Friday, January 26, 2018
El Valle – El Chorro Macho y El Chorro de Las Mozas
There was no a/c, so we slept with the windows open. The temperature was very pleasant, but it was noisy overnight due to a windstorm. We began the morning with instant coffee purchased at a super mini last night, made in our new plastic coffee mugs, heating the water in the microwave on the terrace. No breakfast with our room this time, but coffee and snacks will suffice.
Rainbow over La India Dormida
Another view from the terrace
For $2 we caught a taxi to the entrance of El Chorro Macho (Manly Falls), about 2 ½ km north. The entrance fee is $5 each to visit the 115-foot waterfall, reached via a gorgeous short hike through the jungle, over a series of suspension bridges. It rained while we were here, but that only added to the ambiance. The rain barely even reached us through the dense jungle canopy. There's a river-fed swimming pool as well, which you can enter for an additional charge.
Tom on the walk to El Chorro Macho
El Chorro Macho
River-fed swimming hole
After visiting El Chorro Macho, we walked back toward the center of town and found that even a random walk around El Valle is rewarding.
Jana in a weird tree
Random tree house
On our hike back to town
Handsome hacienda
We stopped for lunch at Restaurante Monica and had a quickly prepared amazing meal. The menu was verbal, so I wasn't sure what I ordered other than pork and some kind of sides. What I got was pork and onions, plantains, rice, a zucchini and carrot salad with cilantro dressing, and a lemon smoothie. Delicious! Tom had beef and the same sides. The pork was better. The bill was only $20.
Puerco and sumptuous sides
Mmm... fresh veggies!
After lunch, we tried to walk to El Chorro de Las Mozas (Waterfall of the Young Maidens), but conflicting road signs led us a mile in the wrong direction. We backtracked the mile, then Tom conferred with a passerby who pointed us in the right direction but said our destination was “lejos,” or far away. So we hailed a taxi (as it turns out, the same taxi as earlier), and were delivered to the entrance for $2. Entry to the falls is $1 each.
Waterfall thataway --->
The town of El Valle de Anton is situated in the caldera of an extinct volcano. Three million years ago, the volcano erupted, creating a crater that eventually filled with rainwater, forming a large lake. At some point, a breach opened in the crater's side and the entire lake drained, producing an extensive network of waterways. The breach occurred at the site of El Chorro de Las Mozas, leaving a lovely set of rushing cascades and deep pools of water.
Tom above El Chorro de Las Mozas
Cuidado!
Scenic waterway
From the entrance of El Chorro de Las Mozas, it's about a 10-minute walk to the cascades. We liked this falls better than the one from this morning because there was more freedom here to explore and play! There were a couple of “danger” signs, but nobody to stop you from doing something foolish.
Dangerous area, sure, okay
Welcome to the dangerous area??
Leaving the second falls, we made the steep downhill walk back to town, maybe 2 ½ km again, buying beer on the way, and by 4:30 we were enjoying some Balboa Dark cervezas on what was effectively our private terrace, since there seemed to be no other guests at the hotel.
In the evening we returned to Pekin, the Chinese restaurant across the road. This time we ordered chop suey con carne and pork chow mein, and the portions were HUGE. We would have shared the chow mein had we known! We also had a couple of beers, the whole thing costing just $21. Good value.
Another super windy night tonight, but it wasn't overly windy in the daytime. Does it do this every night, I wonder? It was a crazy amount of wind, and I say this as someone who grew up in Oklahoma.
Tom
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