Mindo, a birder's paradise
The first best part of our week in Mindo was a reunion with Elise, Jeff and Mason Sullivan, straight from cold-Craig-Colorado, at a bus station in north Quito. It was so nice to see them! The Sullivans joined our traveling crew for their week-long spring break. And then we were twelve.
Researchers estimate that humans need at least 200 hours of shared time together to develop an intimate friendship. Elise, Alana, and I are all colleagues from family medicine residency, and I can tell you that in the first few months of working 80+ hours per week in the hospital as brand new stressed out doctors-in-training, we quickly surpassed the 200 hour minimum. I count them as two of my closest friends and confidants and getting to be with BOTH of them for a week is even better than an oversized bag of chocolate peanut butter cups.
The next best part was that we had arranged to stay in a beautiful house a mile or so outside of Mindo that our family had actually stayed in with other dear friends from residency, the Eichenurski family, during our last visit to Ecuador five years ago. As I have noted several times this past year, returning to the familiar -- even after a five year gap -- feels so good.
There is something magical about this particular Mindo house and its grounds--solar-powered, off the grid, entirely constructed of wood, carefully tended tropical gardens, beanbag chairs, a gazebo with hammocks, hummingbird feeders, a spring-fed (cold) swimming pool, a new yoga room, and surprise of all surprises, one of favorite games from home --Wingspan! (I have mentioned Wingspan before; it is a beautiful German-style board game that helped us fall in love with birds a few years ago. If you love someone who loves birds and/or who loves board games, this is definitely one to consider). Dillon was ecstatic.
The town of Mindo, nestled in the foothills of the Andes about two hours northwest of Quito, has grown considerably in the last five years. Apparently both foreigners and wealthy Quiteños moved to Mindo during the pandemic and definitely contributed to its rapid growth. The last time we were there, it was still a small pueblo with some birdwatching options; now it definitely has more (maybe too much?) tourist infrastructure. But it is still relatively sleepy, has a pleasant climate, and gets you quickly close to nature.
We had a lovely week.
Our Mindo itinerary started with ziplining over the canopy on Brynna's 6th birthday -- an exhilarating first experience for several folks in our group, including brave Brynna (you have to be at least six years old to zipline, and Brynna was initially quite worried that her evening time of birth meant that she would have to wait until the next day to qualify. Eventually, she was convinced that she would not be breaking any rules). By the tenth zipline, both she and also-six-year-old Joni were joyfully ziplining themselves without a guide!
Later that evening, we celebrated Brynna's cumpleaños with an Ecuadorian birthday table, an odd-looking ladybug piñata she picked out herself, and rainbow teddy bear cupcakes. Special thanks to Alana, whose expertise and precision assured that the cupcakes were more beautiful than I could have produced on my own. The grand finale was movie night on Tim's computer, streaming Mary Poppins Returns. It was a full day of celebrating my baby girl. She assures me she is no longer a baby.
The next day we hit up the awesome Mariposas de Mindo (Mindo Butterfly Farm), where we watched butterflies hatch from chrysalises and held them on our banana-laden hands. Pretty amazing! Our next stop, the chocolate factory, was a hit, how could it not be with hot chocolate at the start and a plethora of samples of chocolate at the end. My kids are happy to report that the tiny non-touristy chocolate factory outside La Jos, which we have been actively supporting the last several months, is doing a fine job at giving informative tours with much less infrastructure. They still very much appreciated the free samples!
One of my favorite things to do in Mindo is to ride the tarabita across a canyon to waterfalls and hiking trails. A tarabita is a small open air cart on a zip line cable that transports people across canyons and rivers. There is a second cable attached to the bottom, which is the drive cable. This particular tarabita is powered by a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder engine; imagine you install all the parts of the truck engine and its driving gear (clutch, gas, and brake) and then hook up the drive chain to the bottom cable. And there you have it, the tarabita!
When you arrive, a few minutes later, on the far side of the deep canyon, there are beautiful well-marked trails to several waterfalls. So many great choices. A hike with a water destination is one of my favorite type of hikes, made even sweeter with old friends and good snacks. Aside from one minor injury, our hiking day was a success.
During the week, we managed to squeeze in a little NCAA March Madness. The tournament is seriously one of my most favorite events of year, and, like most things, it is even more enjoyable in good company. What a treat to be with everyone, huddled around the computer, watching UCLA et al play ball. Extra cool that Alana's alma mater, Princeton, a 15 seed, knocked out Arizona, a 2 seed!
In between activities, we ate large family meals (thanks, Jeff, for always bringing the meat!) and chatted about life in small towns, sabbatical planning (The Sullivans are next!), basketball, child-rearing, and the like. Dillon filled and refilled hummingbird feeders so we could marvel at the plentiful colibri that frequented the gazebo each afternoon. We also managed to squeeze in a game of Wingspan, some ping pong, and a couple dips in the swimming pool.
The second to last morning, we organized a bird tour, which left the house promptly at 6am with our quiet but knowledgeable guide Danny Jumbo. Yup, birds get up early, and so did my kids (plus Elise), to go see what we went to Mindo to see: birds. Danny shared how 24 years ago, a Swiss birdwatcher who did not speak any Spanish hired him, then age 16, with no bird experience, to hike with him and be his language guide. This informal gig launched his interest and a lifelong career as a birdwatching guide. Our ebird list from that morning is impressive: despite some rain, we saw 35 different species of birds, and we got some amazing pictures. Our two new favorite birds of the morning were the Flame-faced Tanager and the Blue-necked Tanager. Even so, we realized what a magical little spot we are living in. . .with all our local birds right here off our front porch in La Josefina.
I am deeply grateful for intimate friendships, which have sustained me through medical training, infertility and childbirth, early career and the now the pandemic. I feel lucky to have been able to maintain relationships with my dear friends, even over long distances and despite our busy lives. I thank both families for making the long trek to Ecuador to visit us and enable us to share a slice of this special place with them. My heart is full.
What a gorgeous place, and how great to see some of your co-residents (who I remember fondly). Remind me - were you part of the (first)all female residency class that was admiringly self labelled "The Ovarian Mass" ? This comment comes from a person who graduated UCLA Med 1973 with a class of 125 including 4 women. Oh, and bummer about UCLA basketball. (FB)
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