Little did we know that our adventure to Vilcabamba, Ecuador would begin right in Maria, the little village nearest to the ruins of Kuelap.  We returned to Maria after our morning exploration of Kuelap at 1:15pm, which we believed would be ample time for the supposed 2pm colectivo.  So there we sat and ate our lunch of instant ramen and warm water that I had packed earlier that morning. Because not a single colectivo drove by, we desperately waved down every tour van that passed but they were either full or heading a different direction.  Even some locals were amused by us hitchhiking gringos.  Because they…