Mindo with paragraphs

A picture is worth a thousand words and since two cameras died; I think I wrote 2 thousand words to replace the pictuies we couldn’t take. Please forgive the long entry.


No camera! For the lunch at Mindo Gardens next to the rushing rio (river) then crossing the same rio in a little cage on a pulley called a Tarabita. On the other side there is a narrow winding trail through the jungle. We have been warned there are poisonous coral snakes that live in the jungle. Bruce is on high alert the whole time smoking a couple of Cubanos (his new preferred cigarette) to repel the snakes. There are occasionally small wooden signs that direct us toward the cascadas (waterfalls).

There are at least 10 waterfalls right in the area of the little town of Mindo. We hear some noise up at the canopy level of the trees and spot some monkeys. There are several forks with no more cascada arrows so we wing it. We keep climbing up and arrive at a sort of vague park entrance full of half build cement structures with wires sticking out and jagged rock piles, rusty wire, tires and general garbage all over. A man with some xyz (examine your zipper) jeans and very good English points to a sign and explains about the 7 waterfalls and the slide and the warm natural pool you can swim in. It is 9 dollars for all of us to enter which includes our guide Javier a young lad of 17 or 18.

We hike down to the falls for about 10 minutes straight down. Stop to do a rope swing and continue down to the falls. They are breath-taking and there is not a soul around. The aftermath of Carnival is all around and there is garbage, swimming suits and some more half built cement platforms with wires sticking out. Javier shows us a giant falls from a little tiny platform built out into the rio on 12 foot (strong I hope) metal stilts. We change in some dressing rooms that are completely wet and have giant insects guarding the outside. I’ve been hot and sweating all day in the cloud forest, but it’s not that warm next the river in swimsuits. Javier takes us up some stone steps and asks if anyone wants to jump off the 50 foot cliff into the narrow swift ribbon of a river. He is serious and demonstrates. Next he demonstrates the “slide” which is a cement trough that throws the momentum powered slider into the river from about 15 feet.

There is no one around to witness our demise besides Javier who assures us it is completely safe. There are ropes to hang onto to prevent my small children from being carried away by the strong current and dashed on the giant boulders below the falls. My family elects me to go first. I go saying “oh my gods quietly to myself”. I am still alive and swim to the side and bump my shins all along the submerged boulders. The pressure from the drop off the slide makes my fillings hurt, otherwise I am unscathed. Next is Max . As soon as he hits the water Javier dives in and brings him to the side. Jane hesitantly goes. Javier also expertly gathers up Jane and brings her safely to the shore. Bruce finishes up. Javier then goes down the slide stops himself, uses it as a platform and backflips into the rushing river. Unbelievable.

10 minutes later Jane is still recovering from her scary plunge. Max of course wants to do it 10 more times. Javier encourages him. I go one more time just to make it worth putting my swimsuit on and push my fillings up more.