A beautifully sunny day dawned in Mindo about 6 a.m. after a good night’s sleep in which I was able to recover some of the sleep I lost the day before. It was a lovely morning to sit on the deck before breakfast to listen and look for birds in the garden. So that’s what I did.
Breakfast was served starting at 7:30 in a large dining room in another building on the property. A group of 10 young people and their leaders, here on a missionary trip, were also there. Our meal began with a large glass of watermelon juice, tea, and a slice of perfectly ripe pineapple. Then they brought eggs, cooked to our order, and a chicken empanada each. The empanada is a filled pastry that’s deep fried to a lightly crunchy perfection. It was a very good meal.
We wanted to visit the Mariposario, or butterfly house, which Nathan recommended after going there on a previous visit. We decided to walk, which Nathan had also done previously, although most people take a taxi. So we started down the dirt road following a sign to the garden of butterflies. But after about 30 minutes of walking, spotting birds and butterflies along the way, Nathan realized we were on the wrong road. So we turned around and walked back into town. It had been a pleasant walk, over a rushing river at one point, even though it was the wrong way.
In town, we found a taxi stand and asked an older taxi driver to take us to the butterfly house. He only spoke Spanish, which gave me the opportunity to practice the Spanish I had been learning for the last 4 years. During the 10 minute drive we had a really interesting conversation in which he talked about the transformation Mindo had undergone over the last 30 years, from overgrazed farming area suffering drought and sick cattle, to a reforested preserve focused on ecotourism and which had greatly benefited both the residents and the native birds and animals. I was so happy to be able to understand and talk to him in Spanish! It was very gratifying and educational. And the taxi fare was only $3.
The butterfly house was really nice too. We spent about 2 hours there, walking through the inside and outdoor butterfly enclosures, relaxing on benches next to the path, and feeding some koi fish in a few ponds. The same taxi driver returned to take us back to Mindo, which we had asked him to do. On the return trip, we talked about the difficulties COVID had posed for his family making a living due to the government’s policy that prohibited work and even local travel around town. I’m sure he was talking slower than normal so I could follow what he said, and I know my Spanish wasn’t great. But it was so fun to be able to have the conversations.
We ate savory crepes for lunch in an open air restaurant when we got back to town. Mine was chicken and mushroom, with a delicious passion fruit shake (batido in Spanish) to go with. After lunch, we walked to El Quetzal, a lodge and chocolate tour host. We went on a 1-hour tour of how they make specialty Ecuadorian chocolate. It was interesting and we got to try a few samples too.
We finished the afternoon in town by treating ourselves to frozen yogurt in one of the shops. As we walked back to Cabañas Armonía around 3:15, it thundered distantly and we felt a few raindrops. A good time to return to our cabin.
Lori's Travels 