Tuesday 30.09.2014

After two days of glorious, guilt-free, self-indulgent laziness (for which it turns out Mindo and in particular this hostel are perfect)we felt maybe we should do something a bit more energetic and fortunately a fellow traveller was up for a visit to the local "cascadas" and suggested we shared a taxi to get there so that spurred us on to get going - especially as he kindly ordered the taxi!

It was the perfect excursion: a ride up to the "tarabita" which translates as cable car though that makes it sound grander than the metal cage on a wire which it turned out to be.

However it zoomed confidently across the tops of the trees in an exhilarating swoop that only lasted minutes but gave fantastic views across the forest

and down into ravine.

Then it was a trek through the forest

and arrival after a few detours at one of the bigger cascadas - time to cool the feet and enjoy the spectacle.

And after all that activity - not to mention the long slog back up to the tarabita, more swinging across the trees

and another bone-rattling ride down the hill in the back of the "taxi"

(the only way to travel...apart from a tuk-tuk)

we felt perfectly entitled to visit the chocolate factory again, not for Mindo Lava Cake this time (of which more later) but for three cups each of good strong coffee, a sandwich and some chips. As we have felt forced to remark on several occasions in the last few days...it`s a hard life.