Annivesary in the Cloud Forest

A cloud forest is basically a sub-tropical forest where the clouds drop down into the trees and create an enchanted forest feeling...we had heard of a little town called Mindo that is built in the middle of a beautiful cloud forest area...it is surrounded by small mountains covered in thick vegetation and has several rivers, each with its own series of waterfalls, flowing through it...Mindo is known for its beauty and peaceful vibe...we thought those would be nice for our anniversary weekend.

We found a cool sounding eco-lodge in the guide book and blindly made reservations...the price told us that it was on the higher end of things, but you never really know down here...we read about private riverside cabins and candle light dinners and that was good enough...as it turns out, it was more than we ever could have imagined...

To get to the property we drove 20 minutes down a dirt road, then crossed the River Mindo in a hand operated "tarabita" (there are no bridges, which means no automobiles on the property).
We stayed in a huge river-side cabin...we think they hooked us up because we told them it was anniversary. It was luxury done in the most simplistic way...such creative uses of wood and stone...it had 25 foot ceilings with sky-lights in the thatched roof, a bath tub laid in stones with huge double windows that opened onto the lush forest...no electricity, only candles and oil lamps...we were speechless.


From the cabin we headed down wooded paths and crossed bamboo bridges to the "main house", which once again was an unexpected jewel...a gigantic, open-air bamboo structure, with oversized furniture, hammocks, creative fire places, huge wooden tables used for communal candlelight dinners...the main house bordered an extensive organic garden that supplied the kitchen with 3-course, gourmet, vegetarian meals...

El Monte consists of over 100 acres of cloud forest...there are trails deep into the thick forest where you can find exotic birds, plants and insects...you can also hike to several beautiful waterfalls, one of which you have to cross a huge river basin (152m high) in a metal basket hooked to steel cables...

The weekend trip was the perfect mixture of adventure, peace and romance...we brought our wedding vows with us, the ones that Paul has had since the wedding last year, and we reminded ourselves of the promises and commitments we made....oh yeah, and we managed to find some mud and rubber boots to celebrate the occasion!!

Tomorrow we take off on a two week trip down the Andes to southern Ecuador...if you want to follow on a map, here are our stops: Banos, Riobamba, Cuenca, Vilcabamba and Loja.

We love you and miss you....know that you are in our thoughts and prayers...Elena y Mateo