Casa Mojanda MountainSide Inn | Domingo Gualinga | Quito | East Coast

"Confidence."

I shuffle across, my heart beating faster than I care to admit. This time, the fear is of possible humiliation, of having to be pulled out of the swamp by the other hikers. But I succeed, and once across, I am a bit giddier than I had expected to be. Soon after, our Quichua guide, Domingo Gualinga, sets up a telescope so we can peer into a hole in a tree high above us. The giant brown eyes of night monkeys stare back. Though summer­like temperatures and humidity are not, in any way, my favorite conditions, my discomfort washes away at the sight of those amazing eyes.

Fall

We fly back to Quito so we can catch a bus to Otavalo - an adventure recommended only for those with a strong stomach. For our $2 fare, we are treated to a two-hour race along winding mountain roads with no guardrails as other buses come frighteningly­ close to us as they whiz past from the opposite direction. As a special bonus, we also get to watch Black Hawk Down in Spanish while the bus's exhaust fumes threaten to overtake us.

The beauty we see once we're off the bus makes up for the ride (almost). While the leaves won't change colors anytime soon (or ever) - especially on the grayish-green eucalyptus trees that dot the mountains - it's fair to say that Otavalo's average temperatures are what we on the East Coast of the United States call "sweater weather." The city's midday warmth quickly gives over to cool afternoons and even cooler evenings that require a fireplace or heater. Or at Casa Mojanda MountainSide Inn & Farm, which is nestled into the mountains above town, an evening soak in the hot tub to steam off the chill and ease the aches from a day of hiking.

While the easiest way to get up to the inn is by taxi, the most satisfying way to return to town for a bit of shopping is by hiking down along the path that skirts Otavaleño farms and homes.