Escape from Quito to experience the countryside

Sierra Alisos is a unique and picturesque hacienda in Tambillo, in the foothills of Mount Atacazo, and only a 50-minute car-ride away from Ecuador’s busy capital Quito. It gets its name from the native Aliso (or Alder) forest that surrounds the secluded area which it’s in. We decided to get away from the hustle and bustle for a weekend, and we were absolutely delighted with our experience.  Alex and I had briefly visited the hacienda a year ago and were so impressed that we vowed to come back … and so a year later, we did!

Sierra Alisos and its beautiful surrounds.

Time to Dance Samba in Encarnación

Encarnación. Where’s that? What, there’s a carnival there? Isn’t that in Brazil? Many people have heard about, and some have even been, to the infamous ‘carnavales’, or carnivals all over Brazil. I mean, who hasn’t heard of the revelling that goes on in Rio de Janeiro? Just the word conjures up bronzed bodies, minimal clothing, glittery bits barely covering up what needs to be covered up, loud music and lots of raucous partying. Oh, and probably the consumption of way too much alcohol. But I will let you in on a secret … Brazil’s not the only place that holds the yearly Carnival celebrations. We had the opportunity to see Carnival … Paraguayan style. Oh yes, this ubiquitous South American country, which few know about and fewer have been to, holds a pretty impressive show. Just ask us. We went!…

8 amazing days on one of the remotest places on earth!

First up and off the bat, I will refer to Easter Island as Rapa Nui. It is both the original and indigenous name of the island as well as the name preferred and used by the locals. It also honours the original owners of the land.

Where is it?

Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, has a surface area of only 163.6 square kilometres (63.2 square miles) and is part of Polynesia. It was christened by the Dutch who arrived here in 1722 and was annexed by Chile in the late 19th century. More than 3700 kilometres from Santiago on continental Chile and some 4200 kilometres from Tahiti it is one of the remotest inhabited islands on earth.  Along with New Zealand, and Hawaii this island forms part of the triangle in which lie the Polynesian Islands. The first people came to Rapa Nui around 300–400AD.

Ahu Tongariki

A snippet of the countries travelled between 2014 and 2016

Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, USA, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Nepal, Georgia, Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey, Cyprus, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Canada, Hawaii.

Fast Forward in 2017. We travelled around Australia, Chile, Argentina and currently in Paraguay… New travel blogs are coming soon on 2018! Stay tuned and Subscribe to veryitchyfeet.com – A LifeTime of Travel Detours; to receive travel updates on your email.

The majestic peak of Chimborazo.

Whilst staying in Guaranda we decided to do a day trip to Mount Chimborazo, only some 50 kilometres away. Whilst it had been thought to be extinct, new studies show that it is actually active, having erupted at least seven times during the last 10 000 years; nothing on record however. The mountain was once considered the highest on the planet but was dethroned by the Himalayan and Peruvian peaks. According to the Earth’s geometry, however, the summit of Chimborazo is considered to be the farthest from the Earth’s centre.  This huge mountain is the highest point in Ecuador and has the highest peak near the equator at 6268 metres.