Who Said I Couldn't Go to Cajas National Park? by Star

I have been dying to tell you about my adventures into the Cajas National Park....well, it has been four months since I first went there and today is the day I get to share.

Cajas is a magical place about 12 miles from Cuenca. It has many beautiful mountain ranges and lagoons. The altitude ranges from 10,000 to close to 14,000 feet high and there are many different birds and also Alpacas. Mom just recently learned what the name Cajas means. "Cajas" in Spanish means 'boxes' so she couldn't understand why the name; she learned that this "Cajas" comes from the indigenous quechua word "caxas" which means "cold"; and, cold it is, according to the humans who went with us; but with my thick coat I could never tell even though I got pretty wet.

When we first arrived in Cuenca we were told that no dogs were allowed in this incredible place; but, what do you know? Mom found a way. Well, it was really Anna who did, but the important thing was that we went to Cajas in December with my friends Chimbo and Kenna and some humans.

 
I've visited many beautiful places since we moved to Cuenca, but I have to say that Cajas is by far the best. We were free to run up and down the trails without leads. There is simply nothing better than freedom and fresh mountain air to make me happy.

My mom didn't have her hiking boots or her walking stick with her since our stuff had not arrived from the States. She said she needed them to go up to the lagoon because it was misting and the steep trail was very slippery so mom and I stayed behind while our friends went up.

 

I had to stay to keep guard and make sure mom and I were all right.

We really missed out, so as soon as the work in the house is finished, mom has promised to take me there again. This time for a real hike up to the lagoon. Although I don't know how mom is going to make it. She was huffing and puffing all throughout the hike since Cajas is much higher than Cuenca and the trails are treacherous. That's what she said, though perhaps she is not in as good shape as she wants to think she is.

Mom says that hiking Cajas is not for everyone. It's really beautiful and peaceful but the weather changes very quickly. And, that is true, I can attest. When we were there one minute it was sunny and the next it was misting, and right after that there was the rain, hard and cold with thunder and lightening and nowhere to take cover. Going down the trail is harder when it is wet, and mom fell twice and got her pants all muddy. She, of course, blamed it on me. Since when she fell it was just me and her and she had to put me in the lead, or so she felt... like I was going anywhere... pleeease! When we were all together, I knew it was safe and I ran and ran, up and down and up again, having so much fun in this incredible place.

Mom and I went down towards the car and mom was totally worn out but so was I, yet I just didn't know it until we got home and I couldn't wait to go to bed and crash.

Now that mom and dad have their hiking boots and walking sticks, they don't have much of an excuse. Cajas here we come soon!

Another Fantastic Trip Away From Cuenca by Star

Cuenca is a beautiful city, yet when we go on our day trips we really experience the magnificence of this country. Three weeks ago Efrain, from MIO Tours, took us to a farm close to the small city of Uña, on the way to Loja. I had the feeling it was going to be a great day, so I was ready to go early and patiently waited for our ride.

When they picked us up I quickly joined Java in the back of the car and, as always, we chilled. I was especially happy. Mom had told me we were going to a farm and even when I had no idea what she meant, I somehow knew I was up for a treat. As you can see, Java was also pretty happy. He also must have known we were going to have lots of fun.

My mom and dad loved the ride, and mom wanted to take pictures of everything while Java and I just wanted to get to our destination so we could run and play.

We climbed and climbed and then went down and down; the vegetation and terrain changing from lush to arid within a few miles. Honestly, I could care less, I just wanted to get to this thing called the farm.

On the very top of the climb we had to stop so we could all do our business. Here my dad and Efrain found some St. Bernard puppies for sale. Mom fell in love, of course; so what's new, right? But, even I liked those fellows; thankfully though, they stayed behind. I know what a St. Bernard grows up to be like!

After about 2 hours we arrived at the farm. Java and I were so excited we couldn't wait to get out. The farm belongs to an American and it's run by a very nice couple from Colombia. They have animals, fish and crops and lots of land for us dogs to run around and explore. The house is really nice too and they have a couple of rooms for overnight stays.

The trout farm was a lot of fun. The fish jump all kinds of ways when they are fed. Of course, my friend Java had to go swimming in one of the ponds while I just went to the edge to check things out; after all, I'm not a water dog.

One of the things I loved the most about this trip was that I got to see live Cuys or guinea pigs. I had only seen the dead ones that are cooked by the roadsides. I wanted to go smell these things but mom didn't let me. I wonder why; I wouldn't dare eat one, perhaps just chase them for a while.

There was a cute dog that had some puppies and even though she wasn't too happy to have me around, she let mom get really close to take a shot. She had nested inside a tree trunk. These Ecuadorian dogs are pretty clever. The puppies were protected and their mom kept a watchful eye on everyone approaching.

Then came my favorite part... for the first time in my life I saw some sheep. Boy did I want to herd them! The funny thing is that I think they wanted me to herd them too. They all lined up watching me while I trembled with excitement. But herding was not going to happen... there was no way they would let me in that pen so I just watch them from a distance.

So after hours of running around and exploring the farm I decided to go down to the river and smell the flowers. They were really pretty but I had to be careful walking because there were lots of cacti.

And finally it was time to go back home. I was happy and tired when we got in the car, but I'm always on the lookout for things to see. I don't like to miss out on anything... and this time I was specially glad because I would have missed the wild horses.

For over a mile, wild horses seemed to be everywhere on both sides of the road. They were gorgeous and to me quite the novelty, so I had to bark at them. I thought I was going to scare them away and watch them run, but some just looked back at us while the others turned around and slowly walked away.

So there you have it, another wonderful day planned for us by Efrain who is more than our tour guide; he has become our friend.

Around Cuenca, Another GREAT Day by Star

These outings that Efrain (from MIO Tours) plans for us are just incredible! I had another wonderful day last Friday with my buddy Java.

Mom says this was a particular special tour because we got to see where some battles were fought by Sucre and Simon Bolivar and that my grandfather would have loved it.

Our first stop was El Portete but mom kept calling it El Porquete and Parquete and many other names confusing everyone in the end. But they laughed a lot with all this name calling. I tell you, these humans can be quite silly sometimes. At any rate, the views from El Portete are just magnificent and I took them all in with awe. You have to go up a pretty good set of stairs towards the monument and I led the way.

But then Java beat me to the lookout... Where the heck was I? Probably sniffing around by the monument...

Check some of the views I took in from up there... awesome, ah!

We were heading towards the area where the sun is shinning in the back... the valley of Yunguilla. But first, we stopped in Giron and went to a very nice museum to hear about the battle of 1829 between Peru and La Gran Colombia which consisted of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It was an amazing battle that Sucre with all his strategic smarts won, in spite of having less than half the number of soldiers than Peru.

Efrain had worked it out so Java and I had our own personal guards at the Museum of Giron. I never thought I would have a guard. He was very nice. His name was Diego. Java also had his own guard.

 They walked us around the gardens while our parents had the tour.

I sure would have loved to see inside though. But the gardens were indeed very beautiful. Do you see the row of boots in the picture above? The lady in charge of the museum loves to garden and uses old boots are planters... Pretty neat stuff...

After the museum we went to see the waterfalls, but it was raining so we didn't get to see much. Mom shot some cool pictures of some mountains that looked like the pyramids and of the waterfalls, while Java and I looked out the window wanting to go running around some more.

That doesn't look like rain to us? What's wrong with these folks? Do they think they are going to shrink with a little bit of drizzle? Oh well... so we went on to Yunguilla. Just before we got there we saw where a meteor had landed. Java and I wanted to go to the top of that mountain, but we had to stay in the car again! The humans didn't get out either, so I guess that was fair.

Once we arrived in Yunguilla we went to the Hosteria Sol y Agua, a very nice place where the humans ate lunch. We went for a walk around the property and saw some wild huge birds my mom called ostriches. They also allowed Java and me in the dining room thanks to Efrain.

However, once again we did not partake in the meal. My mom had a salad as usual, and I don't care to share that with her. However I could smell she also had a side of french fries, but none fell down to the floor for me to savor. Dad was another story. He had trout and a huge one, and went on and on about how good it was. Now, I love fish of any kind specially trout...But did he share? No way... that was just too much to bear.

But I am a dog, what can I say? So I quickly forgot my disappointment when we walked around the place.

After this stop, it was time to go home. Java and I were tired so we chilled in the back of the car. Java slept and I used him as my seat to prop me up to look out the window all the way back. What we saw was just too much to explain. We were even blessed with a rainbow. Perhaps one day you will see for yourself, in the meantime I'll share some of the pictures mom took.

And so our trip ended here and we felt blessed and thankful for the experience. We can't wait until we have our next. Mom says we are going to Cajas National Park. But before I leave, I want to share one more shot, this time of Java, Efrain and me.