New Year Involutions

Involution is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the regressive alterations of a body or its parts characteristic of the aging process". That seems like an appropriate word to start not only a New Year but a new decade of years in my life.

Back in late October at my annual physical my blood work came back with an elevated TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level. Because I had just had both the Covid booster and flu shots, we agreed to wait and retake a blood sample in four weeks to see if there was an anomaly due to the shots. With our travel I could not get in to have it redone until December 18th. I got the results later that day, and my thyroid level was even higher than before, which was not the result I was hoping to receive. The doctor put in a prescription for Levothyroxine, which is a medication for hypothyroidism. 

It is interesting that when the thyroid suppresses TSH release, too little thyroid hormone can cause your pituitary to make excess TSH. Thus the high TSH levels in the blood. It seems counterintuitive, but there it is. I began taking the medicine on December 20th, and so far have not noticed anything positive or negative about taking it. They do say it can take 4-8 weeks before you see any improvement in symptoms. Because I do not have any of the symptoms of hypothyroidism (fatigue, numbness, constipation, unexplained weight gain, depression, or being unable to tolerate cold temperatures), I have not experienced anything different.

The most annoying thing about the medicine is that they want you to take it at or near the same time each morning, waiting 30-60 minutes before eating breakfast. I don't wake up at the same moment every morning, so I keep as close to the same time as I can. Since you also should not take calcium as soon as you take this drug, I have just adjusted to taking all of my over the counter vitamins at lunch instead of first thing in the morning.

My doctor will see me again on February 3rd to see how all of this is going. I presume they will draw blood again to see if the drug is doing its job. Hopefully all will be well. I hope to stop this New Year Involution in its track.

the cold never bothered me anyway

Peru & Ecuador - Part 9

Friday, December 5th was our last full day at Kuyana Lodge. The options for excursions that morning included a hike through the jungle, which the guide said would be much longer and harder than any we had done so far, or a hike through a cave. In light of the described difficulty, my family opted to do the cave trip.

I have no fascination with caves in general, but once he said that the water would be chest-high in places, my decision was made. Chest-high water on most people equates to being over my head. I also did not relish the thought of slogging through water in knee-high boots, which would immediately be filled at that depth. While I brought water shoes for the Galapagos portion of the trip, the sand had rubbed the tops of my toes raw on the last expedition we did there. All that combined made it easy for me to say that I would remain at the resort. 

As no other guests had arrived at the lodge yet, I again had the place to myself. We had been told that more people were coming that night, and it was obvious from the staff activity that more guests were expected. I took the time to rearrange all my belongings in the suitcase and backpack for the next morning's departure before strolling around the resort snapping photos. Then I parked myself at the pool until my husband and daughter returned. They both agreed that I had made the correct choice in staying behind as the cave hike was dark, cold, and strenuous.

around the resort

The rest of my family returned in time for lunch. We then spent time at the pool. An afternoon rain shower came in, so I entertained myself by taking pictures of the rain drops on the pool water surface.

rain on the pool

For our last dinner there was a marked difference in the dining area. Now that other guests had arrived, there were different place mats, the napkins were folded all fancy, and there were candles on the tables, along with a large leaf with the guest's name on it. Those things actually made us feel pretty insignificant since we didn't have them for the other meals while we were there. Ramona was also brought out of her living quarters for the meal. From other reviews that I have read, I think this is a frequent occurrence while guests are there. She was not previously brought out to dine with us, only to join us on the one hike.

last dinner

Following dinner we returned to our cabin. We had to pack for the next morning's departure and get through one last tepid shower. In the morning we enjoyed one final delicious meal before the prearranged car arrived to pick us up for the three and a half hour drive back to Quito.

last breakfast

sunset out the hotel room window

We elected to stay at a hotel near the airport as we had a fairly early flight out the next morning. Luckily the restaurant for the included breakfast opened at 5:30 so we were able to eat before heading out on the airport shuttle. Everything went smoothly at the airport, and we left on time to Miami, where we would catch the plane for the last leg of our journey. Our daughter was on the same flight to Miami, so it was nice to have some final time with her on the plane and in the American Airlines lounge in Miami.

We all made it home safe and sound. It was an amazing adventure, and one that we will be talking about for years to come. Super big bonus was that none of us got sick, either on the trip or after we got home. That is always a concern with travel, especially in cold and flu season. Now - where to next?

Peru & Ecuador - Part 8

The next day we talked to our guide about changing lodging since we had no hot water. After looking at the options, we decided to stay in our unit since it was the only one that had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The guide was able to show us a temporary solution to the problem. We had to open a spout on the cabin and drain out a bunch of water before the shower would heat up. That sort of defeats the "eco-lodge" impact, but at least it made the water tepid instead of frigid.

After breakfast that morning, which was December 4th, we had a busy touring day. We first drove to the Laguna Kawana Reserve in Puerto Misahuallí. This was a canoe-based experience, where we traveled through brackish water, spotting many birds above and piranhas in the water. We also got off the canoe and hiked a trail, enabling us to see various monkeys and even a sloth up in the tree!

Laguna Kawana Reserve

After leaving the reserve we went to the Centro de turismo Comunitario Shiripuno, a women-run Amazonian Kichwa cultural center which hopes to preserve their traditions. We had our faces painted, watched and participated in dances, and learned about their eco-tourism initiatives.

cultural center

A short drive then took us to the Misahualli River, which is a tributary of the Amazon River. There we boarded another canoe, which took us to Monkey Island, home of playful Machin monkeys. We first visited a reserve that is home to one of the largest ceibo trees in Ecuador. Then we had lunch in the town of Misahualli before exploring a bit. Of course we sought out the monkeys which give the island its name. They were very comfortable with people around, and were fun to watch. After that we took a canoe back to the car for the drive back to our lodge, which was about an hour away.

Monkey Island

We had another delicious dinner, again with only the three of us at the lodge, before turning in for the night. We had hot water on our side of the cabin, but our daughter's bathroom did not. Sigh...

dinner

Peru & Ecuador - Part 7

Our first full day at Kuyana Lodge began with breakfast. All meals were included with the pricing at this lodge. All of the food we had was delicious, so compliments to the chef there. The food is locally sourced, and she found unique ways to use what was in season and available.

breakfast

Following breakfast we did a hike onsite to a waterfall. As in the previous night, there was a loose interpretation of a trail, and it was steep and slippery. Keeping us company on the hike was the local monkey, Ramona. She is a rescue animal, as her mother was killed by poachers. Ramona was quite the character, and liked being carried more than walking. The waterfall was very pretty, and though our daughter continued up the hill with the guide to see the upper waterfall, we chose to wait by the lower falls once we heard we would have to pull ourselves up the hill with a rope.

morning hike

After lunch we walked around and explored the grounds a bit. Again, we were the only guests there, so we had the place to ourselves.

around the resort

That evening we took part in a cooking class, presented by our guide. First we went into the jungle to find leaves that would be suitable to cook the fish in. We had a choice of cooking a whole fish or just a filet. Then we learned about cocoa beans and how chocolate is made. First the beans were roasted, then we removed the shells. Next the beans went through a grinder, and finally the cocoa was placed into a pan and cooked. He added a sweetener to make it so the cocoa was not so bitter. Once the fish was done, that became our dinner, and the chocolate sauce was spooned over some fresh fruit for dessert. It was delicious!

cooking class

We went back to the cabin following dinner. And again we had no hot water. This was definitely getting old.

Peru & Ecuador - Part 6

When we first planned this trip to Peru and Ecuador, my husband expressed an interest in going to the Amazon as well. We wanted to find something that would be reasonably accessible considering the fact that we would be coming back to Quito from the Galapagos. HX Expeditions offered an add-on trip, but it consisted of a small plane ride followed by a hike and then a canoe ride to the eco-resort. That sounded like too much effort at the end of an extensive, intensive adventure.

We settled on the Kuyana Lodge, a small family-owned eco-resort located three and a half hours by car from Quito. The lodge has incredibly positive reviews online, includes excursions with your stay, and has an option for an English-speaking guide, which we needed. 

Because we would not be given our flight arrangements until the last day on our ship so would not know our arrival time into Quito, we booked a hotel in the historic district and arranged for a driver to take us to the Kuyana Lodge the next morning. I didn't realize the accommodations we selected would put us in the square where we had visited the Presidential Palace previously. It was fun to view the area again at night, and the hotel was a lovely choice.

Quito at night

What we hadn't anticipated was the fact that Quito Days (a week-long celebration) began the next morning bright and early. We had arranged for our Kuyana driver to pick us up at 10:00 AM. The celebration, with the parade passing right by our hotel, meant that the driver could get nowhere near us. Fortunately the desk clerk called our driver and explained the situation. The bellhop helped us navigate the streets and hills with our luggage until we could find a place for the driver to meet us. As the traffic was so snarled, that ended up being in the middle of the street several blocks away from the hotel. Wow!

Quito in the morning

The drive to the lodge was long, but mostly smooth until the last 45 minutes or so, where we traveled over rocks. The scenery was nice along the way, and gave us an opportunity to see a different part of Ecuador. Upon arrival at Kuyana, we were offered a welcome glass of tea and shown to our cabin. We had opted for the Anaconda Family Cabin, which consisted of two bedrooms and two bathrooms. That is literally all that was inside the cabin. The only area the three of us could gather in was the front porch. 

Kuyana Lodge

After we put the luggage in the cabin it was time for our first activity - a dusk hike in the jungle. We put on knee-high rubber boots, and to say this was a vigorous hike is an understatement. It had rained earlier in the day, so the trail (and I use the word loosely as our guide kept a machete handy to clear areas) was wet, slippery and steep. I think he used this hike as a litmus test to see how we would handle subsequent excursions. 

When we got back it was time for dinner. We were the only guests there, which seemed a little odd. As it ended up, we were the only guests for three of the four nights we stayed there. After a long day of travel and the hike, we were ready for a nice shower to clean up and cool off before going to sleep in the non-air conditioned cabin. Unfortunately there was no hot water, so we made due with a cold shower.

first hike and dinner