Hi from Banos,

Well, we survived the Amazon! Our lodge was really nice - to get there we had a half-hour flight from Quito, 2 hours downriver in a long skinny boat with a motor then 2 hours up a narow tributary in a paddled canoe. We saw lots of birds and other good stuff, including an ocelot (small jaguar,endangered and rarely seen), a tapir, 2 giant river otters (which growled at our canoe), hundreds of parrots at a clay lick. 7 species of monkeys and Malcolm´s best friends. the biting bugs!

After that, we went back to Quito for a night then a bus to another birding lodge, Tinalandia )Malcolm´s choice), a very strange place where the cabins were 700 m up a steep, slippery cobbled road - so we had to walk up and down over 4 km while we were there just to get fed! Especially nice after it had rained and it was dark. Malcolm is skin and bones now ( well, almost!)

Saw our second snake there , about a meter long , thin and bright green, some HUGE caterpillars, nice birds. We were the only guests.

Now are in Banos, a small town famous for it´s hot springs and active volcano. On the walk down to this internet cafe saw guinea pigs roasting on a rotisserie - lunch anyone??

off to explore the town,

take care and please write with your news,

Malcolm and Elinor