I have written fairly extensively about visiting Quito in a spybird blog from 2018, the last time we were there: http://spybirdtravel.blogspot.com/2018/02/ecuador-2018-quito-mindo-quito.html.
We can provide an update that Le Parc Hotel is in the middle of construction on two sides (they will not tell you this, however, when you arrive late at night asking for a quiet room to allow you some sleep). They are still nice people, though, and the room rate of $100. including breakfast is a real bargain. But make sure your room does not face the construction!
For some reason, the altitude sickness was a bit more pronounced this time, even though we had taken medication for it. There was definitely some combination of headache and stomach upset, but I took it slow and drank the sacred coco tea and lots of water. The take-away is give yourself an easy first day to adjust and walk around a bit.
We returned to Zazu http://zazuquito.com for another fantastic meal. The food is local and creatively prepared. Truly, it apprears like art on the plate. And the flavors are delicious. We wrote to Chef Wilson in advance and he was kind enough to spend some time with us and buy us a drink. The big winners here are the charred octopus with smoked octopus reduction, sweet potato and mesclun (I have sworn off eating octo everywhere but here); the sea bass cerviche, and the suckling pig tacquitos. The service is friendly, professional and welcoming. The prices are reasonable for what you eat. Love it at zazu!
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| The charred octopus at Zazu and melt-in-your-mouth cerviche |
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As mentioned, David Brito arranges a ride to come and take you from Quito to Mindo, and the ride takes about 2 hours with a bio break and/or snack. I suggest you stop at a place called "Two Armadillos," which is in essence an outdoor coffee garden with hummingbird feeders. The owner is a sweet man, visibly happy that we had returned, and there are some excellent views across the hills and a variety of hummers at all times.  At Las Terrazas we had a large, clean room atop the terraced hill, with an outdoor porch area, large bedroom and even larger bathroom with jacuzzi. David and Marco arranged some day trips to hummingbird areas with feeders, to La Paz de Aves sanctuary (with a hidden "lek" to see the cock-of-the-rock), antippa birds, beautiful hiking, breakfast, and other delights (highly recommended!), to the Mariposaria, to the Quetzal Chocolate Company and a guided tour with our friend Sergio. We were accompanied at all times by the wonderful Natalia, our guide for our time in Mindo and glamping in the cloud forest. Some meals were taken at Las Terrazas and these were excellent -- local trout with garlic sauce, tasty local soups, a variety of fresh tropical juices we enjoy so much. After a few days of birding and relaxing around Las Terrazas, Cheryl and I were accompanied by new friends Natalia (naturalist guide and bird whisperer par excellence) and David (new bird guide and excellent driver/expediter) for several more days farther afield, out to and including the area known as Amazonia. We spent two nights at two separate lodges, Cabanas San Isidro http://www.cabanasanisidro.com near the Napo River and situated between two national parks, and then the Ama Ecolodge https://www.amaecolodge.com in the beautiful and very different natural environment of the Nisahualli area. So just a few impressions of these respective places to roost. First, keep in mind that neither provide all the in-room amenities of a an urban hotel situation. The lighting is scarce, the rooms are not heated, and the bed & bathroom situation is good and clean, but not much beyond that. Adjust expectations accordingly. However, the natural siting of these lodges is superb, and both provide an excellent viewing deck to start your day with a cuppa coffee. Some very exotic and beautiful critters are drawn to them --- local owls, tapir, trogons, etc. etc. --- and are easy to see here in their element. The food at both lodges is excellent, and plenty. I would return to Cabanas Isidro tomorrow; we enjoyed incredible encounters with nature here. Ama is also excellent, and as a bonus provides access to a water experience in the local mangroves, which is fun and different. As a lodge it still has a bit of growing to do.   We also stopped at Guango Lodge http://guangolodge.com for a lunch visit and some birding (with some unhappy French tourists). We enjoyed the most delicious lunch of our trip (Ecuadorian soups are a national treasure), the hummingbird feeders and a lovely walk down the river nearby, but housing looked a bit "tight" for the likes of us. David and Natalia dropped us at the airport outside Quito, and we flew to Lima to stay in style at the Belmond Hotel in Miraflores Park https://www.belmond.com/hotels/south-america/peru/lima/belmond-miraflores-park/ The Belmond, part of a boutique chain, is quite pricey, but it boasts a great location (near the park and water), excellent amenities and breakfast, and fine service. There is beautiful "upscale" mall built into the cliffs within easy walking distance from the hotel. It is called the Larcomar, and is worth a visit to see (and shop for?) the incredible llama/wool items. It turns out The Belo Bar at the hotel itself is a great place to visit and enjoy a Pisco Sour expertly prepared by Andre, the incredibly kind and cordial bartender/ambassador for the hotel. We had so much fun with Andre, we visited him twice.  And there are other activities worth your while in Lima. The Museo Larco has a wonderful Inca collection full of pre-historical artifacts housed in a beautiful old home with some lovely outdoor garden space. We also had an amazing lunch at the wonderful Astrid y Gaston https://www.astridygaston.com, a restaurant that is noted to be among Lima's best, and presents as a homey, unstuffy space in the yard of a large, old manse with excellent service and local fare. And all at a reasonable price (about $100. with drinks.).  ******************************************************************************* HELPFUL NOTES ON HIRING A GUIDE If there is any doubt in your mind about whether you should hire a guide for some or all of your next trip, allow me to dispel it for you. You should definitely avail yourself of a good, licensed, local guide. I mean one who has skills, has been recommended and researched, who communicates well, and is freely available for the time you are considering. Why? Because a guide will take your experience to a much higher level --- whether it's because she knows where the natural world hides and displays itself, or he knows the history or best viewing place or best time to visit when other folks aren't there. Sometimes guides have friends who know the good viewing spot or just saw a jaguar nearby, or they know someone who can provide perfect transportation. Or they can call, identify or answer questions about an animal passing close by. In short, you are paying a small sum for their expertise and resources, which they are happy to share, to make your visit fuller, more fruitful, more interesting. We have been so privileged to know some incredible guides, people who became immediate friends and shared their passion for the place we visited with them, whether ancient Egyptian ruins or, mural art in Mexico or safari animals in Botswana. They took me to see the red-capped manakin do his "Michael Jackson dance," the wild feral dogs as they feast on remains of an antelope, the only known Egyptian representation of Cleopatra in an ancient temple, the walking stick and the potoo both completely visible and yet invisible in their habitat. Here's some advice to help you enjoy a guide experience: 1. Know what you're getting before you go. It's best not to pick up a guide at a tourist site. If you've been to The Red Fort or Taj Mahal, you know the scenario I'm thinking of, where a local guide will share his/her schtick with you or anyone else for an hour at a certain cost. Maybe worthwhile on some level, but better to have someone researched or recommended, at an agreed price, who will agree or recommend a certain itinerary over a specific time. If you have physical limitations, don't hesitate to make them clear. After a price is agreed to, consider an additional tip when it's time to pay. Also, note that there are often walking tours that are free, charging only tips. A tourist's dream! 2. Equipment? If we're thinking of a naturalist guide, our friend should have a field guide or the necessary apps, maybe a properly-used laser pointer or blue-tooth speaker or spotting scope or license/document to work in the area in question. Once we had a birding guide chosen by a local hotel in Panama who told us that he "forgot" his binos and field guide. We should have fired his sorry self from jump! 3. Local for sure. I heard this story from a local guide in Africa: one of the lodge's clients wanted to bring his own guide with him. I heard it was because the client's guide was white and the client was racist. Anyway, the lodge allowed the white guide, gave him a jeep and a map and permission to access the safari areas. Within a day he had radio'ed home base saying he was lost and needed to be picked up. There are a couple of valuable lessons there. But trust me: local is the way to go. 4. Let her work! This is very important. Know that a guide is often mindfully attending to her senses of sound, sight and even smell. This is how she finds stuff, especially birds and other critters. Let your guide work by being quiet and not talking. Of course there may be time to get to know your guide, exchange stories and learn about each other. But pick your spots and make sure you give the guide personal space and silence. The guide will never be rude and tell you to pipe down, but often that is the best way to find more good stuff. Please consider spending some of your time away with a guide to enhance your understanding and experience. Always feel free to ask me for details referred to in the spybird travel blog. Happy trails! John |
