Equator... a luxurious vegetation

After 2 weeks spent in town, and being strongly adviced not to go for a walk on my own in the countryside, risking if so to be attacked, this area not being touristic at all, I finally had the opportunity to get away from pollution and noises of town. I was relieved, my body screaming for a bit of exercice and contact with Mother Nature. I had been promised a secluded waterfall, not at all developped for tourism and known of locals only.

I have not been deceived at all, the walk was amazing, although a bit short. We left Montalvo and drove up the mountains. There were numerous outside pools along the way and we could see the places were invaded by the number of buses and cars parked outside, locals loving this kind of place during the week end. We left the car at Balsapamba and we started to walk on a gravel road then quickly arrived at the path. There was green everywhere, palm trees, ferns, plants, beautiful tropical flowers, all this alongside a river running down the mountain. The path was rather slippery due to the rain fall during the night but we all made it to the waterfall. Even if it was not impressive, the waterfalll was beautiful and magical for its surroundings. I was the only one willing to get into the water, the others finding it too cold for them. It felt really warm to me and I stayed for a while, posing like a starlet...

Oscar found a beautiful flower which turned out to be the one of the nettle (I did not know this plan had flowers!!!)

then we climed to the top of the waterfall and went all the way down. I was stopping every 10s to take some pictures of the flowers,

different kind of ferns,

trees and vegetation,

loving the scenery and feeling all my body burst ouf with life and energy communicated by all this greenness and luxuriance of the bush. It did look like the Dominican Republic again...
We promised ourselves we would repeat the experience and would go for a walk at least once to twice a week. Sweet as bro!!!