Vilcabamba to Peru via las Balsas crossing

This is Mike...
We chose to cross the border into Peru at las Balsas station for two reasons. First, we heard it was a small and quaint border with little stress. Second, it is much shorter to get to Chachapoyas and the ruins in the area the the other two Peruvian crossings. The border lived up to it's reputation and was the easiest and least stressful crossing of the trip, truly a breeze to cross which is always a good thing when traveling with a family. If you are driving to las Balsas from Vilcabamba it is recommended not to do so in the rain as the roads are too dangerous when wet. We left Vilcabamba on a sunny beautiful morning and drove up the Andean peaks. It was there we witnessed mother nature bring it down and bring down the rain she did. There where a few landslides along the way, a few hundred that is! I am not joking landslide came in all colors, sizes and textures. The gushy mushy muddy slides where my favorite for the slip sliding fun they brought. We had to cross three rivers the highway, one of which was very iffy (I only crossed because I had a winch on the front bumper). Outside the rain and all the excitement it brought, this was still one of the most scenic drives in Ecuador, in our opinion.
   We did have one car issue on the road that was repaired before it got really bad. One of the screws holding the battery rattled loose and as a result the battery tilted toward the flywheels of the fan belt. I only knew something was wrong when my electrical system started acting up and the truck almost died. When I looked under the hood I saw the problem and tightened the battery back down, taped the exposed copper cut open on the positive cable and zip-tied the cable away from the belt to avoid this in the future. Tragedy avoided and a good lesson about the need to have tools and recovery equipment with you while off-roading the back roads.
   For backpackers doing this route, Zumba bus station is in the middle of nowhere at least 2 kilometers from Zumba town but taxis and collectivos were standing by to pick people up. Also the taxis do go from Zumba to las Balsas border.
  

A waterfall coming down the mountain right on to the dirt highway, contributing to the erosion.

The water running down the dirt highway eroding a little bit more each minute that goes by.

Collapsed portion of the road are nothing to mess with especially since many of the drop-offs where vertical drops.

Rivers were roaring

When the mud slid down the mountain the slip sliding began.

Tiny bridges had to be checked prior to crossing, just to be sure.

Muddy mess, I was in four wheel drive for many miles on this road.

The road was unstable all over the place but we still made it in the end.

The picture does not show how steep it is here nor how slick the mud was but it does show how the mud slide almost covered the entire road.

Other hazards on the highway like missing manhole covers spread the joy for all.

A close-up to show just how deep this hole really is. It should go without saying, this is very dangerous and is yet another reason why you never drive at night.

This is a separate part of the highway where it was paved through a pueblo. Here too are similar dangerous holes, but this one has rusty bars protruding from the sides for added pleasure.

Beautiful forest filled with singing birds is far too rare in this country

There were easy parts to the drive as well

Picturesque part of far western part of Amazonia

We were the only people crossing at the Ecuador side of the border.

Weird entrance for customs but in did the trick and the girls liked it too.

Vilcabamba, Ecuador

This is Mike...
We heard great things about a town called Vilcabamba on our way to Peru, so we decided to stay. This place is something of lore among the expat crowd in Ecuador. To us, it felt like every other person in town was an expat. This was the highest concentration of North Americans and Europeans that we have seen so far on this trip. Vilcabamba is nestled in the lower Andes about 45 minutes (with traffic) from Loja the nearest big town for major supplies, dentists, doctors you know - civilization. We arrived in the town early afternoon and were amazed at the average-ness of the place. We weren't let down, just dumbfounded as to why this place allures expats so. The town square and immediate surroundings cater to the leisure activists, whether it be dining or lounging or quick errands the square was the spot. That was about it for the pueblo. Surely there was more to this place we thought? Nope, nothing else besides other homes drifting up the valley walls. Not much of anything here except plenty of conspiracy theories. We just don't get the allure and that is OK. Everyone deserves their paradise no matter where it is so long as they don't hurt others around them.

Nicely preserved area around the square

The square was safe and full of families late into the evening.

Restaurants and stores surround the square. One can rent an apartment for as little as $150 a month and a home for as little as $250 a month here.

Corner grocery story

Street performers practicing their talents for the evening show

Laid back funky hippy vibe in town

Murial in town

Cowboys resting and having a drink

We stayed and Le Rendezvous while in Vilcabamba

We enjoyed the garden at our hotel

Elise coming down from the upper deck

The outdoor bread oven was awesome

My truck had a great place to park as well

The path to our room was a jungle escape

Pumapungo ruins downtown Cuenca

This is Mike...
Pumapungo ruins in downtown Cuenca are pretty neat but the earliest newcomers used the best stones to build churches our other large buildings in town. I would imagine the ruins would have been even more interesting if the site would have been left alone instead of pillaged. Still, the ruins are easily accessible and as such worth a visit if you are in town anyway. The day we went  the museum was being fumigated so we could not see the  exhibit but the ruins outside were open to the public. The park-like setting of the ruins is nice for a stroll or just to stretch the legs. There was a  mini garden showcasing native crops, a bird sanctuary and a pond area and were all nice spots for the kids to hang out and the parents to relax.
  

A view of the ruins floor plan

An example of what a dwelling would have looked like.

A view down towards the garden area.

Walking down the path in a zigzag pattern.

Natural lawnmowers at the park

At the pond looking up towards the ruins.

Alpaca Addiction

This  is Elise.  I now learned that I could have gotten tomatillos in the market place.  You have to be willing to put the time in to go to different locations here unlike the HEB at home that has everything under one roof.  Cuenca is a very pleasant city and I am very grateful I finally got  a chance to see it.  Tomorrow we are heading south to Peru via Vilacamba.  I have been doing a ton of research on Peru this week as well as working on the logistics for Machu Picchu.  We can't get tickets until Oct 31 so I am glad we are booking the tickets for such a major tourist attraction now. We have also been catching up on some school work with the kids. One of the strange things about long term travel is that we have to do the research and preparation for each leg of the trip as we are on the trip. For instance we are buying warm clothing now in preparation for the mountains of Peru.  It gives me a great excuse to buy more alpaca.  I love alpaca.  It is so warm and soft and comes in so many beautiful colors. So far I have 5 alpaca shawls and 2 blankets. I wonder if they have so many beautiful alpaca products in Peru?
Alpaca is a cameloid, native to South America and similar to llamas and vicunas.  They are sheared like sheep for their soft, silky wool.  I wish I had a picture of one but so far we have only seen llamas.

Cooking in Cuenca

This is Elise.  I am feeling much better since our arrival in Cuenca.  This is mostly due to the spacious,well decorated place we are staying in.  I am extremely affected by my surroundings in that I become depressed if am I am in a dirty, polluted city or a small, dirty or rundown hotel room.  We try to stay in nice places but sometimes we have to pass through somewhere or the choice of accommodations is meager or the place looked much better on- line.  I had been debating whether I wanted to continue the trip.  After seven months of travel I am starting to long for the comforts of home.  After discussing it with the family and looking at our route through Peru, I have decided to continue.  I really want to see Cuzco.  I have also been motivated by the lure of good food.  The food is supposed to be quite good in Peru and Argentina.  The food here is so bland I was beginning to think I had lost my sense of taste.  The only food that tastes good are the baked goods.  Not good for my waistline so I had to ban myself from all bread.
I promised the family I would cook some good meals this week to make up for weeks of bland food.  I decide to make a green chile recipe I got from one of my friends back in Austin.  The supermarket is too far to walk to and the streets are a bit confusing  for driving so I just take a cab. I could call one but will they understand me over the phone when I give the address?  Will I understand their response? I decide to just walk the two blocks to a main street to flag one down.  When I am in the taxi I have a moment of panic.  Did I bring the address of where I am staying with me?  I don't have a cell phone.  I don't know the city and would have a difficult time directing the taxi back to our place.  These are the things I have to think about every time I leave our accommodations where ever we are staying.  Being in foreign cities and not being fluent in the language keeps you on your toes.  At the supermarket I now have to try to find the ingredients for the chili.  No canned green chilis, no canned white beans, no tomatillos of any kind.  Hmmm.  I will have to improvise again.  I ended up cooking my own green chiles and making my best chili ever.  Even though the sour creme tastes different, the colby-jack cheese taste different and I didn't have the right ingredients it all came together.  International Living Magazine has a lot of articles touting the fresh wholesome food in Ecuador, saying the produce tastes much better here and people lose weight without even trying once they get out of America.  I have not found this to be the case.  I don't think the produce is better and I haven't lost weight.
We did find a great place to eat with a three course set lunch for $4.  I had a delicious bowl of soup, a plate of sea bass, jello dessert and a glass of juice.  It was good too!  The food had flavor and even had fresh herbs. When I think about how a fast food meal in the states can set you back $8, I can see why retirees like it here.  Cuenca is a pleasant city but isn't the right place for us to stay. I wish I had a better feeling about Ecuador in general but there is something I just don't like about it.

City bus tour in Cuenca

This is Mike...
We took a city terribly, touristy, open air double-decker bus tour of the city today and had a blast. We loaded up at Parque Calderon for $8 per adult and $4 per child and drove around for nearly 3 hours if you include the half hour pause at the lookout. A couple things stood out on the trip. First, the city is far more urban hip than we thought, with classy restaurants and a vibrant university town aura about it. Secondly, the city never planned on open air double-decker buses zipping tourists through town and in some cases literally millimeters below high voltage power lines. Yep, you read that right, high voltage power lines almost scalping us on the upper deck as we drove by the sites. I know it sounds hard to believe and you may even be calling the B.S. card on me right now but I promise it is true. We all ducked to avoid certain decapitation multiple times and the other tourists on the upper deck were amused that Sierra and Zoe kept shrieking, "Daddy duck! Duck now Daddy!" I guess my kids still do love me. Best advice I could offer, if you are over 6'3" tall or have any fused vertebrae, don't sit on the upper deck of the bus. Who knows, maybe getting a flattop haircut by electrolysis might be a future selling point for this bus ride? Other than that we had a blast and would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to know more about Cuenca while you are in town.   
 

The open air double-decker bus had few visitor while we were there.

The town parks and squares make it a "green" feeling city

The weather was superb at 77F (25C) degrees and sunny

Looking down on the University of Cuenca

The city is bustling during the weekdays

The city has a rich history of preservation

One of the more popular restaurants in Cuenca (If you look to the upper right you can see an armed guard ensuring the patrons are left undisturbed). Seeing armed guards everywhere is something you have to get used to if you plan on visiting Latin America.  

The city has a European yet distinctly South American feel about it.

Cuenca has 4 rivers that course through town

Some of Cuenca is very modern

A bridge linking the modern and historic sections of town.

The older stately homes have better views of downtown.

The kids loved looking down from the upper deck

One of the many higher education centers in town.

Nice homes throughout town.

Indigenous peoples wearing the colors of their villages walking to work.

The hills above town are very reminiscent of Southern California hillsides

Looking down on Cuenca

Driving on the main street to "el Centro"

After the bus ride we stopped by a great restaurant for a late lunch.

This restaurant is a regular for expats and many of them run up tabs that are later paid when the Social Security checks role in at the end of the month.

Zoe and I, let Elise and Sierra go shopping downtown and we headed to a neighborhood park.