We set off after breakfast with Pierre, Wilson (with machete) and Elvis (the bird spotter!) to hike to Rio Pachijal. Siena's hand had swelled up alarmingly over night and when we showed it to Pierre he sent Sandro (who had spent 7 years with a medicine man!) off into the forest to get some plants - which must have had some powers because Siena almost fainted when the 2 saps were applied - although whether it had any effect on the swelling is debatable. The wal...

Not too painful a start, although our Spanish isn't getting any better (closest we got on the ship was ordering dos cervesas, and talking French to our Belgian co-diners)! So we still guessed at breakfast. Luckily scrambled eggs seems to be universal. Pierre, the co-owner, Swiss by birth but having lived in Africa, Italy, and several places in South America (courtesy of Save the Children), collected us and took us on the 'ecoroute' over the Pinchincha volcano vi...