{"id":4951,"date":"2015-07-14T13:57:37","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T20:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/?p=4951"},"modified":"2020-07-15T17:33:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T00:33:44","slug":"s-america-travel-blog-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/s-america-travel-blog-2","title":{"rendered":"A South American Tango: Street Art, Penguins, Gauchos & Milongas, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our cruise continues to South America after transiting through the Panama Canal<\/a>. The first port is Manta<\/a>,\u00a0Ecuador. I\u00a0booked\u00a0a walking tour to the Pacoche forest, a wildlife refuge in the local area.\u00a0Nature tours for shore excursions\u00a0are challenging\u00a0as wildlife starts taking siesta by 10 am so early departures are critical. In our case,\u00a0the ship arrived on time at 7 am but thanks to port bureaucracy, passengers weren’t able to leave till 8:30. After an unplanned detour along the route, I gave up hope of seeing much bird or beast in the park.<\/p>\n

\"Scenery<\/a>
Stunning scenery along the hike to the San Lorenzo light house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our driver\/interpreter took us along the coastal route that is lined with exclusive gated enclaves aimed at Gringo retirees. We stopped to see the San Lorenzo light house. The steep trail rewarded us with some awesome views.<\/p>\n

\"Plate<\/a>
Tasty traditional Ecuadorian fish soup filled with chunks of fresh corbina and sun ripened tomatoes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Always up for local foods, we\u00a0lunched\u00a0at an eatery\u00a0on a bluff overlooking the water.\u00a0The place\u00a0was not much more than a shack with an outdoor patio but we had a killer view. It was a popular roadside stop and I was amazed to see how much the cook could turn out from a single burner propane stove!<\/p>\n

\"Farmer<\/a>
A close encounter of the donkey kind.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After getting into the rain forest, we chanced upon a farmer riding to town with his donkeys. Lucky for us, he stopped to chat with our interpreter and we all go a chance to pet the foal!<\/p>\n

\"Flora<\/a>
Some of the flora and fauna we saw at the Pacoche reserve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As expected, pickings were slim as we scoured for birds and animals. At least howler monkeys, being extremely raucous and territorial, are reliable standbys. As if on cue, several started skirmishing right above our heads to allow us\u00a0a photo op.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of our park walk,\u00a0our guide asked if we\u00a0want\u00a0to check out the\u00a0resident bats. Things were finally looking up! So when\u00a0our\u00a0driver went to fetch the car, he took us to a dry aquaduct where a bat colony was roosting.<\/p>\n