Machachi, Ecuador - Day 2

Monday, January 24

We’re still at the Papa Gayo hotel near Machachi, Ecuador today. Andi had a few work calls this morning, so he went to the main house bright and early to sit in the lobby and work while Tory, Aden and I stayed back at the cabin. I had a lot of blogging to catch up on after being without internet for a few days in the Mindo jungle, so I worked on that while the kids slept. After they woke up, we met Andi in the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

Breakfast was served continental-style again this morning. We helped ourselves to scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, fruit and juice. After breakfast, Andi returned to his corner of the lobby to work while the kids and I walked back to our cabin for school. They were both reluctant after barely doing any textbook studies this past week, but eventually we got our work done. One thing I’m having them do everyday during our time in Ecuador is journal about their experiences. By the end of our trip, I hope they’ll each have a nice booklet of memories to take home with them.

Around Noon, Andi finished work. We arranged to have Yam take us on an adventure again today. Andi and I considered the Cotopaxi hike again, but we still weren't feeling it. Instead, we took Yam up on his suggestion to hike around several waterfalls near Machachi.

First though, we needed to get something to eat. The four of us & Yam drove to Machachi and we asked Yam where he likes to eat here. He said he loves the bakery because it’s inexpensive and they have his favorite drink called Polaca which is an oat milk. We agreed to check it out for lunch.

Inside the bakery, there were all kinds of cakes, pies, cookies, croissants, and empanadas. We selected two ham & cheese croissants and a cheese empanadas to share amongst the four of us, as well as a chocolate croissant. Andi also purchased a Polaca oat milk so we could try it.

The croissants were flaky and savory. We gobbled them all right up. Verdict is still out on the oat milk drink — it basically tasted like cinnamon milk which wouldn’t be the first thing I’d grab for at lunchtime.

After we ate, we headed to the Machachi market again so that we could buy some rain boots. All the locals wear rain boots here & we can see why — it rains almost everyday for an hour or two. We’ll also need rubber boots when we go to the Amazon Rainforest later this week. Yam helped us speak Spanish to the boot vendor so that we could get what we needed.

Next, we drove outside Machachi to check out some waterfalls. We followed a very bumpy cobblestone road for about an hour until we got there. It was a beautiful countryside drive, but I think our family is so spoiled by all the nature we have at home in Wisconsin that we’re not easily impressed.

Tory and Aden wanted to wear their new rain boots, and it’s a good thing they did because they got stuck in a gigantic mud puddle about 5 minutes into our waterfall hike. It became pretty clear after a minute or two that there was no way their feet were buried pretty good, so Andi and Yam balanced on rocks to rescue them.

Once the kids were unstuck, we continued following the river to the first waterfall.

About 30 minutes into our walk, it began to rain harder so we made our way back to the parking lot. Yam said there’s a pretty great viewpoint of Cotopaxi Volcano on this road, but we couldn’t see it. The volcano was completely socked in by clouds and rain.

The five of us made it back to the Papa Gayo hotel around 5:00pm. We thanked Yam for the adventure and returned to our cabin. Later on, Tory said she had a headache and her stomach hurt — I think it was altitude sickness. She didn’t have any water to drink today. Since Tory didn’t feel well and Aden was said he wasn’t hungry, Andi and I went to the main house restaurant to eat dinner by ourselves. It was nice to spend some quality time together! And, the kids were fine in our cabin. The restaurant is literally across the sidewalk from our cabin and the whole property is gated, so they were very safe.

Tomorrow, Andi had to work so we’re planning to hang around the hotel most of the day. So far, we’re really enjoying our time in Machachi, the kindness of the locals and the cool, comfortable weather.