Day 105 Nov 16 2017 Piura Peru

Day 105  Nov 16 2017  Piura Peru

We started the day off with a few hours of school then were took a taxi to Plaza las Armas.  There was not much to see.  We finished the day by going to see a movie at the cinemas down the street.  

Day 104 Nov 15 2015 Piura Peru

Day 104   Nov 15 2015       Piura Peru

We took a van from Los Organos to Piura and the driving skills of a good portion of Peruvians is less than desirable.  There were a few tense moments on the trip as driving on the wrong side of the road and passing on curves seems to be the norm.  We were also amazed by the amount of garbage spread around the city.  Garbage dumps in Canada are cleaner then the streets on the outskirts of Piura.  There is no second though given to dropping garbage where ever you have it.  After supper we went to a mall that has a few amusement rides.  We all went on the bumper boats and the kids went on another ride.  In the evening I booked a flight to Kenora to see my dad.  Evy is going to continue onto Machu Picchu with the kids and I will catch up with them on Nov 27^th in Puno.  I was looking forward to seeing Machu Picchu but my dad is more important.

Day 103 Nov 14 2014 Los Organos

Mangrove Tour

Mud Bath Anyone

Crocodile Sanctuary

Balneario Punta Sal

Day 103   Nov 14 2014   Los Organos

We took a tour to see the Mangroves in the north of Peru.  It was a 2 hour bus ride to the Mangroves followed by a 2 hour tour of the mangroves and a crocodile refuge where they had several hundred crocodiles in pens.  The return trip stopped at some supposed hot springs were you could dip into the 5 mud baths.  They were disgusting with lots of bugs swimming in the water.  There was very little flow out of the mud holes so you could be sure that there was an abundance of bacteria in the water.  The water that you were supposed to use to rinse yourself off at the end was just as disgusting as the baths.  It was from a green slimy mud hole.  Needless to say we did not partake in the mud or permit the kids to do so.  The other thing that we noticed on the tour is the abundance of garbage everywhere.  Pretty much every were you looked there was garbage, we even saw a person stop on the side of the highway and dump a garbage can on the shoulder.

Day 102 Nov 13 2014 Los Organos Peru

Beach in Los Organos Peru

Day 102  Nov 13 2014  Los Organos Peru

We started the day with the kids playing in the pool and Evy and I planning the next step of the trip.  We booked a flight from Piura to Cusco Peru, we had considered taking the bus but it would have been a 38 hour ride and the cost was comparable to the plane.   In the afternoon we went for a long walk on the beach with the kids stopping to jump in the waves.  On the walk we saw the corpses of 7 southern sea lions.  It turns out that the fishermen kill them to stop them from eating the fish and also wrecking the nets. It is a shame to see such a large animal killed for such a bad reason.  The kids enjoyed the pool when we got back to the hotel.

Day 101 Nov 12 2014 Los Organos Peru

Waiting at a restaurant for lunch to be served

1 liter glass bottle of coke. Much better than plastic

view from Hotel Gran Velero 

Cat any one?

Day 101   Nov 12 2014       Los Organos Peru

We woke up around 11 am and left the room.  Once we were awake and talked to Angelo we soon discovered that the hotel was indeed worth the good reviews that it had received on trip advisor.  The hotel provides a shuttle service into town to the beach and to surrounding areas.  In the morning they also ask you what you want for supper and purchase the ingredients fresh.  We went to a place where the green sea turtle is fed by the government of Peru.  It cost 5 soles to enter the area and we saw lots of large sea turtles.  We had the opportunity to swim with them if we wanted but the air was cold and we decided not to.  We spent the afternoon hanging around the pool and relaxing.  The bad news of the day was my dad in not getting better is in a substantial amount of pain and the doctors are checking for cancer as they can’t find anything else wrong.  

Day 100 Nov 11 2014 Los Organos Peru

bus tour of Cuenca

100th day of the sabbatical celebration

Isabel on the path to a coffee shop in Cuenca Peru.  Safety First

Day 100  Nov 11 2014   Los Organos Peru

We started the day off by going to the bus station to buy our tickets to Mancora Peru.  We got a discount on the tickets as the bus was fairly empty so we only ended up paying $52.  We booked Las Balcones Hotel for the day at a cost of 40 dollars. Much better than dragging our luggage around the city for 10 hours.  We hopped on the tour bus and took a tour of the city.  The bus tour was followed by a trip to the Central Bank Museum.  A trip to an upscale ice cream parlor to celebrate our 100^th day of the sabbatical. At 10 pm we boarded the Super Semaria bus to Peru.  The type of seat was called a semi cama.  It might have been ok for Evy but it was short for me.  I would not have wanted to be any taller or the seat would not have been comfortable.  The bus got to customes at 2:15am and we did not have to get off the bus there.  A few minutes later we were driven to immigration where there was a line for exiting Ecuador and a few feet away was a line to enter Peru.  The entire process for the bus took less then 25 minutes.  We arrived in Macora at 4:30 am and took a motor taxi to the taxi drivers house where we were transferred to a regular taxi.  The hotel Gran Velero we booked on line is quite well hidden and the taxi driver took quite a while to find it.  The road into the hotel is extremely rough and bottom of the brand new taxi bounced off of a big rock.  When we finally found the hotel the room was not ready and we were not to impressed.  It turned out that the hotel was not expecting us till the next day.  Since we had planned on arriving at 5 am in the morning we thought we had to pay for that day but we did not.  By the standards of most other hotels we had stayed at we were given a free night. 

Day 99 Nov 10 2014 Cuenca

Inca Ruins in Cuenca

New Cathedral in Background

Puente Roto Cuenca Ecuador

Day 99  Nov 10 2014  Cuenca

We walked around the center of Cuenca today with no destination in mind.  We ended up visiting some old ruins and the old and new Cathedrals.  The kids and I all had our hair cut for a grand total of less than $10.  We ate a lunch leisurely at a restaurant and followed it up with ice cream and then a couple of cappuccinos.  David had what he said was probably the best hot chocolate of his life and Isabel and Evy had a dessert. When we were visiting the Cathedrals, Evy started to feel like throwing up and developed stomach cramps.  We returned to the hotel and the Kids did homework while Evy went to sleep.  David and I walked to a grocery store and bought wieners and bread for supper.  It was nice to eat in for a change.

Day 98 Nov 9 2014 Cuenca

view from hotel in Guayaquil

On the bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca

Day 98   Nov 9 2014  Cuenca

We took a bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca today.  The trip was about 4 hours and I am pretty sure we were climbing a mountain for a good part of that.  When we arrived in Cuenca we were supposed to go to a apartment that we rented through Airbnb.  We could not get into contact with the owner either by phone or by pressing the door button as instructed.  We ended up walking down the road a little and getting a hotel.  Airbnb I think is going to refund for one night but not the second night as we managed to get into contact with the host shortly after booking into the hotel.  When we were booking the hotel I told Evy that we should only get it for one day but she was adamant that she was not going to move and go to the apartment; obviously she was upset.  That is 2 screw ups with accommodation in 2 days and it is like throwing money in the garbage.  The upside is that we ended up in a junior suite for $70 us a night with breakfast included.  The suite has separate bedroom for us and the kids and an equipped kitchen.  The restaurant in the hotel serves excellent food, among the best I have eaten on this trip. 

Day 97 Nov 8 2014 Guayaquil Ecuador

petting an iguana

the iguana tree

the cathedral in Guayaquil

Day 97   Nov 8 2014   Guayaquil Ecuador

We took a bus from Montanita to Guayaquil today.  We checked in and were informed that hotels.com had somehow booked 2 rooms for us instead of the one required.  We have to wait till Monday to find out if the hotel will let us cancel one room or if we have to pay for both.  Since it was late in the afternoon when we arrived we jumped into a cab immediately after checking into the hotel to go to see Parque Seminario which is a park that is full of Iguanas. There was one tree that must have had at least 50 iguanas in it. After the park we went to a shopping mall and tried to get money out of the bank machines.  We tried 3 different banks and 6 different machines before we were successful in getting some money.  I always find it a bit stressful when we are getting low on cash and have trouble finding a working bank machine.  We also bought Isabel another pair of earrings today.  She lost another pair a few days ago and needed new ones; it has been an expensive year for earrings.

Day 96 Nov 7 2014 Montanita Ecuador

enjoying an ice cream on the beach in Montanita Ecuador

Surf School - so much better than real school

Day 96  Nov 7 2014  Montanita Ecuador

The day started with us eating breakfast on the beach, followed by Evy and the kids swimming while I was hiding in the shade.  Around noon I went swimming with them for 10 to 15 minutes; they were in the sun for hours while I was in the sun for minutes and I ended up getting a sunburn.  I don’t quite understand the white supremacists with their idea that being white is better.  Being of an Austrian/ Polish background and getting sunburned when as Evy puts it “somebody lights a match” I really have my doubts.  The swimming was followed with me watching David taking surfing lessons for 2 hours.  It was so much better than being in a cold arena.  The rest of the days consist of a late lunch or early supper and more playing in the waves.  We need to do this more often as it was another very enjoyable day.

Day 95 Nov 6 2014 Montanita Ecuador

jumping in the waves, montanita ecuador

waiting for lunch

Day 95  Nov 6 2014  Montanita Ecuador

Today we moved down the coast approximately 30 km to Montanita, it is a town know for surfing.  We are in a little Hostal right on the beach.  I am in a hammock typing this and listening to the waves pound into the beach (pretty hard to take).  We are planning on taking it easy here and just enjoy the beautiful beach and surf.  David and Isabel were happy to be playing in the biggest waves of their life.  Evy and Isabel were probably in the ocean for 1 ½ to 2 hours and David and I for 1 hour.  When I was leaving the ocean I felt “fishing line” around my ankle.  I figured I would pull it out of the ocean and throw it in the garbage; however when I grabbed it with my hands I realized I was being stung on my legs.  It was a beautiful tentacle of a little blue jelly fish, ah the beauty of nature.  I was stung on the stomach and upper and lower legs which prompted a walk into town to buy vinegar.  The beach here is very wide at low tide, so we went for a walk on the beach in the moonlight.  It would have been so romantic if we did not have 2 bickering kids with us.  David dropped the Ipad 2 mini that he purchased on Oct 26 and destroyed the screen.  I guess we will have purchase the Applecare plus after all.  

Day 94 Nov 5 2014 Puerto Lopez

Isabel and her pet star fish

David waiting to get back on the boat

Isabel with blue footed bobbies

over looking the ocean on the Isla de la Plata

Day 94  Nov 5 2014   Puerto Lopez

The day started with a taxi ride into Puerto Lopez followed by a 1 hr and 25 min boat ride to  La Isla de la Plata which is also known as the Poor Mans Galapagos.  When we got to the island and were getting ready to go ashore we could see lots of large sea turtles swimming around the boat.  On the Island we saw lots of birds including the blue footed bobbies some of which were doing the mating dance for the females.  The end of the island tour was followed with a light lunch on the boat and snorkeling.  The fish were amazing both in color and number, we also saw sea turtles.  When we were snorkeling near the boat we swam into a cloud of particulate matter which the fish were rushing into to eat.  Evy thought that the people on the boat were feeding the fish so they would cluster together for us to see,  that was, until I explained that somebody had vomited into the water.  Needless to say she was  a little grossed out.  The boat ride back to main land was rough and 2 people got sea sick as opposed to one on the way to the island.   It was a very enjoyable day.

Day 93 Nov 4 2014 Puerto Lopez

A really cool tree to climb

Getting into the sulfur spring in Agua Blanca

Day 93  Nov 4 2014   Puerto Lopez

Agua Blanca was where we went touring today.  It consists of a historical site dating a few thousand years BC.  The guide gave us a tour of the museum and the burial area where 3 urns were exposed. That was followed by a walk through the forest where he explained the uses of some of the local trees and plants.  We walked past a river where a bunch of women were washing clothes in the river.  The walk ended at a sulfur water spring in which the kids and I went swimming.  The smell of sulfur in the water was quite strong and there were some people rubbing the mud from the bottom of the spring on their faces as it is supposed to have medicinal properties.  The kids climbed a tree and saw a termite nest.  Both David and Isabel decided to eat the little black termites that were crawling in the tree.   The termites were not termites but black ants and I don’t know how many they ate but I guess they must taste ok.  This day was finished off with a visit to the game room in the hotel where I kicked everybody butt at pool and ping pong.

Day 92 Nov 3 2014 Puerto Lopez

Looking for the winning shell on Las Tunas beach

Las Tunas beach near Puerto Lopez Ecuador

Day 92  Nov 3 2014  Puerto Lopez

We flew from Quito to Manta today then took a taxi over 125 km to the Azuluna Eco Resort.  Once again the first order of business once we checked was to eat followed by a long walk on the beach.  The beach is nice but the waves are massive and there are warning signs not to go into the water more than waste deep or you have a good chance of being drug out to sea.   The hotel is essentially deserted and we had full use of the games room which was nice.  The hotel does not have a TV in the room so everybody is reading or playing games on their tablets.  

Day 91 Nov 2 2014 Quito Ecuador

Plaza Foch Quito Ecuador

Day 91  Nov 2 2014  Quito Ecuador

We were happy to leave the hotel in Banos this morning and boarded a bus for Quito at 10:20 am.  When we arrived in Quito we took a taxi to the hotel dropped our luggage off in the room and went out to eat.  After supper we went for a walk to Plaza Foch which is an area full of restaurant and had lots of activity in the area the first time we were there. It was dead with 90% of the businesses closed for the Sunday of the long weekend.  It was not what I expected coming from Canada where that is not the norm.  We finished the day with the kids doing a few hours of school work. 

Day 90 Oct 31 2014 Banos Ecuador

Day 90  Oct 31 2014  Banos Ecuador

We started the day with a nice breakfast at a restaurant next to the hotel, it served the best coffee I have had in quite a while.  The hotel we are staying in is not the best.  It has a toilet that leaks and there is water on the floor in the bathroom constantly.  There is a bar close by that opens up at 8 pm and plays loud music to 2 am.  That was followed by somebody banging on the door at 4 am and people talking in loud voices.  Needless to say we did not get much sleep.  We have one more night like that to look forward to.  Breakfast was followed by a water fall tour.  Banos has many impressive waterfalls in the area with the most impressive being the Palion del Diablo.    The tour stopped at a zip line place during the tour and we paid for Isabel and David to go.  When Isabel got to the top of the tower she freaked out and came back down the stairs.  The zip line was followed by a trolley zip line which the family went on and enjoyed, even Evy.  When the tour bus returned us to Banos we took a taxi back to the Palion del Diablo to explore the side of the waterfalls that the tour did not stop on.  The visit involved a 10 to 15 minute walk down a trail followed by crawling through a little cave to finally arrive behind the falls.  The walk back up the hill was not as much fun as going down but we all made it ok.  In my opinion Niagara Falls has nothing on the Palion del Diablo as it is truly a magnificent place.  On the way back into town we stopped at another zip line so David could go for another ride.  The zip line was over 1 Km long and David was very content that he could ride it.  The prices here are much cheaper than in Canada.  The first zip line cost $10, the trolley ride cost $1.50 each and the long zip line cost $15.  We went for a really good supper where I had fillet mignon and the total came to $41.50.

Day 89 Oct 31 2014 Banos Ecuador

Day 89   Oct 31 2014  Banos Ecuador

I started the day with a bout of travelers’ diarrhea which I was very excited about as we were facing a 4 hour bus ride to Banos.  The good new was that I travel with Imodium in my bags after a rather unpleasant experience in Poland many years ago.  Evy started feeling sick on the bus but we were not sure if it was just motion sickness or something else so she took a couple of motions sickness pills.  She was still not feeling the best after a few hours in Banos.  In the evening we took a volcano tour which turned out to be a tour to a lookout where you can see the city an night and watched a couple of jugglers perform with fire batons as there was  a cloud obscuring the volcano.