This past week, we decided to take a side-trip from our stay in the beautiful city of Cuenca, Ecuador to the town of Macas, our launch point into the Sangay National Park. (I’ll write about that adventure later.) We spent two nights at a secluded home we discovered on Air B&B.

The lodging was more expensive than we’d planned ($170.00 per night for the four of us), but the lovely photos on the internet were intoxicating. We were all drunk with excitement and decided we would splurge on our exotic little getaway..

The location, which was 15 minutes out of town, was nestled among the jungle’s trees, offering us total protection from the city lights and noises. (And anyone who has visited Ecuador knows that is an issue.) The manicured grounds, which would humble the nicest of golf courses, were spectacular, pulled straight from the pages of Architectural Digest.

Unfortunately though, the “home” was, well, to put it mildly, DREADFUL!

No hot water, no coffee maker to offset the freezing cold showers, a malfunctioning microwave, no fans or air conditioning to cool down the muggy, overheated house. There were no screens on windows which forced us to choose between naturally cooling the house through open windows (which meant being completely mosquito eaten and bug overridden) or no sleep due to profuse sweating. The furniture was ripped and dirty – not at all inviting to one’s behind. Each night before bedtime, I had to clear out the bugs from under the bed (some dead, some not) and hand-sweep from the bed sheets slumbering moths and gnats that earlier were attracted to the bedroom light dangling over our bed. In the living room, while Jan stood tiptoed on the coffee table, Mers and I chased down a speedy cockroach with a napkin which was the only weapon we could find. And yes, as advertised, there was a large screen TV with cable – but no one, not even the caretaker, could figure out how to use it. And NO INTERNET!!!! I have stayed in huts in the Amazon that were better equipped. However, the grounds, as I hope the photos portray, were lovely.

Fortunately though, we were not confined to this rather unpleasant abode.

As we explored Macas, we came across a delightfully quaint zoo. For $2.50 each, the zookeeper ushered us through his park, offering a personal tour with information on each of the very few animals housed there. (Of course, it was all in Spanish, so I won’t try to quote any of the facts he shared.) However, what the zoo lacked in creature numbers was made up by the low cost and close encounters with the critters. And let’s just say one had to be very mindful of fingers and toes.

I fully enjoyed balancing myself on squishy planks, loosely laid and sinking into the muddy pathways while ducking palm leaves as I broke through the last-night’s spider weavings. And best of all, there were no vendors selling stuffed teddy bears, cotton candy, hotdogs nor cokes, all at exorbitant prices. Just the animals I was hoping to meet in the amazon. This rustic, overgrown zoo was my kind of place.

Since the zoo excursion from beginning to end (the zookeeper kept saying “Andale, andale!” when we’d linger) was less than an hour, we decided to finish out the morning by driving up the hill to the viewpoint, Mirador del Quilamo. Crowning the hilltop, watching over the city, is a monument to the Virgin Purisima de Macas which is only outsized by the numerous cell towers only yards away. (Couldn’t they have found a better place to plant those hideous things?)

Anyway, I was told that the view seen from the feet of the statue

is wonderful, but I got totally distracted and spent my time and eyes focused on taking pictures of the moths, birds and, subsequently, the birds munching on the apparently quite tasty moths.

Macas is a great one-night stopping point if you plan to explore the Sangay National Park. (A word of warning though – you might want to check out your accommodations a little more carefully than we did!) The drive through the park is a full day experience, so launching from Macas is the perfect solution. But more about that stunning (not to mention sketchy) drive later.