We had high hopes for Cabañas Rio Yambala hostel as being quiet through the night. After all, we were over 3-miles out of Vilcabamba, Ecuador in a very rural setting. However, as we were fully awakened after the pecking torture, someone across the canyon wanted everyone else to enjoy their music, too. We are both beginning to long for a few truly quiet camping spots we know of in Arizona and eastern California. We gradually got ourselves showered and down the hill for breakfast. Scrambled eggs, French toast, and a bowl of granola, fruit, and milk made for a great beginning to the day. Our plan was to walk a trail following up the Rio Yambala. We hoped to find a trail that crossed the river and connected to a trail along a ridge where we would hike back to the hostel. We set out.
We hiked through patches of forest and pasture land as we followed along the river. Periodically we would stop under a forest canopy and wait for something to sound off or travel by. 
Kathleen spied a squirrel cuckoo and managed to get a voucher shot off with her camera. The clouds were thickening and blue sky was becoming a premium. Kathleen and I continued on up the canyon carved out by the Rio Yambala.
First a drop, then followed by a zillion more caused us to turn about and find ourselves some tree cover from the rain. We sat and waited for the squall to pass, however, we could see down the canyon that the rain was here for a while. 
We started down the trail we had hiked up, and by the time we arrived back at the hostel I was good and drenched. Kathleen had the umbrella and fared better. We spent the rest of the afternoon wringing out wet clothes and rigging a make-shift clothes line.
A dinner of quiche, potatoes, and red cabbage salad chased down with cake and sweetened lime juice – virgin Margarita - nearly made up for the rainy day. Charlie (red ball cap), the hostels’ proprietor, lit a fire in the dining area fire place. Now, that was a good end to the day.
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