Day 10: Can Barely Even Walk

A cloud forest is a happy place for plants; the water suspended in the air allows leaves to get big and boastful because there's less water loss. A cloud forest is as rich as a rainforest, but it's just at higher elevations. 

Visiting Mindo Valley, halfway between the Andes ridge and the coast (perfect place for clouds to hang and stick), deeply stoked my fire of Love of Leaves. By the way, it seems that 'For the Love of Leaves' has become the theme of this trip. 

Although Mindo was the most touristy place we visited, the beauty there of waterfalls and the forest preserves and the mountains makes it worth it. Plenty of adventure activities, like tubing, rafting, bird-watching, and zip lines, were on offer, but we just wanted to walk in the forest. We found a hike around various waterfalls, and the tourist office told us it could be reached up a hilly road via a $4 taxi ride. 

But we decided to hike to the hike. Walking up the dirt road, not even having started the thing of the day, I was in heaven in this ecosystem. And the world smelled so lush, especially compared to the dry exhaust-y Quito. The air in that forest was like perpetually having just gotten out of the shower. Like breathing inside a Neti pot all day. 

Before we even reached the hike we spotted a toucan eating fruit in a tree. I felt like a David Attenborough film, I was so excited.

 Cloud forest!! 

The hike up to the hike. I was so happy walking. I'm getting really good at walking actually. I didn't used to be; I always wanted to ride my bike everywhere because it was fast. But I'm practicing my day dreaming capacity while moving slower.

You can see through her wings !

 

Being near waterfalls and cut from rocks lent our actual hiking trails vertical surface area lining them, these walls of lichens and epiphytes and bromeliads lining the path. And palms and vines and banana trees draped over head. Frogs sang a blasting chorus and water trickled everywhere. There were few people and we had the place basically to our blissed-out, leaf-lovin' selves. 

But when we reached these trails, I could barely walk. I had stopped to look at an orchid. An actual orchid, just out there in the world. Then I'd walk three steps and see a begonia. A BEGONIA! I have pet begonias in my apartment! And then I'd think I could move again and there'd be a line of ants. Oh wow. Squatting down to watch them I'd realize there was a cool striped leaf there too that had to be admired. 

There was so much diverse complex intricate vegetation in here that it was like Where's Waldo, and Waldo was everywhere. An orchid here, a new type of begonia there, an enormous orange bromeliad flower...

Seriously, people, I was trying to do a hike. As soon as I thought I was making progress, I'd have to stop and photograph a butterfly. I was like a little toddling child that couldn't be contained or led. And I felt that kind of huge happiness that makes one feel like a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies.

The waterfalls were beautiful and lulling, of course, and returning on the same trail I was stunned to discover I was seeing orchids I had missed on the way out. Who walks past orchids?!? Only when there's 18 other gorgeous novel things capturing your attention. 

Check out this crazy starry sunny seed! Goes well with my rain coat.

Bromeliad!! This amazing flower. A plant MADE that flower!

The trail with Where's Waldo everywhere!

 

 

The cloud forest authentically manifested itself for us in the afternoon; the clouds got tired and let go their loads. The deluge built slowly but then continued interrupted for over an hour. I'm used to a wall of rain maintaining itself for only a couple minutes in upstate NY, so this was impressive. 

The way back to town included that cable-car ride, and we waited hopefully for the rain to abate. However, it continued to drench, and we gave in and shrieked and yelled as we zoomed over the canopy, the tree-tops dizzy-far below us, rain pouring horizontally into us from all directions. 

Glorious foamy-thick hot chocolate (local !) to de-damp ourselves capped off a truly glorious day, deluge and all.