Our Ecuador Trip - Zuleta Day 1

The weather forecast for Quito was rainy, with highs at about 60. I checked before we left New York. Repeatedly. Hoping it was an error, and that we'd have lovely sunny or partly cloudy skies, with temps at around 70. Nothing doing. Rainy and 60s.

Saturday morning, we met the Backroads leaders and other families. It turned out that there were two other families on the trip with us - one from Connecticut with two boys, and the other from Georgia with four kids, two boys and two girls, ages 10 and 14.

Of course, Yarden being Yarden, she immediately made friends with the 10 year old girl, and the two were thick as thieves by the time we had gotten to our first stop, Hacienda Zuleta.

Pig Stop on the Way

Hacienda Zuleta is a gorgeous estate on 4000 acres in the Ecuadorian highlands. On it is a cheese factory, worm/compost farm, stables, Condor sanctuary, and vegetable garden. It was previously owned by two Ecuadorian presidents - the grandfather and great grandfather of it's current owner, Fernando.

After a delicious lunch which started off with a cheesy quinoa soup, we grabbed hiking shoes, boots, or in my case, the Five Fingers, our rain gear, and some snacks, and set off for a hike up the mountain to see a view of the valley.

Up, up, up we went, breathing hard, panting, trying to adjust to the higher altitude. (Elevation at the hacienda was approximately 9,000 feet).

Climbing

When we got to the top, expecting a gorgeous view, we got a cover of clouds. It was pretty funny/ironic, and within a few minutes, the clouds cleared, giving us peeks of the valley below. The area we were in had these giant ramped Incan mounds or platforms called "tolas" on which the Incan chiefs apparently built their houses on. They dotted the valley floor below.

A momentary break in the clouds

Resting at the top

Going down, we had a choice-going back the way we came, or making a loop, which would take us through some slippery mud and puddles. Amit returned the way we came. Yarden and I, and a number of other intrepid souls decided to tackle the mud. I wish I had pictures of us doing what looked a bit like surfing or snowboarding down the muddy hills, but I was too busy trying to keep off my butt!

Wading through a big puddle with new friends

Before dinner, we had an opportunity to try some of the aged cheeses the hacienda produces, while listening to Fernando tell us a bit about his family, and the condor project. It was clear that he was very passionate about not only making the hacienda productive and profitable, but about empowering the community of Zuleta, including arranging for collective purchasing of the milk produced both by the hacienda and local farmers, as well as organizing a coop of the sellers of embroidery that the women of Zuleta are famous for. All this while ensuring that the hacienda use organic sustainable farming practices - worm composting of cow manure, natural pesticides made with by-products (whey) of cheese production, and rescuing injured (shot) condors.

A lovely dinner, and it was time for bed before another full day ahead.