Tag Archives: Loja

Repositioning To Loja Due To Road Conditions

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As I had mentioned before, there were extensive delays on the road between Loja and Zamora due to mudslides.  I had planned to stay 2 nights at Copalinga Lodge and leave early in the morning to get the bus to Loja, then another one to Pinas.  We would have missed the bus if we had done that so Catherine of Coplinga Lodge graciously let us out of our second night without charging for it and called a taxi to take us to Zamora bus station.

Bus from Zamora to Loja.  I tried to get a shot of the backed-up traffic out the window but it was dirty.

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On arrival, I first scoped out the transport for the next day so we would have time to buy tickets and board the bus.  The office was closed but I noted the departure of 09:15.DSCN0606 DSCN0607 DSCN0605 DSCN0608

We then got a taxi to the Hotel Podocarpus that I had booked online before leaving Copalinga.  We passed this cool fort type building, couldn’t get a good shot.DSCN0613

The hotel was fine for a night, clean and decent sized rooms.  We were pretty tired so just decided to find food as close as possible, then crash out.DSCN0617 DSCN0618 DSCN0615

Bird motifs on the doors!DSCN0616

This chicken place was right around the corner on the main road.  We went for the $14.99 special which turned out to be WAY too much food for a couple, it was more suitable for a family of 4.DSCN0619 DSCN0620

Chicken foot soup was the first course.  I took a pass but my hungry husband wolfed it down.DSCN0621

View from the room.DSCN0622

Nice toucan carving!DSCN0623

Breakfast was included and was ok for the price.  DSCN0624

We then got a taxi to the bus station, I think it was around $3.

 

White-breasted aka White-necked Parakeet (Pyrrhura albipectus)

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The White-breasted Parakeet (Pyrrhura albipectus) or White-necked Parakeet, is an exquisite species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.  They live in montane tropical forests in southern Ecuador and extreme northern Peru and normally stay within a flock between four and 20 parakeets.

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They have a limited range in southern Ecuador and northern Peru.  The most reliable place to see them is the Podocarpus National Park near Zamora and Copalinga Lodge nearby where they sometimes visit the garden.

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I love seeing the local taxi drivers embracing their native bird in their logo!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE-NECKED (WHITE-BREASTED) PARAKEETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

I couldn’t find any videos of this beautiful little parrot that can be embedded but there are a few clips on IBC.

Getting From Loja Airport (Catamayo) To Zamora (Podocarpus)

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Arriving at Loja’s airport in Catamayo was quite an adventure.  I had toyed with the idea of renting a car but there are no car rental companies there.  You simply walk from the plane across the tarmac, through the tiny arrival hall where bags are delivered and straight out to the parking lot where LOTS of taxi drivers are competing for your attention.

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The battle of the yellow vs the white taxis!  I didn’t know which one to go for.  Prices are pretty much fixed as the owner of Copalinga Lodge had told us at around $35-38 USD.  Ecuador uses the USD as their own currency.  DSCN0432 DSCN0433 DSCN0435

Finally we were off!  It was a smooth trip from the airport at Catamayo to Loja city, just under an hour away.

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The road from Loja to Zamora is beautiful and scenic but it does have problems with mudslides.  We were delayed about 2 hours stuck in traffic while one mudslide was cleared and the two lanes of traffic (inbound and outbound) took turns passing through.  DSCN0440 DSCN0441

The distance in kilometers isn’t far, it’s the mudslides that get you!  It was well after dark by the time we arrived at Copalinga.  This is something to consider if you have bus connections onwards.  Theoretically a taxi should get you from Copalinga to the Loja bus station in 2-2.5 hours but the mudslides can push you way back so if you have an early flight or bus it’s best to spend the last night in Loja.

Domestic Flights In Ecuador With TAME

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TAME is not part of any airline alliance so you have to buy these tickets online with a credit card.  Luckily, they are not expensive!   TAME flies to certain destinations like Loja (closest airport to Podocarpus & Buenaventura) and other eco-tourism hotspots like Coca for the Amazon and the Galapagos.

Keep an eye out for sale fares like this one.  Would you rather take a one hour flight or a 10 hour bus ride with prices like this?

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It’s a pretty user-friendly airline.  I printed our boarding passes the night before at the Holiday Inn in Guayaquil and the flight actually left on time!  The planes are small but I prefer smaller planes with 2×2 rows rather than larger planes with 3×3 rows where a couple has to sit with a stranger.

When you buy your ticket, you may see a notice that you have to show the original credit card you use to purchase the ticket.  On our flight, no one asked us.  We didn’t have checked bags and they just compared our passports to the printed boarding pass.  It’s probably a good idea to bring the credit card along just in case though!

The overheads were a tight squeeze for our backpacks which are normal carry-on sized but we managed to squish them in as they weren’t full anyways.

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