One of the downsides (and blessings) of a nomadic life, is that one cannot hoard stuff. Detaching from material possessions is a prerequisite for a successful nomadic life. Even though we have several times dramatically thinned out our earthly…
Volcanic Hot Springs in the Andes
Part of the fun in travelling is that you never know whether your investment in time, money and effort is worth it until you get there. In this case, the logistics involved a series of buses, very comfortable, but barreling…
Only 40 Condors left in the world!
Every one we encounter in Ecuador has a strong opinion about Otavalo. Otavalo is advertized as South America’s largest craft market. Opinions range from “don’t miss it” to “too commercial, too many tourists”. We resolved the “too many tourists” issue…
There’s a sheep named after me (Peta) in the Andes mountains
What might have been a primarily business-driven get together with a well known bamboo expert morphed into a highly enjoyable escapade in the Andes mountains an hour South of Quito. As we write this, the logs are burning in the…
Guayaquil – gathering bamboo intell
There may be many reasons to visit Guayaquil, but for us this was all about bamboo. Guayaquil is the epicenter of bamboo research for low cost housing. First and foremost, this is where Jorge Moran lives. Jorge is a most…
Day trip from Quito
The bus to Sangolqui takes 30mn and is packed full of Quito city folks going to the big indigenous Sunday market. It also is an opportunity for chatting with locals. Peta now finds herself able to have a conversation in…
Quito Ecuador, first impressions
A trip to Ecuador always seemed linked to a once in a lifetime Galapagos Islands experience. We are both animal lovers and thought this would be an obvious trip for us to take. Alas, the facts don’t bear out the…