QUITO 1A

Arrived back in Quito for our 3rd visit. Flight had lights this time. Hotel arranged to pick us up, very interesting ride, the car was a Corsa & the bags had to go on the seat. It had so little power that we had to use 2nd gear going up the motorway hills (it is hilly here!) Then the thunder & lightning started and the fog descended to zero vis. We arrived safely at the B&B about 10:30pm. Storm continued all night and day. Visited Basilica, got rained in, whiled away time in cafe & finally decided to don waterproofs & make a run for it. Steep hills & high altitude are not a good combo for us. Mum decided steps better bet than slope, so wound our way to the top. Gate at top locked. Mum renamed them the stairway to hell between gasps for breath. Had nice dinner in Vista Hermosa, which looks out of the city, shame the restaurant stole our umbrella.  The other picture is view from hotel lounge. What no guinea pig!

CUENCA 3

Final day in Cuenca. I have to say it is lovely here; climate; people; city; food; ambience, all great. Went on bus tour & visited panama hat factory. Prices fron £10 to £1500. The wedding dress is all from straw & apparently unique. We are back at the airport, what country in the world would the taxi from city centre to airport cost £1:50! Customer Service is not in the Spanish dictionary.

CUENCA 2

Altitude is duffing me up again, very breathless. Struggle to climb stairs. Weather very nice here compared to the coast, warm & gentle breeze blowing. Cuenca seems such a nice place, no pushy people, regular shops, museums lovely squares & no real modern development. This would be a perfect place for, Eevie, Georgie & Em - average height of the girls looks to be about 4ft 6in.

CUENCA 1

Flew to Cuenca yesterday. Journey with Tame was a shambles. Went to bag drop, waited while girl dealt with customer and then she just walked off & left us there. We pushed in on another queue, its the Latin American way. Flight was late, only Spanish announcements. Small turboprop aircraft, boarding from the tarmac and it was pissing with rain. So out with the broken umbrellas to struggle aboard. Lots of Latin American shouting through the whole process. Lots of quart-into-pint-pot with overhead lockers, cases taken away, more LA shouting. Soon as we took off, the cabin lights went out, reading lights didn't work, so 40 mins flight in darkness. Arrived at Cuenca without all luggage, more LA shouting.

B&B here is great, looks like it was a house with open courtyards but now covered in. Food great.

GUAYAQUIL

Washed some of our clothes today and it was a bit damp when I put it on this morning. Needn't have worried as it was wetter when we got back from stroll on the prom. It's so hot, 35 Celsius, & humid as hell. I dread to think what the kids were feeling in rolling around on those Zorb balls on the pond behind Mum. Nice prom beside the huge river, entertainment going on, quaint streets with artists studios and a lighthouse on the hill behind the hotel. Those iguanas are in a public park next to the cathedral. Be cooler tomorrow, back up in the Andes at Cuenca - shame about the altitude sickness!

ANDES TRAIN 4

Worst hacienda so far, only aircon in rooms and steaming hot in the common areas, dining open to the outside - insect alert - eau de deet applied. Lovely train trip today. Went from Bucay to Naranjito to visit a cocoa to learn about chocolate. Mum tasted the beans that are inside the pod before roasting, see what she thought. We ground the roast beans down and then tasted the 100% chocolate with & without sugar. The meal at the Hacienda la Danesa was one of the best we ever had. A lot of the food is sourced on the farm. The owner was a 2nd generation Ecuadorian Dane, Nils Ohlsen, and it was all great. We ate out in the open air room. After dinner a cow turned up and I milked it! It's a lovely place, it does horse riding, canoing, cross country biking, fishing, hiking & cooking lessons with the chef.

We continued on the train, a band joined us and we partied before arriving at Guayaquil. We are in the hotel and are going to try and stop eating and chill out.  We are here at the hotel for 2 nites & should be contactable by wassapp etc

ANDES TRAIN 3

Went to Riobamba which is a biggish city with a bull ring. We had a steam train again today & it really got the locals interested. The station had a free Zumba class, Mum had a little wiggle with them. Once we got going both children & dogs loved us, the children wave and the dogs chase the train. Too much food going on. Visited oldest church in Ecuador, Mum bought more gear in the market. Next stop Guamote, this has a traditional market, packed to the gunnels and selling everything from livestock to the best looking vegetables you have ever seen - girls were shelling peas while you wait and the whole front row in one of the pics is shoe shine chairs. We left there to visit Alausi for a wander around town and then on to the Devil's Nose, which is a steep descent requiring the train to reverse. We were supposed to go to Bucay, but a landslide blocked the track, so we took to the coach. Not much better, the same rain had washed out the road and the coach had to bump through the water with 2000 foot drop on one side. Ah well, we finally arrived safely at the hacienda in the now tropical heat. Tomorrow's the final day and we will arrive on Guayaquil.

ANDES TRAIN 2

Another early start to board a new train, very swanky. We spent all day on the train, we were escorted by motor cycle cops who policed all the level crossings. They got bored following us & did tricks going along the road. Been getting breathless again, drinking coca tea for relief. Food served in woven grass parcels & is all local produce. Traveled Avenue of Volcanoes, but all shrouded in cloud. Went to Cotopaxi National Park for a hike. 3600m and breathless. Getting up early is playing havoc with the body clock, it's 10:35am & Mum's on the red wine. Had a big party on the train, devil came on board & I danced with the virgin. I was knackered before I started, totalled when I finished, couldn't breath at all. Recovered a bit to arrive at the Chimborazo volcano. Still really high, but Balthazar put me to shame, 71, he climbs everyday to 4100m to cut out blocks of ice with hand tools & carry it down on donkeys. He sells this in the market to make ice cream. Mum enjoyed his ice cream, even if the cornet was stale. The red tea was made from the ingredients on the plate. Stayed in 250 year old hacienda. Really eclectic collection inside - adding machines, chairs, religious sculpture, tills, typewriters, secretarys and rabbits on the lawn. We had an open fire which we kept stoked up, really nice to dry off in front of after the shower.

ANDES TRAIN 1

We are exhausted - up at 5:00am again to get started on the train. We went North today toward Columbian border. Not as high as the other but still 2500 metres. Struggling with breathing a bit, must get some coca leaves. We made several stops, to see the Ma & Pa of the natives. They said when they kiss goodnight, a gentle breeze blows down the valley. Ma & Pa are the mountains. Had a drive of the loco. Visited the natives and tried their grub - good. Visited Otavalo, San Roque, Ibarra & the wood carving was interesting - Jack would have liked it. Visited a Hacienda for lunch that used to be a Jesuit house before they were kicked out by the King. Now owned by a nice family who grow & export roses. The roses were quite spectacular. Poured blackcurrant juice all over myself, what a mess. Must get some kip, going up to 3600m & up at 5:30, a lay in.