Ecuador

Pot Black cat 

We saw some lovely little dogs, a total contrast from all the feral dogs in Africa and India that are all brown with an upwards tail, these were all small and very cute. There were mainly light coloured and most had a light curly coat,  very cute lap dogs !

Iguanas - abundant ! 

Local young girls in fits of giggles ! 

Orchids were everywhere but we didn't recognise then as orchids as they are obviously not like ours. Just to give you an idea of size, these flowers were slightly bigger than a daffodil.  

We walked up a country lane birding only to be met by a pack of very vocal dogs that didn't look very welcoming (infact one or two of us hid behind everyone else thinking the worst). The owners arrived and the dogs immediately stopped barking and snapping and the lady appeared with these two gorgeous little fur balls. They will no doubt grow up to form part of the barking gang, stopping all comers up the lane. 

A viper across the path one morning, beautifully marked and with rattle rattling ! It was about 2 foot long and Simon didn't really like to get too close for a pic. One of American friends wanted to throw it down the cliff and dispatch it....now why would anyone want to do that. The answer was 'leave it where it is' in no uncertain terms !

Orchids that seemed to tumble out of the hillside. They were absolutely fantastic.