Jim and Kara Shea Davis, Mike and I went to Hacienda Chan Chan for four nights. We are in the middle of summer now, but at the higher altitude, the days were crisp and the nights cold. But we slept very comfortably under what felt like 7 pounds of blankets!

Hacienda Chan Chan is nestled in the mountains of Chiquintad, Ecuador, about 40 minutes north of Cuenca. The 90 hectares (or about 222 acres) of pasture and native forest stretches from the river bottom at roughly 2800m (9186 ft) to over 3350m (10990 ft) in the mountains on the upper portion of the farm. Where the cabins are is about midway between the two.

We stayed in "The Bungalow" which had two bedroom all on one level. The living room has a wood burning stove and a gas heater, both of which we used at one time or another during our stay. It has a minimal kitchen where you can bring and cook your own meals but with the fabulous breakfasts and delicious dinners Julie serves, so why would you want to cook?

Hacienda Chan Chan is a working dairy owned by Luke and Julie Martin, who migrated to the area after years of dairy farming in the United States. Wandering the property, you can see goats, chicken, pigs, geese, dogs and of course, cows.

Jim and I walked down to where they were milking the cows one of the afternoons but since it started raining on the way down, we didn't stay long nor did we take the road further down the hill to the river, but instead, headed back to the cabin.

The four days and nights we spent there were very relaxing with only the sounds of nature and no car horns or alarms to disturb the peace and quiet. We were sad to leave but it always feels so good to get home and into your own bed. But since it is so close, we know we will be back.