Ecuador on the Mind with Mark Mulville
Some of my favorite places I’ve had the privilege of visiting have been in Latin America. I love the foods, the natural beauty, and the complete kindness of almost everyone. People just seem to be more caring and giving. Even people with almost nothing to offer, will offer you what they have, just to make sure you are happy and enjoying yourself. It truly feels like another world in my opinion.
With all that said, when I was offered another trip to Ecuador, I had to say YES! I had visited Ecuador twice before, so I already had friends there, which makes trips more enjoyable. Also, I would be joining some other close U.S. friends of mine, which makes it even that much better! I arrived to Quito, Ecuador a little late in the evening, so I didn’t really expect much of a meet and greet from anyone, except a quick hello, and lets go..but to my surprise, I was greeted by my great friend Marco Calderon, and a couple other bmx riders. Instead of heading straight home and to bed, they took me around and showed me some beautiful sights of Quito. It was definitely a nice welcome to a beautiful country.
The next day, all the others flew in, and that’s when the trip really took off! We had the privilege of visiting the actual Equator! It was something I never really thought I would do or see. Funny thing is, there was a massive monument built many years ago, on what was THOUGHT to be the actual line.. but with better GPS technology, they found that the actual Equator is about 250 yards away from it’s original said location. Non the less, it was cool to visit both the real, and the fake locations.
From there, we packed up into a van and took an 8 hour journey from Quito to Macas, where we would be spending the next few days. The best part of the journey was driving through the Andes mountains! we passed by waterfalls, volcanoes, and so much beautiful scenery, some of which was so amazing looking that it looked almost fake. The not as good part of the drive was the rain, twisty steep roads with massive cliffs on the side, and some spots of the roads even completely washed away by landslides. It was an adventure, to say the least!
During our stay, we took a quick stroll just outside of Macas city, to a cool little spot on the outskirts of the Amazonian Jungle. It was amazing! We crossed over a roaring river on a sketchy bridge made of bamboo, which was almost totally separated in the center. It seemed like the little bridge could go at any second, but it was the only way to get to the hiking trails on the other side. we crossed the bridge, and I felt like I stepped into another world! It was simply amazing! We took a hike along the river, through the massive lush greens and tall palms. It felt like we were in Jurassic Park!
Basically, this adventure was a success! We rode bmx, hung out with the mayor of Macas, met great people, ate amazing food, saw some beautiful sights, and most of all, we were welcomed and cared for by every single person we crossed paths with. I have to give a huge thanks to my pal Marco Calderon for making this trip, one for the books.
Here are some shots from the trip.
Enjoy!
