Along the Ecuadorean Equator

Did you know…..?

Ecuador is the only country in the world named for a geographical feature.  The equator runs only very slightly north of the capital city, Quito.

The authentic Panama hat actually comes from and is made in Ecuador.

All other things being equal, you weigh a pound less in Quito than in any other capitol city.  (This has to do with lesser gravitational pull at an altitude of almost 10,000 feet.) Also, Ecuador is reputed to be the top exporter of bananas in the world!

Ecuador is closer to space than any other country. The highest point on earth is its Mount Chimborazo (whose position along the Equator means it is actually higher than the world’s tallest mountain, Everest).

Chocolate was “invented” in Ecuador (maybe).  Cacao has been grown and consumed here for more than 5,000 years.

Ecuador has more birds per square kilometer than anywhere else on earth.

The constitution of Ecuador includes a clause recognizing the rights of Mother Nature to exist and flourish.

Which brings us to the Ecuadorian rainforest in the Amazon basin….. a 45-minute flight east of Quito, followed by two hours in a motorboat, then another two hours by paddle canoe brought us to the Napo Wildlife Center…..

From the foot of this giant kapok tree…….

…we climbed this tower, me white-knuckling it the whole way…..

To a view from above the canopy of the rainforest…….

Except for bugs, wildlife is extremely hard to spot…… monkeys and birds are concealed in the treetops and sightings are usually fleeting. But we spent several hours walking through the undergrowth and saw some of Mother Nature’s work up close.

Back at the lodge, this caiman was lurking around in the lake under our room on stilts…..

The return to civilization started long before sunrise in our good ol’ trusty canoe through a spooky marshy forest…..

The rainforest is maybe not our favorite environment – extremely humid and sticky – but a unique place that we are happy to have visited, and a lush contrast with the barrenness of the Galapagos, as well as our next destination – Chile’s Atacama Desert.