Back to Quito

The rain forest got some rain this morning. Shortly after we awoke, there was a deluge outside our cabin. It stopped just in time for us to walk to breakfast, but rained again while we were eating. The rain abated once again as the big, motorized canoe was being loaded. But no sooner had we gotten tucked in under the canopy, it started pouring once again. It rained off and on throughout the journey back to Coca City, sometimes coming down quite hard, but we stayed dry.

A baby boa waited for us outside the lodge before breakfast

The airport at Coca has no jetways, but they were kind enough to hand us each a large umbrella as we left the terminal gate and walked across the tarmac to the plane. At the top of the air stairs, another guy took them from us as we stepped onto the plane. So we still didn’t get wet.

Ceramics at the museum

The bus from the airport took us directly to a small museum of indigenous culture where we were served a delightful lunch, followed by a short tour of the collection. One gallery was devoted to the shamans of the various societies, while another focused on festivals and the associated costumes.

Yet another exhibit featured indigenous musical instruments, including some that have been appropriated from exposure to Spanish culture. There were jungle violins, marimbas, and even a saxophone made from bamboo!

Following our tour, and the obligatory exit through the museum shop (no, we didn’t), the bus transported us a short distance to the hotel. By happenstance or design, we were assigned to the exact same room we had been in before our trip to the Amazon.

The humid Amazon is not a good place to dry clothing — not even quick-dry travel clothing. So our first order of business was washing the sweat out of a number of shirts and pants. Once those were hung to dry, we went for a walk to explore the neighborhood around the hotel.

The neighborhood around the hotel features many grand old homes. Most have now been turned into businesses.

We visited a very nice shop, but found it rather pricey. Another was selling only Chinese junk. So we gave up the search for Christmas ornaments for the time being. A visit to a local bakery was much more successful. After two big meals already today, a sweet snack was just the ticket.

Interestingly, whether due to Covid or the possibility of crime (we’re not sure which), we found that many stores keep their doors locked, with either a doorbell button or a sign instructing patrons to knock. One shopkeep simply looked through the glass and promptly let us in. Another wanted to see our vaccination cards and spray our hands with sanitizer before we entered.

Also, take note, U.S.A — there is a nationwide mask mandate here. It applies even if one is out walking on the sidewalks of the city. There is a $100 (U.S.) fine if you are caught with your mask off in public, except for eating and drinking. Ecuador takes this seriously. We saw a few unmasked people on the streets of Coca City, but here in Quito, even the street beggars and homeless are masked all the time. One hardly ever sees an exception.

Our walk took us past the neighborhood church.
Roman Catholic, of course.

Our walk brought us to a very nice park, so we walked through some of it. There were nice paved paths, separated for walkers/runners, with other paths marked for bicycles. There were quite a few of both, walkers and bikers, of all ages. The playground equipment was modern, well-maintained, and looked like fun.

We returned to the hotel for a bit of siesta and to catch up on the internet, as we had limited access in the Amazon. We capped the evening in the hotel bar, using the “free welcome drink” ticket we had received at 3 a.m. on the night of our arrival.