By Dana
As Brent and I were already in Ecuador and Laura is living here, Ben and Lisa made the decision to come down and visit us for Christmas Break. IT WAS AWESOME! Here are some of the amazing adventures we had.
Tena, Ecuador - Near the Amazon
We started our adventure together in Tena, a city on the edge of the Amazon. While Laura, Brent and I were already relaxing at the hostel, Ben and Lisa enjoyed multiple sleepless nights before their arrival, including one in the chilly bus terminal in Quito. Regardless, we all eventually made it to toasty Tena.
The view over Tena from our hostel
First morning all together!
After welcoming Lisa and Ben, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in Tena checking out the city and exploring a city park that also served as a wildlife rescue center.
Sweet leaf-bib in the park
Cool plant
Cocoa plant - too bad you can't just crack it open and find an abundance of fresh chocolate
Caiman
Tigre - I had been wondering for a long time what an Amazon 'Tigre' or 'Tiger' looked like. They are MUCH smaller than I was expecting. Puss in Boots anyone?
Cooling off in the river at the park - As the locals were swimming as well we figured there was a lesser chance of a caiman or anaconda eating one of us. ;)
The highlight of the day was definitely the monkeys! They were quite friendly. Near the park entrance, a park ranger stopped by. We figured he was going to tell us to leave the wildlife alone, as is quite customary in parks. Instead he asked us if we had any candy or chocolate to give the monkeys, as they would climb on your shoulder if you had a treat. There were some bananas on the ground, so we proceeded to spend the next solid hour playing with the monkeys and feeing them bananas. :) It was a blast!
Laura with a mommy and baby monkey
Me with a different pair
Brent feeding the monkey
Lisa doing the same
Hands down, the best monkey pictures of the day go to . . .
For dinner we had Maito, a local dish that consists of fish that is steamed in a big leaf over a grill. It was delicious.
Tilapia Maito with rice, salad and plantains
Helado for dessert
As a Christmas gift to each other, the next day we decided to treat ourselves to a whitewater rafting trip. The weather was phenomenal, the group we went with was just plain fun, and the river was a blast. For most of us, it was definitely the highlight of the entire Christmas trip.
The beautiful scenery and river
Our awesome rafting group
A few of the rapids on the river
A few moments later - AWESOME
Getting back in the raft after swimming
Our amazing lunch of tacos with fresh veggies, lots of avocado, and fresh fruit. It was the best lunch I have had in a long time.
CHRISTMAS EVE - Banos, Ecuador - Between the Amazon and Cordillera
After playing and sweating in the Amazon for a few days we headed up into the foothills of the Andes to a beautiful city called Banos. Banos a city full of outdoor activities like hiking, zip-lining, puente-ing (jumping and swinging from a bridge), mountain biking, and hot springs.
The first afternoon in Banos we enjoyed a beautiful hike up into the mountains. One of our favorite stops was a tree house appropriately named 'La casa del arbol' that had a swing with one of the best views I think I'll ever find.
Laura on the beautiful trail
Relaxing near the swing at 'La casa del arbol'
Me enjoying the view on the swing at 'La casa del arbol'
Brent on the swing
Enjoying a delicious Christmas Eve burger and local brew at the Stray Dog Brew Pub in Banos
Brent and Laura getting a bit distracted while preparing dessert
Christmas Eve hot cocoa, with an Ecuadorian flavour
CHRISTMAS DAY - Banos, Ecuador
On Christmas Day, Brent and I had some surprise stockings for everyone. As is tradition, we opened our stockings first, had some breakfast and then enjoyed the rest of our gifts, which this year was a surprise card and gift that Mom and Dad sent along with some delicious Dove chocolates.
Stockings and gifts at the hostel
The 'lump of coal' Brent and I brought from 16,000 ft during our hike on Volcano Cotopaxi. Apparently Lisa is used to getting coal for Christmas.
A gift to open! - Thanks Mom and Dad!
Brent's new, fancy travel underwear didn't fit
After a relaxing morning at the hostel we headed out for a bike ride down 'La ruta de las cascadas.' It's a beautiful road that passes by about 12 different waterfalls. We enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch and some awesome sights.
On the route
Best-siblings-ever!
Laura riding through a small waterfall
Our ride took us past numerous beautiful vistas and impressive waterfalls, but the best of all was 'El pailon del diablo,' the last waterfall on our route. It was a fabulous end to our bike ride.
Front view of 'El pailon del diablo'
LUTHER PRIDE! - At the base of the top falls of 'El pialon del diablo'
Lisa hiking up through some caves to climb even higher above the falls
Getting soaked near the top of the falls
After our biking adventure, we headed back to the hostel to make some Christmas dinner. We made a delicious mushroom soup with lots of veggies along with a pseudo-jumbalaya. It wasn't quite Christmas Ham or Cabbage Soup, but it sure was tasty nonetheles.
Lisa and Laura cooking at the hostel
Our delicious creation
To complement the delicious food, we decided to purchase the most tasty wine we could find. Upon finding a $5 bill the day before we were prompted to splurge and purchase a $1 box of wine for each of us. :) The wine was about as delicious as you might expect.
The yummy wine. . . we did a pretty good job of getting rid of it considering the taste, but there may still be a box sitting in Laura's apartment. Hope you have enjoyed the generous gift Laura. :)
Merry Christmas. . .
. . . from the Harneys and Teskes. :o)
Last Day Together - Banos and Ambato
The day after our lovely Christmas together we packed up and headed from Banos to nearby Ambato, the city in the Andes mountains where Laura lives and works.
In the morning we said goodbye to our lovely hostel and the wonderful family that owns it
We walked past the awesome Christmas decorations made out of recyclable material one last time. . . and hopped on a bus to Ambato.
In Ambato we enjoyed getting to see Laura's city, apartment, the university where she teaches, and the awesome park right by her apartment with cool trees.
This one's still my favorite!
After a nice walk we did a bit of baking :)
We also had the traditional Christmas ham with cranberry sauce, cabbage soup. . .
. . . and of course twice baked potatoes!
Our feast of course woudn't have been complete without the baked goodies Laura surprised us all with, including 'Great-Grandma's Wafer Cookies'!
The next day we said our good-byes and went our separate ways. Laura stayed in Ambato, Ben hopped a plane to Lima, Peru, Lisa headed back home to the US, and Brent and I hopped on a plane to Chile.
It was definitely a Christmas to remember. I couldn't have asked for better company over the holiday. Love you all lots!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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