I regret having to leave the lush, biodiverse
rainforest. If I had an extra life or two, I think I might like to be an
ethnobotanist and study the relations between plants and humans – and what more
exciting place to do that than in a rainforest?
Admittedly, the Amazonas rainforest is hot and sticky,
so on that level it is a relief that the next item on our agenda is a drive up
towards the Andes Mountains to a cloud forest – and to a place that is even
more magical. 
I have never been in the Andes mountain range before,
so this is a new high for me. 
On the way, we pass an impressive waterfall, but the
highlight is, of course the cloud forest, where we stay for a few days at the
amazing Cabañas San Isidro located at 2000 m
above sea level about a two-hour drive from Quito and close to the town of
Baeza. 
I can recommend this place for its commendable
ecological awareness, tasty food, pleasant accommodations, gorgeous views in
every direction, incredible biodiversity and easy accessibility. The climate is
good, too, with warm days and cool nights – everything is just perfect! 
We go for guided walks and see various tiny frogs,
footprints from tapir and ocelet, and numerous bird species that are new to us
and that we did not see in the rainforest – notably a wide array of
hummingbirds. 
Some of the hummingbirds flash different bright
colours depending on how the sun hits them, some of them have long, elegant
tails, some are aggressive (to each other)
and some are just plain cute. I could spend hours watching these
intriguing little birds.
Other fun things that we see are the curious and
colourful Inca jay and a very special owl. The owl is called Mystery San Isidro
Owl and is only found in this particular spot. 
It is with even more regret that I say goodbye to this
place, but we must go onwards and upwards. We travel further up in the Andes
and stop for a cup of yummy Ecuadorian hot chocolate at a place where there are
yet more new hummingbird species to watch, including glowing puffleg that
shines green on its back and has cheerleader pompoms on its tiny legs (not the one in the photos below).
Next stop is a pure wellness experience: the thermal
baths at Papallacta at 3120 m above sea level. We loll around in the various
pools whose water temperatures range from dishwasher hot to bathtub warm to icy
cold (fed from the nearby stream) while the air is nice and cool. I switch from
the very hot to the very cold a couple of times and find it quite refreshing.
Squeaky clean, totally relaxed and rather sunburned we
continue through the mountain landscape to a pass – our highest point at 4000
and something metres above sea level. We scan the sky for the iconic Andean
condor, but unfortunately do not see any. However, we do see the rump of a
white-tailed Andean deer.
