Mindo es Lindo

well this weekend we went to Mindo, a 2.5 hour bus ride from Quito. We left Friday afternoon at 3:30pm and arrived to a dreary town. Evidently, Mindo isn't so much the toursity town as much as the nature and jungle tourist area. There was just a big square park about a block wide and a few stores and restuarants. We found a hostel that looked pretty nice for $7/night and checked in. We then went to get dinner (mine included platanos, veggies, and rice...not bad).
That night however, we found out the bathrooms of that hostel were pretty dirty, the sheets on some of the beds were dirty, and a rooster lived above my head. The hostel did have a tin roof though, and the rain was a pretty sweet sound....for a few hours....Laura, Brett and I didn't sleep at all. And around 5am or so, the rooster started crowing....for the day. So we were pretty exhausted. But we had breakfast and then decided to find another hostel. We moved and then found Kraig (who came that morning).
The new hostel was a hotel. Our room had 3 twin beds and a matrimonial bed, I got that one :) and an outhouse of a bathroom, in the room. Odd, but ok. The hotel also had a pool, hot tub, and a hammock area.
We then headed out on a hike to see some waterfalls. The 6km walk wasn't too bad, but the himidity was awful. We finally reached the top and got on the cable car that takes you across the river and above all these super tall trees to get to the waterfalls. It then started to sprinkle, but we trucked ahead anyways.
Down about a 15 minute trail and we found ourselves at the first waterfall. It was so sweet looking. I have never been so close to something so amazing. So we stripped down (bathing suits under clothes, mom) and got in. WOAH cold water. And sat under the waterfall. So sweet.
We then climbed up a rock on the side of the waterfall and went to the higher part of the waterfall, it was like a 2 for 1 deal. So sweet. The bridges were pretty sketch, but no one fell so I guess it's ok :)
After we all re-grouped and got dressed, Katy, Andrea and I decided we were wet and cold and in the rain and we were gonna head back. The others wanted to see more so they went to another waterfall and met us back at the hotel.
That night we ate dinner at a pizza place beside the hotel, so good. Also, I had pineapple juice, incredible.
Saturday AM we got up and had breakfast and then we went tubing. Now, don't for a second think this is like lazy river tubing. This is white water rafting in inner tubes haha.
We decided to do the higher level one, with higher class rapids for $10. We got in the back of a truck and were taken to the location. We had 2 guides, who let me tell you were the most EXTREME people I have ever met in my life.
The "tube" is one big one with 7 normal sized inner tubes connected around it, like a flower design, you know. We all get in our respective tubes and take off. This river was INTENSE. We were going over HUGE rocks and HUGE rapids and I thought I might fall out, but the guide kept making sure I was ok, which I appreciated TONS. I ate a rapid. I hit helmets hard with Kraig at one point. And, Brett was pretty much laughing at me the whole time for screaming like a little girl haha but it was INCREDIBLE!!!
When we finally 'docked' (after about 10 minutes of trying to get to the side of the river, about 50 yards further down the river than we were supposed to stop becuase the current was too strong for the guides to get us to stop on the bank...), they put the tube concoction of the top of the truck bed, tied it down, and told us to sit on top of it. This might have been scarier than the actual tubing in the river haha becuase the road was crooked, bumpy, rocky, windy (curvy, not gusts of wind, daddy), and all around crazy. Luckily, the guide was also beside me on this trip because I almost fell off the top onto the road and then down into the truck bed multiple times haha.
When we returned, we changed, checked out, got some food and just relaxed listening to the rain until our bus at 5pm.
I arrived back here at the house around 7:45pm and went to bed probably at 9pm. I was exhausted. My body aches all over haha, I guess we did walk for about 5 hours straight on Saturday and my muscles were definitely clenched for about an hour straight on Sunday trying to stay in the tubes, so that explains most of it.
I have bug bites all over my body - one on my butt, I'm assuming from when I had on my bathing suit tubing haha. But I will survive. It was an incredible experience and I'm so glad I did it all.
I didn't take my camera so I have to steal Brett's pictures, which he didn't take very many either because we were doing water activities and it was rainy so....but I will do my best :)