There were none , nothing ; pitch black and I couldn’t even hear my heart beat . Surreal; experiencing the inside of a stone sarcophagus. This was an advertised ‘event’ offered by our hotel ; all free! Fortunately we were inside a tunnel cut into the rock some 500-1000 years ago for some strange religious reason , now lost in the mists of time . To enhance the memory , candles were extinguished and I was encouraged to feel my way to the exit . I emerged onto a narrow footpath on the side of a 300 m deep canyon, alongside which was a stone channel recently conveying water to another Ecuadorian farm. Clever lot these locals.
Our host was the grandson of the original hacienda’s owner. Formerly the estate covered 120,000 hectares! ( for comparison that’s half the size to Leicestershire ). Now it has shrunk to just 10 hectares , and most of that seemed to be canyon wall. To compensate , and provide further guest delights , great efforts had been made to restore native plants and bird environments. 96 varieties of feathered guests counts as a success.
We sat enjoying the midday heat , sensibly shaded from the fierce equatorial sun; an altitude of 2500m moderates the temperature to enjoyable levels . With no wind , the summer stillness accentuated the humming of the bees drawn to the profusion of flowers and numerous bird feeders containing syrup. A buzzing of wings announced the arrival of the first of a succession of humming birds, for which those feeders were intended. They proceeded to delight us with their aerial acrobatics and vibrant colours .
The hotel was developed to serve the relocated airport . At only 15km away , rapid transferred is ensured . Unfortunately it is also directly under the flight path and being 150 metres higher than the runway , that much closer to the undercarriages of the passing jets . Their engines may be throttled back , but their noise shatters that summer peace.
Blackness to nature’s brilliance ,a visual kaleidoscope.
From coffin stillness, through summer delights to jet roars; an audible panoply.
There is a way out !
Even the omelette came with visual reinforcement
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