I went with a few of the Franciscan sisters from Puerto Quito for a day off in Mindo yesterday. Mindo is a well-known tourist/vacation area with a lot of biodiversity and tourism activities. It's a cloudforest region that is about a 2-hr drive from Puerto Quito, and it's a very beautiful place. We stopped first at a quiet chapel in a religious community that is located in the greenery there, sharing in the day prayer with a priest and their seminarians. Afterwards, we went to eat. We have gotten to know Luis and Susan who own Caskaffesu, a restaurant and hosteria (small hotel). Susan is originally from Arizona, and is active in the local parish and in the Mindo community, as well as assisting seminarians. We've gotten to be good friends. Their place is a great place for lunch and coffee, and the rooms are great too if you stay overnight. To give you a feel for costs, one night in a nice room with a nice private bathroom in this beautiful place is ... $19 per person! After eating, we did our own journey in the day after eating, and we got to see not just the beautiful cloudforest and greenery, but a lot of different animals. A horse, two ostriches, a few baby cattle, cattle that we got to feed by hand, and a lot of tropical birds. It was a great and relaxing day in nature, just what you need regularly when you are giving yourself in service... "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." (Mk 6:31) Enjoy the photos!
