18. – 20. Apr 2019 (Easter)
Amilkar had decided to accompany me for a couple of days, thus, off we went – to Mindo first. There, after lunch, we went along the Sanctuary of Waterfalls – visiting six of them in a row. What a great hike we experienced in this lush subtropical cloud forest – a unique eco-system in Ecuador that’s known worldwide for its biodiversity and birding experience.
Delicious Ecuadorian Chocolate 
View from inside the Gondola 
Mickey Mouse 🙂 
In the Water…
In Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, we stayed at Giuliana’s house, a befriended tour guide of Amilkar. On Good Friday, we went into town for the Easter procession called “The Long Walk to Redemption”. It was an incredible event to watch – all those men in their purple capes (“cucuruchos”) and the women as “veronicas” representing the woman who wiped the face of Jesus with a cloth while he was carrying his cross. They walk the streets for hours completely barefoot, the cucuruchos carrying mammoth crosses (often crafted by themselves) on their back or dragging them. In the middle of the procession, it started raining – like every year as I was told. Nonetheless, we had some great sightseeing all around the city center, especially with all the churches being open on this public holiday.
Sightseeing with Amilkar & Giuliana 
The Easter Procession 
Crucified 
Men dressed as “Cucuruchos” 
Women dressed as “Veronicas” 
Inside one of the spectacular Churches 
Accompanied by two Cucuruchos 
When the Rain had stopped 
Roaming around at Night 
Gloomy Atmosphere 
In the Streets at Nighttime
The next day, we packed our stuff and went on to the next place worth visiting: Mitad del Mundo. That’s where the Equator line is located, that means 0’0’0’. It was quite amusing to stand with one foot on the Northern hemisphere and with the other one on the Southern hemisphere. And as there was also an open air regional museum, some experiments, a science exhibition and a planetarium, it was really interesting, too.
Our Guide for the Regional Museum 
Experimenting with the Raw Egg 
Viewing the Equator Line 
On both Hemispheres 
Traditional Dances 
Inside the Planetarium