Something other than birds

In addition to the spectacular birdlife and the plant and insect life of the cloud forest, Mindo has some other attractions - obviously we had to visit the chocolate factory for their tour and tastings and of course the Butterfly farm was another must - particularly for the large numbers of Owl Butterflies that they were breeding.

All in all we managed to see most of the sights while avoiding the zip-lining, canyoning and tubing which was on offer for the more adventurous - or foolhardy.
As we sat in the cafe of the chocolate factory waiting for the tour to begin, we were suddenly greeted by the American couple from Pennsylvania who had been with us in the Amazon basin lodge - they were staying in one of the upmarket lodges and had a driver/ guide so that they could take in all the sights in one day.
We were also joined by an Illinois soy-bean farmer and his wife who went into great detail about their holiday in the west of Ireland last year. They had been everywhere except County Clare - despite having spent 3 days in Doolin and visited the Cliffs of Moher. He then asked what all the fuss was about 'that waste land' north of Doolin.
As I explained that the Burren - 'that waste land as you call it' - was a biosphere as equally important as the cloud forests of Ecuador I could feel Linda holding my belt - and hear Jimmy C telling me just to hit the silly sod! Thankfully he went off to tell the owner of the chocolate factory how he could improve his production and didn't bother us any more.