GIRON, ECUADOR - Hiking to El Chorro Waterfalls

CASCADA EL CHORRO - GIRON ECUADOR

 Now that we're all settled into our apartment-city lifestyle, and now that our apartment is finally completely furnished and decorated (well, almost decorated - I always find something to add or subtract) - we are focusing more on LIVING and RELAXING - being Jubilado!  Our days are becoming more free to do the things we WANT to do and LOVE to do - one of those luxuries being traveling Ecuador and exploring the outlying areas.  I love packing my camera and going to new and scenic places with my Bo.

We decided to take off early Sunday morning for a day outing to a town called Giron.  Because we spend a lot of our time in the city, going away for the day is a real treat.  There are so many places we want to visit and see, and for an hour $1.00 bus ride, we can end up in the most amazing towns and scenic areas - one of the great advantages of living in Cuenca.

Giron is a small town about 45 minutes SW of Cuenca with a population of about 12,000.  I wanted to visit Giron to hike up to El Chorro - a majestic waterfall cascading down a mountain outside of the town of Giron.  So, off we went - wearing hiking clothes and shoes and packing our rain gear and a lunch.  We caught a bus from El Centro to Feria Libre Mercado, and from there we flagged down a bus heading for Giron.  It was a beautiful scenic ride.  The bus passed through the small town of Giron and finally stopped for us at a country road that would take us up to the El Chorro area.  It took us about 2 hours to walk this remote uphill winding road to the entrance of the falls.  The day was sunny and warm with brilliant blue skies, and the journey there was another wonderful experiencing talking to locals along the way and watching the tiny faraway falls become closer and closer each step of the way.

PICTURES TELL THE STORY

We began our hike early - with the roosters!

Most visitors will get off the bus in Giron and then hire a taxi or van to drive them to El Chorro Waterfalls.  Not us, we like to walk and explore and meet the locals along the way - and we did!  The falls are in view (on the right) but seem so far far away - and they were!

El Chorro seemed so far far away - and it was!!

We were surrounded by lush brilliant green mountains along the way.

Samuel was our first local encounter - a kind and engaging gentleman who was walking towards the town of Giron.   He must have been about 90 plus years old.

We visited for a spell, then parted ways - he hobbled on downhill and we continued our journey higher and higher......

The day couldn't have been more perfect weather-wise.  It was raining steadily during our bus trip to Giron, but once we arrived, the majestic clouds and blue skies graced our journey.

El Chorro began to appear closer the longer we walked.  I love this lush, green, mountainous area of Ecuador - it reminds me so much of Oregon.

Another small community appeared along the way - with a tiny church and quite a few seemingly abandoned houses.

We passed by lush farm vegetation....

......and several locals doing their laundry outside their homes (yes, by hand!!).

The road seemed like it would go on forever - and El Chorro began to look closer.......

We decided to stop and take a lunch and water break......

.......and along came Angelo galloping on his horse, Negro.  We had an enjoyable visit and he readily shared with us all about Giron and the people.  He lives on the higher mountain area near the falls and was heading to Giron for the day.  We said our "Chau"s and parted ways.

It's rare to see two extranjeros walking along this long and winding road towards the falls - even the dogs were checking us out and wondering?????

On the weekends Margarita and Zoila roast chickens and Cuy and cook huge pots full of rice and choclo - which they serve at their outdoor restaurant stand.   We visited them for quite awhile listening to their stories about the area, then bid farewell and continued our climb. 

Ahhhhh, I think we're almost there - I think!

Is Bo waiting for me?  Am I lagging behind?  NOT!  I was taking pictures - en serio!!  Isn't this road absolutely beautiful?

I can hardly wait to get there.  SOON!

Look at that blue sky!  The flowers and lush foliage along the way left me speechless.

I've heard this area is called the "Cloud Forest" because of persistent fog at the vegetation level.  Well, we certainly picked the perfect day for warm, sunny, clear weather.  The clouds were high and moving.

It's always heart-warming to see animal families along the way!

More majestic breathtaking scenery before we finally arrive......

.......to "Al Parador" Turistico El Chorro.  A parador in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries is a type of luxury hotel, usually located in a historic building such as a monastery or castle. This one is located in the foothills of the cascading El Chorro Waterfalls. Here, we were greeted by a young man, charged $1.00 each (take your cedulas or it will be $2 each), and then given tickets which we could show upon our return from the falls for a free Canelazo - a local drink made with sugar cane alcohol or rum, panela (sugar), and ague de canela (water boiled with cinnamon) - very warming going down.

We're glad we brought our rain coat and rain poncho, and that we had on hiking shoes.  It was wet, muddy, and slippery along the way.  The stair climb was about 5 minutes, and suddenly there it was!!!!

Worth every step we took to get here!

 

This wooden bridge is the higher area where the wind and waterfall spray and rushing water sound is so powerful! We could barely walk out to the center of the bridge and had to hold on tightly so as not to get blown away.  I couldn't see above and could barely see below.  Yet, just to stand there and get sprayed and wind-blown was a rush!  We didn't stay there long because we were soaked in spite of our rain gear.....

We stayed in the lower dryer area for quite some time - of course I was in my glory taking scenic photographs and basking in the lush green and rain forest beauty.  

We met this generous Ecuadorian family today - Miguel and Aleja, and their daughter Maria and grand children Kelly and little Amy.  They too were enjoying their day at El Chorro and we had such a lovely visit with them.  They joined us below for  free Canelazo drinks where we relaxed and continued our visit together.  Then they invited us to come to their home in Baños on Friday and have dinner with them and later attend an evening Fiesta in their town.  They kindly gave us a ride in their van back to Giron where a bus was waiting to take us back to Cuenca.  It was another fabulous day trip - hiking, exploring a new area of Ecuador, talking to the locals along the way, and making new friends.  Guess where we're going and what we're doing on Friday?  To truly get to know Ecuador's beautiful and loving families is the best gift about living here for Bo and me.

 If you decided to visit Giron's El Chorro, don't forget to wear sturdy waterproof hiking shoes, take rain gear, and plan on a full day to enjoy this lush and scenic area.  You'll be glad you went!

LIVING IN CUENCA ECUADOR - FELIZ CUMPLEANOS - An Ecuadorian Family Birthday!

Our friend, Carmen, turned 75 years old last Saturday, and what a celebration it was!  Bo and I, and our friend, Sandy, were invited to this Ecuadorian Family's gala event, and it was one of the most joyous, loving, and fun times we've had since living here.  We met wonderful people, family and friends of the guest of honor, and we drank, ate, and danced for hours.  We were honored to be invited to and included in this private family event, and knowing Carmen and her family has added more meaning to our "life in Cuenca."

So how do we know this precious "birthday" woman?  A few weeks ago, we helped our "blog" friend, Sandy, look for an apartment in El Centro.  Lo and behold, Carmen became her landlady when Sandy rented the most fabulous place from her three days after arriving in Cuenca.  (This apartment was not advertised.  We took a wrong turn going somewhere else, and there was a small sign pasted to a jewelry store window - really!!)  Because Carmen doesn't speak English, I became the translator for Sandy and Carmen.  This is a landlady who takes special care of her renters, and we have now become friends just because she's also so loving and fun to be around.  Being able to speak Spanish has once again given us the privilege and opportunity to know another fun and loving Ecuadorian family and to be invited into their home.  I could talk to Carmen for hours because she shares from the heart and cares.  Sandy is so blessed to have found such a wonderful apartment to now call home with a "duena" who will truly be there for her.  It doesn't get better than this, does it?

Two beautiful people - Carmen and Sandy

Come and enjoy this fabulous event I was able to capture between drinking, dancing, and laughing!

Every decoration and detail was classy and colorful....

....but, Carmen was the classiest and most colorful of all!

Over 100 guests were dressed to the nines, and now I know why there are so many fancy dress, suit, and shoe shops block after block in El Centro.  These Ecuadorian people love to dress up and party!

During the dancing and festivities, waiters came around and served each guest this most amazing wooden platter with three incredible desserts on it.  Oh, I was in heaven savoring each of these unique delectables.

Balloons were distributed to the party crowd, and during the dancing guests popped them and cheered.

There was joy and laughter everywhere.

Lots of hugging and smiling and posing to capture the moment!

A singer honors Carmen with a special birthday tune....

.....and the family applauds and cheers her on to sing "more!"

Sandy is having too much loving and fun.

Dance, dance, dance the night away! 

It was one of the most elegant birthday cakes I've ever seen!

An emotional moment when Carmen blew out her candles and then hugged her sister.

In Ecuador, even children dance the night away - and can they move to the beat!

Yes, I did put my camera down often so I too could join the fun and dance.  Bo picked up my camera and began to take photos of his wife (I'm never in any pictures.  I was this night!!!)

I will NEVER forget this joyous celebration with loving and fun people who included the three of us in Carmen's special fiesta. 

Happy Carmen and her sister are so beautifully adorned and colorful!

More posing and what sweet expressions!

By now, Sandy and Bo are "hat" adorned.  Bo's first tie event in over 7 months since he quit Corporate America.  We're both enjoying being "Jubilado."

Ecuadorian families are very close, they love to dress up, and they are truly a handsome and beautiful people!

The party seemed like it would go on into the wee hours of the morning.....

......because there was plenty of wine and good cheer yet to come!

Carmen danced continually - and even Sandy had a cha-cha dance with her friend.

I met Sandy through my blog back in December when she came for her exploratory visit to Cuenca.  Here she is, six months later, living in Cuenca and happy, partying, and making new friends. 

This blog posting is dedicated to a very special woman - Carmen!  My birthday blessing to our friend:  Que Dios bendiga ricamente su año de antelación y que tenga muchos muchos años más para bailar y reír.  
Thank you, Carmen, for allowing us to be a part of your magical day.

I hope our readers have enjoyed going to Carmen's party.  If you haven't had the opportunity to celebrate with an Ecuadorian family and to be a part of their lives, I can confidently say you're missing a wonderful part of being in Ecuador.  To be a part of the Ecuadorian family culture here is an honor and the greatest part of living in Cuenca for both Bo and me.  I'm glad I could share this special birthday time with you through my lens.