It was a long way getting there.
The flight to Atlanta wasn't a problem. The flight to Quito wasn't a problem either.
But the journey between Quito to Mindo and then over the Andes and down into the Amazon basin and back out in the southern part of Ecuador- then flying back up to Quito and making our way back up, driving, to Mindo, well...
It was a hell of a journey.
It was over mostly narrow, rutted dirt roads. We would drive for hours- all day in fact. But we would stop, unload (there were 9 of us, total), take pictures, reload, repeat. We walked a lot. We saw a mind-blowing amount of beautiful mountains, with waterfalls cascading down too many to count. We saw clouds move all around us. It was a lot of a lot of.
So imagine- we went back up to where it all started. Cloud forest, touristy... it's beautiful up there. It's everything. You want waterfalls? You want white water, hummingbirds, butterflies, orchids hiplines, tubing??? You name it- it's there. Oh- and the birds. People come from all over the world to see the birds, as well as all the rest of those very cool things I mentioned. So imagine my luck going back up to Mindo, no reservation (which you probably don't need anyway), and finding these cute little gypsy wagons to stay in, just the shortest ride into town, and tucked in the jungle- complete with trails and a labyrinth.
As I started searching for the proprietor I came around a corner to see a window filled with loaf after loaf of perfectly browned fresh baked bread. Loaves and loaves. The aroma itself was to die for. To me, Heaven had just opened the doors. I had to have a piece- and I did. It was perfect.
Then they said I could have some with breakfast. I could wake up looking forward to that bread all toasted to perfection, a little butter. It would be there for me They said I could even have some homemade marmalade also made by the host. Did I mention Heaven? We had marmalade on the tour, but not like this. Breakfast could not come soon enough.
Turns out the host is an excellent cook. Everything he made was absolutely delicious.
There I was: rural does not describe it. Village? Maybe- if they counted during a festival. It is truly between there and nowhere. It was perfect: authentic, welcoming, easy to get around and- it was nature. It was absolutely natural, lush, temperate, and comfortable. It was more basic, but we really didn't want for anything. But, still: Mindo, Ecuador sure was the last place in the world that I would have expected to find a wonderful chef at a magical, quiet gypsy wagon retreat who just wanted to make people something delicious.... and that he did.
Mindo is well worth a visit. Takes a plane ride and then a ride from the airport, but it's so worth it. If you want to connect with nature, and with yourself. it's the place. I've never seen a more bio-diverse environment. Apparently, people from all over the world agree!
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