My World With Dance: Mindo Lindo

After missing my flight to Buenos Aires because of tardiness I decided to put it behind me and enjoy the new possibility of seeing more of Ecuador. With a few days to spare I decided to head to Mindo. The place is small and friendly with not much English which was great for my Spanish learning. I stayed at Cecilia's Hostal and shared a private room for $9 per person with the 2 girls I met on the bus. Jen and Luz were also traveling on their own and the 3 if us blended perfectly.

On our first night in town we decided to check out the frog symphony. The name was intriguing but much to our surprise there were no conductor or orchestras only the harmonious sounds of nature. After a glass of wine we got a tour around an ecological hotel that was a frog breeding ground. Flash lights in hand we spotted frogs, insects and even some algae that illuminated the trees which sparkled in the dark. We finished the night off with some delicious empanadas filled with cheese that were cooked fresh to order.

The next day we decided to hike the waterfall trail. This trek is 7km from town so we got a lift and took a cable car through the dense cloud forest taking in the birds eye view. We visited 6 waterfalls and dipped in all of them. The trail itself was much easier to follow than some of the others I've done but it still had some challenging uphills. The second waterfall was my favourite as the pool was large and great for swimming after a long hike. After our hard day of work, we spend the evening chatting over beers, Mexican food and empanadas. I love meeting people as I travel because there are no filters to conversation and things are just so real. You really get to bond and get to know each other much quicker than at home.

The following day the girls left so I decided to hike through the bird watching trails. At first I got mixed up and ended up climbing up steep hill in farm land. I got bites all over me and finally realized this was not part of the trail. When I was about to give up I found the right path and completed the hike while practicing my swapping insect skills. It was all worth it though as I found a great gazebo up in the cloud forest overlooking all of Mindo. To give thanks to my surroundings I practiced yoga and appreciated my blessings. I love taking the time to stop, breath and enjoy the moment. After all, this moment is the only concise thing we have. The past is history and the future is still unknown. I've learned to live life now and not worry about the rest!