Nature

Being a New Yorker since 1999 has made me myopic. I think lounging in Central Park and some walks along the Bronx River are the most extensive natural activities I’ve done since I got here. But leaving the concrete jungle—for the real jungle, no less—brought back the appeal of green.

We didn’t do any major jungle forays, as Todd had just acquired his first pair of sneakers in years (from Payless) and my back is still a mess. But it didn’t really matter. Swimming in a tributary of the Amazon isn’t so shabby. We got to see some animals, though removed from their original habitats. And we experienced the great leveler of people, animals and cars: mud.

There was a lot of mud in all the lowlands (the coast and the jungle), and there was a lot of mud on us by the end. I nearly lost my shoe in the brown mucky stuff climbing a trail to see a cascading waterfall. And the road through the beach town was less of a route and more of a river.

But Ecuador is one of the world’s most ecologically diverse countries for its diminutive size. Getting to see some of those landscapes and ecosystems—up close and from the bus—was breath-taking.

Isla was an easy stop, even with a raging hangover. The island is connected to Tena by a bamboo bridge, and offered a slice of well-kept jungle habitat. That wild boar was very wild, nor were the monkeys. But the river was, with its incessant current.

		La Parque Amazonico La

Not exactly nature, but livestock was certainly a more visible presence in Ecuador than in the States.

Even if the hike was a pure mud soak (should have bought those $5 goulashes), the flora at Las Cascadas de Latas (tin water-falls) was spectacular.

		La Parque Amazonico La