Monday 11th April:
A stroll round the estate before breakfast showcases just what a serene place this is. After I spend some time trying to shoot the humming birds in the courtyard; get a couple of good shots, but as ever, they could have been a little better. A number of departures this morning, but a visit to the cheese making operation for us, one of the three main businesses comprising the hacienda.
Then a gentle two mile stroll, or in Lorna's words, a bloody route march with few if any redeeming features. Not particularly scenic, poured with bloody rain, no fucking coffee shops anywhere on the route, and some really nasty smells, how different can two people be?
Lunch with a foursome from Colombia, and although they are regular travellers they cannot match our list of countries visited. They do say that it is now much safer to travel in Colombia than in the past, but they do not say much more, it would have been interesting to learn a little bit more about the peace process and progress.
We pay the bill and find out the laundry has cost nearly $50, and with a 22% added to the bill for tax and service. Maria collects us as planned and we make our way back to Quito through torrential rain for our flight to Cuenca. We've landed in no time and met Rodolfo our guide for the next few days. The Mansion Alvazar is an old colonial style hotel, comfortable room, and we enjoy a surprisingly good meal at the hotel's Casa Alonso restaurant.
At the Quito airport we did meet an elderly American couple returning to Cuenca, he explained that they had moved there permanently and we're now part of a largish ex-pat community of some 12,000 predominantly Americans. When I asked why he answered simply, economics, they could live very comfortably on $1,200 per month.
Hacienda Zuleta was a wonderful place, very informal, almost too laid back, but I would certainly go again should the opportunity ever arise.
Lunch with a foursome from Colombia, and although they are regular travellers they cannot match our list of countries visited. They do say that it is now much safer to travel in Colombia than in the past, but they do not say much more, it would have been interesting to learn a little bit more about the peace process and progress.
We pay the bill and find out the laundry has cost nearly $50, and with a 22% added to the bill for tax and service. Maria collects us as planned and we make our way back to Quito through torrential rain for our flight to Cuenca. We've landed in no time and met Rodolfo our guide for the next few days. The Mansion Alvazar is an old colonial style hotel, comfortable room, and we enjoy a surprisingly good meal at the hotel's Casa Alonso restaurant.
At the Quito airport we did meet an elderly American couple returning to Cuenca, he explained that they had moved there permanently and we're now part of a largish ex-pat community of some 12,000 predominantly Americans. When I asked why he answered simply, economics, they could live very comfortably on $1,200 per month.
Hacienda Zuleta was a wonderful place, very informal, almost too laid back, but I would certainly go again should the opportunity ever arise.
No comments:
Post a Comment