Otavalo excursion #2 - Parque Condor - awesome birds of prey!

We had read a lot about this raptor park and were so excited to visit. We actually put it off several days as we had cloudy/foggy weather and we didn’t want to miss seeing any of the birds in flight. Finally the day came (it was a Tuesday – we will get back to this in a sec) so we got dressed and sunblocked, and headed up to Otavalo. We had read that you could walk up to the park, but we decided to taxi up, and then walk down. This is another instance of a vast difference in time and scale in terms of distance and difficulty from other reviewers. This was easily 5+ miles up the side of a mountain with switch backs and rough roads. Nowhere in my book would this ever be a ‘mild, 1 hour walk.’ However, the scenery was breathtaking. 

Up above Otavalo you can see the whole city with the hand tilled agriculture rising up the surrounding mountains and volcanos. We were also above Lago San Pablo, the large lake our home base town is named for. We passed several people using a spade and animal to plow their fields, as well as many out weeding or harvesting by hand. It was a clear reminder of the pastoral style of life that is basically non-existent in the US these days.

When we finally arrived up at the parque (park), it was looking a little quiet. There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot, and the main gate was closed. 

 

Not a good sign, especially since our taxi had just driven away, leaving us at the top of the mountain.  The owner is native to the Netherlands, but has lived in Ecuador for 20 years (as he told us later), so he spoke perfect English which was definitely a change of pace. A small woman in traditional dress came up to us and talked a little in Spanish to us through the gate, and then left to get the owner.

He opens the gate and says “I am sorry, we are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.” C and I look at each other with the ‘Oh crap’ look, and I mention that our guide book had said that they were only closed on Mondays, so we had come up. The owner replies, no, that was a long time ago, and then looks down at A and says “Are you very disappointed?” A looks him right in the eye, and says “Yes, I am disappointed.” C and I look at each other again, not quite sure where this is going, and then the owner says “Well, we can’t have the little one disappointed. I can’t sell you tickets, but you can put some money in the donation box, and then walk through the park on your own.”

Inner voice shouts “What? And Woohoo!” at the same time, and for the umpteenth time this trip, I can’t believe how lucky we are.

So into the park we go, getting to take as many pictures as we want, and especially, getting to have some quality time visiting some absolutely amazing raptors. After we made our way through the park, we saw the owner again, and he shouted down to us that he would meet us in a few minutes at the front. We were thinking that he was going to let us out, call us a taxi, etc. but in the end it turns out that he was planning on driving us back down to Otavalo himself. We told him that wasn’t necessary and he was already beyond generous with us, but he just gave us a ‘don’t be silly’ kind of look, and said he was going down anyway. It was such a great experience, and an amazing example of kindness for A and N to see. If you are ever near Otavalo, it is a must see. Enjoy the pictures!

Female bald eagle

Andean condor - awesome!!

Another Andean condor

Sleepy owls

Harpy eagle

Trip to the equator - last day in Quito

Our last day in Quito was when we made our trip north of the city to the Mitad del Mundo - aka the middle of the world. It is here where you can stand on the equator, and have one foot in the north, and one foot in the south. They have a gigantic monument, and it is pretty cool to walk around.

Interestingly, the line of the equator was determined by taking measurements and surveying from the surrounding mountain peaks in the 1800's by an expedition headed by a french scientist. There are stone busts of all of the people credited as you walk up to the monument. There is also an indoor area where it describes the equipment they used and how the went about it, and then contrasts the work with modern day equipment in another room.

This diorama showed the survey points from the various mountain tops. The ones with the white 'snow' at the top are the main volcanoes.

Of course we all took the requisite pictures on the equator line. N wanted his with the giant sundial instead.

Once the modern digital age came about, the equator was verified using satellites and GPS, and they found they were a little bit off (big whoops!).

Standing at the 'actual' equator

So now there is a second museum called the Museo Del Sitio Intiñan surrounding the 'actual' equator where you can do all sorts of little science experiments to experience being on the north versus the south. We had a lot of fun at this one as you can see below :)

Here are the kids trying to walk on the equator with their eyes closed. Since you are being pulled on from both sides, it is a little tougher to keep your balance.

The next challenge was to balance an egg on a nail. I have seen people do this on facebook on particular days (the spring and fall equinox, I think?) but here you can do it all the time. The most challenging part is trying to find the center of gravity in the egg. Everyone tried, but only I got it to stand (see pictorial evidence below - woot!) and I got a certificate to take with me for my efforts :)

My balanced egg!

One of the coolest parts was getting to watch water drain from a basin on the equator (video 1), and on both sides of the equator (video 2 and 3). Most people have heard of the ‘toilet flushing the other direction’ but it was cool to see it in reality. I had wondered if it was just an urban myth. Of course I am biased (scientifically), but I have to say this was one of my favorite places to visit so far in Ecuador.

In the first video - the water just pours straight out without swirling. You can see the leaves go right down the drain.

In the second one, you can see a distinctive clockwise swirling at the end, even though we had only moved a few feet off of the equator line.

And in this third one,  we moved a few feet to the other side of the equator, and there is a distinctive counter-clockwise swirling.

 

Old town Quito

Old town Quito is breathtaking. There are multiple gigantic, ornate churches, various manicured parks and gorgeous Spanish architecture and colors on every block. Our first visit was to the Basilica, an amazing stone church built in the 1800's. The pictures can't do it justice with how imposing and beautiful it is in person.

Our next stop was the Palace of the President, where although we didn't stand in line to go inside, the guards let us go up on the porch to take some pictures.

Last, after traipsing up and down the steep streets of old town, we stopped into this great little coffee shop for a fancy hot cocoa for N and yummy Manzanilla tea for A and I before heading back up north toward our hotel.

After the trip around old town and some rejuvenating drinks, we went to the parque Ejido for the kids to play. This park has some pretty awesome stuff that wouldn’t be allowed in the USA since the early 80’s including a rusty old zip line that was quite a highlight for the kids. All in all, a fun day :)