired somewhat early, and headed back to Quito, quickly becoming a home base of sorts, the next morning. We were too tired for the 5:30AM sunrise birdwatching that we had originally planned.

Mindo cloud forest was quite the oasis, a much different terrain than the lightly forested and farmed mountains around Quito we are used to. One more Quito area trip awaits us, then the rest of the country after. See you there!