— Travel and Trekking Jots & Shots
Small But Big on Biodiversity
Parque Nacional Podocarpus, Loja
Journeying through Ecuador over five weeks had a profound impact on me. It’s truly amazing to see how quickly the landscape changes from Pacific Coast beaches to snowy mountains to lush jungle heat. Even more impressive is the stunning variety of Ecuador’s endemic species populations.
Browse the selection of articles below about travel and trekking in Ecuador.
By far, the highlight of my time in Ecuador was volunteering at Merazonia Animal Reserve, which was still under construction when I was there.
While I was in Korea, I wrote most of a book. I had to sit on it, go back to it, let it go through its process (which took a lot longer than most of the writing did). At the time, I didn’t know it was a book. I suspected it might be, but I never dreamed that […]
Familiarity. Confidence. Sometimes you have to let go. Now try incompatibility and uncertainty. Transitions aren’t always easy. That’s what I told myself when I decided to crop my hair shoooort before travelling sola to Ecuador and Peru for three months. The locks fell away and I was smitten. Why did I ever have long hair? External self-discovery before […]
I was out on a day hike in Killarney Provincial Park, located on the shores of Georgian Bay between Parry Sound and Sudbury, Ontario, when the idea struck for the March for Merazonia. It was early May, the weather was beautiful, the northern verdure was blooming and blossoming in every direction, and I was inspired. I thought to […]
Imagine zooming along winding mountain roads in a rickety old bus, feasting your eyes on the changing scenery heading south from Quito, insatiable. Imagine chatting away with an amicable Ecuadorian who points out various sights: a famous waterfall, a deep ravine, a bridge off which to bungee jump, a good discoteca, his own restaurant. Imagine being dropped off […]
Rereading my travel notes, I’ve noticed some exclusions or now have a different take on previous observations. So it’s time to start revisiting the past and correcting a few mistakes. For example, my very first post from Ecuador describes two men in Quito who may or may not have been laughing at my short hair. Naively, I assumed […]
Yesterday saw me crossing the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border. I travelled alone from Loja to Piura, Brandon having gone to Vilcabamba in Ecuador. A Brilliant Bus Ride in Ecuador The scenery from the bus was just amazing! There were some pretty cool trees which a local man told me are called ceiba. The ceiba trees I saw grow in all […]
I was pretty happy to leave Cuenca and head for Loja. Even though I’ve only been gone from Mera for a week, I’m already sick of cities and just wanna go back to the countryside. Seeking some good hiking near Loja, I visited Parque Nacional Podocarpus, only about an hour and a half away by bus. Funny thing, […]
Brandon and I left Baños at about six yesterday morning. The bus ride to Cuenca took all day — we only got into the city around dinnertime. We planned nothing more for our brief stay than a bit of down time in Cuenca, so after supper, we headed to a café for a game of cribbage over hot […]
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