Ecuador Trip Day Two

My friend and I got up and checked with the front desk about canopy tours (zip lining).  The staff at the hotel was not that helpful but a tour guide named Luis was.  He overheard our question and said he would make some calls for us.  He told us to have breakfast and he would be right back with some news.  He came to our table and said that his tour was cancelled so he was free to take us on the canopy tour.  He had another tour guide in Mindo to work with.  He offered us 10 zip lines, lunch, a butterfly garden tour, and an orchid garden tour for $100 each.  He said the place was a hour and a half north of Quito.  He seemed very nice.  He reminded me very much of my twin nephews and was about the same age.  We decided to take his offer.  We hopped into his rented car and headed out of town. Rush hour in Quito is terrible.  Luis said on Mondays, cars with licence plates that end in 0 or 1 are not allowed on the street during rush hour.  On Tuesdays cars with license plates that end in 2 or 3 are not allowed during rush hour, etc.  He also told us that in Ecuador, companies must hire people with disabilities.  4% or more of the employees must have disabilities.  I thought this was an interesting concept.  Luis said the Vice President recently made this a rule.  I can only imagine how that would go over in the USA.  After driving 90 minutes, he said our destination was an hour and a half away.  I think he didn't tell us the real time it took to get there because we wouldn't go.  Aside from that, he was a good guide and did not lead us wrong. We finally arrived in Mindo and met Patricia, the Mindo tour guide.  She took us zip lining.  Luis had never been ziplining before even though he has a degree in tourism.  They hooked us into these harnesses that went around our legs, shoulders and arms.  We had helmets and leather gloves with thick leather sewn across the palm.  Then we had to walk to the first zip line.  I felt strange walking with all this equipment - sorta like wearing a huge diaper.  My friend went first.  I wasn't going first.  I wasn't sure I was going at all.  I told the helpers I was scared.  But I wanted to go before Luis because if he went across and I was the only one left, I probably wouldn't go.  So they hooked me up to the cable and told me to lean back.  I asked about a brake. There are no brakes.  I was really hoping for a brake.  They asked if I was ready.  I said no.  I knew waiting was counterproductive.  So I told them I was ready but I wanted to go slow.  They gave me a slight shove. I SCREAMED the whole way across until I ran out of air.  I was so scared. I was zipping 60 feet above the ground, way above the tree tops.  I came closer and closer to the end platform.  I could see my friend and the other helpers waiting there.  It was coming up fast and I had no brake.  I was going to slam into a tree.  I didn't know they had a side cable attached to the main cable and were prepared to bring me to a gentle stop.  Once my feet were on solid ground I could breathe again.  It was hard but I faced my fear and did it. For the rest of the trip, whenever something scary came up I would think to myself, "It's got to be easier than ziplining."  Anything easier than ziplining can't be hard.  We hiked up to a higher platform in between each zip line.  Hiking up the hill was hard.  My chest was heaving and my heart was pounding. I was really struggling to hike up this hill.  What about all those hours on the elliptical I spent getting ready for this trip?  Why weren't they helping me?  My problem was more about the altitude and the lack of oxygen than physical fitness but I didn't know that until later.  I saw vultures flying across the valley.  I joked about the vultures feasting on a zip line failure but they didn't think I was funny.  Each zipline got easier.  By the tenth one, I was enjoying it.  We had lunch in the town in Mindo after that at the Cafe Chef.  I had a salad of fresh tomatoes, cheese, and fresh oregano.  It was delicious.  After lunch we went to a butterfly garden.  I saw four species of hummingbirds drinking from a feeder.  Inside we saw many species of butterflies.  The photo shows an "Owl Eyed Butterfly" eating mashed banana from my finger.  Can you see the snake face in the right corner of the wing?  We also toured an orchid collection of over 500 species. Some orchids were so small we had to view them with magnifying lenses.  We dropped Patricia off and headed back to town.  We needed to be back by 6 to meet the rest of the tour group going to the Galapagos.  The drive back was shorter than the drive up but we ran into a landslide.  Only one lane could get through the landslide area so we ended up being a half hour late.  Being late was fine because we weren't the last ones to arrive.  We had a lecture on what to expect in the Galapagos.  Because the ecosystems are fragile and the resources are scarce, we needed to be "green" while there.  We were told to use electricity only when necessary.  For example, don't turn on the air conditioning and then go out to eat.  Wait until you are in the room and then turn on the air.  Also all toilet tissue must be placed in a basket beside the toilet, not flushed.  Use bottled water to brush your teeth and for drinking. Leave any warm clothes at the hotel in Quito because there would be no need for warm clothes. Our tour would be working with Galakiwi because in the Galapagos, all tour agencies have to have an island component. After orientation, the group walked to a restaurant 5 minutes away.  I had baked eggplant with mushroom, cheese, tomatoes, onion and squash, cheese empanadas, salad and chocolate cake.  It was delicious.  We walked back to our hotel to pack and rest.  Tomorrow we will be in the islands.