5-5 Feliz Cinco de Mayo
We spent Elisha's 27th birthday mostly on bus, but we did end up with a fiesta to cap it off
We took a bus from Otavalo passed Quito and the avenida de volcanoes to Latacunga where we caught another bus up into the highlands to Zumbahua. The volcanoes were behind clouds but the steep winding road up to Zumbahua was stunning with the mountains and green fields. You may be wondering why we are yo yo-ing back and forth through ecuador instead of making a more common sense north to south progression. The answer is two-fold. One is bc we had to schedule around being in Otavalo on Saturday for the market. 2nd is we are trying to acclimitize for an attempt of a 19,000ft volcano and baños is the lowest elevation being at 1800 meters and Quilitoa the highest at nearly 4000m
We arrived into Zumbahua which sits at just over 12,000 feet after going over a pretty pass. There are no trees up at this elevation but plenty of agriculture. When we arrived into town, there was a huge dance party going on in the main square with presumably most people from this tiny town. They were all dressed up in their typical bright Andean clothes with their ponchos, braids, hats, and skirts. There was a brass and percussion band and everyone was dancing quite crazy. Also most of the people were quite intoxicated to the point of having trouble standing. One guy was even passed out on the ground. We danced a bit, but only shared one beer considering the altitude and all. To me it was very interesting to see the indigenous Andean people dancing so crazy, especially t he girls, bc they are always so quiet and shy the rest of the time. The music was so loud that we decided to walk a bit around town before heading back to watch some more. The town is a cute and cold little town with a definite high andean culture vibe. There was only one other pair of gringos in the whole town that night.
5-6
Lots of rain in the morning, so we just chilled in the morning in Zumbahua. We then took a bus to the Pueblito of Quilitoa. Quilitoa sits right on the huge crater rim of Quilitoa volcano which contains a large crater lake far below. It¨s altitude is 3980m (13,050ft) After getting to the town, we went to the crater rim overlook and then we did the steep hike down to the sulphuric lake. It rained on the hike back up and the rest of the day. We were lucky because were were in a really sweet guesthouse that had a warm fire gathering area as well as a fireplace in the rooms, so we spent the afternoon drinking hot drinks and reading by the fire as it was quite chilly at that high altitude. Right as the sun was about to set, the sky cleared up a bit and we were witness to a beautiful full rainbow arcing across the crater and lake through the mist and red glow of the sunset. There were two other guys (French Canadians) in the guesthouse and we had a fun dinner with them as Philippe and Antoine were really cool.
5-7
Today we did an absolutely gorgeous hike with the two enthusiastic Canadians. We hiked to the village of Chugchilan via the pueblito of Guayama. The trail was really amazing. First it went 1/2 way around the crater with stunning views down to the shimmering emerald lake. The sun was out at first, the the lake really glowed a beautiful green color. We then descended down the volcano to the town of Guayama, a small traditional village where we had chicken neck for lunch (and also peanut butter shared by the Canadians!!) and then continued on. The trail dropped steeply and dramatically into a deep gorge. From the rim of the gorge was a beautiful view of the agricultural studded mountains. Once at the bottom of the gorge, we ascended up into the village of chugchilan. We reached the village just after it started to pur. From Chugchilan, we took a truck back on an amazingly scenic (and narrow cliff dropping) road back to Quilotoa. The two Canucks and I sat in the bed of the truck under a plastic tarp to stay out of the rain. But we got soaked anyways. We spent the rest of the afternoon tucked up by the fire reading and drinking hot tea as it poured outside
5-8
Woke up early and saw the sunrise over Quilitoa. We could see two snow covered volcanoes (Illiniza North and South). We then took a school pick up truck (we sat in the bed) to Zumbahua. From there a bus to Latacunca and then a bus to Quito and a taxi to the Mariscal area. We spent the afternoon looking for last minute Galapagos cruise deals and looking for a replacement camera for me. Mine is on the fritz and starting to break and with the galapagos and the gorgeous high Andes of Peru coming up, I did not want be without one. Prices for canons are increased here, but I bought a decent one for US$265 (not including tax) which was listed on Canon´s US website as $200.
We spent Elisha's 27th birthday mostly on bus, but we did end up with a fiesta to cap it off
We took a bus from Otavalo passed Quito and the avenida de volcanoes to Latacunga where we caught another bus up into the highlands to Zumbahua. The volcanoes were behind clouds but the steep winding road up to Zumbahua was stunning with the mountains and green fields. You may be wondering why we are yo yo-ing back and forth through ecuador instead of making a more common sense north to south progression. The answer is two-fold. One is bc we had to schedule around being in Otavalo on Saturday for the market. 2nd is we are trying to acclimitize for an attempt of a 19,000ft volcano and baños is the lowest elevation being at 1800 meters and Quilitoa the highest at nearly 4000m
We arrived into Zumbahua which sits at just over 12,000 feet after going over a pretty pass. There are no trees up at this elevation but plenty of agriculture. When we arrived into town, there was a huge dance party going on in the main square with presumably most people from this tiny town. They were all dressed up in their typical bright Andean clothes with their ponchos, braids, hats, and skirts. There was a brass and percussion band and everyone was dancing quite crazy. Also most of the people were quite intoxicated to the point of having trouble standing. One guy was even passed out on the ground. We danced a bit, but only shared one beer considering the altitude and all. To me it was very interesting to see the indigenous Andean people dancing so crazy, especially t he girls, bc they are always so quiet and shy the rest of the time. The music was so loud that we decided to walk a bit around town before heading back to watch some more. The town is a cute and cold little town with a definite high andean culture vibe. There was only one other pair of gringos in the whole town that night.
5-6
Lots of rain in the morning, so we just chilled in the morning in Zumbahua. We then took a bus to the Pueblito of Quilitoa. Quilitoa sits right on the huge crater rim of Quilitoa volcano which contains a large crater lake far below. It¨s altitude is 3980m (13,050ft) After getting to the town, we went to the crater rim overlook and then we did the steep hike down to the sulphuric lake. It rained on the hike back up and the rest of the day. We were lucky because were were in a really sweet guesthouse that had a warm fire gathering area as well as a fireplace in the rooms, so we spent the afternoon drinking hot drinks and reading by the fire as it was quite chilly at that high altitude. Right as the sun was about to set, the sky cleared up a bit and we were witness to a beautiful full rainbow arcing across the crater and lake through the mist and red glow of the sunset. There were two other guys (French Canadians) in the guesthouse and we had a fun dinner with them as Philippe and Antoine were really cool.
5-7
Today we did an absolutely gorgeous hike with the two enthusiastic Canadians. We hiked to the village of Chugchilan via the pueblito of Guayama. The trail was really amazing. First it went 1/2 way around the crater with stunning views down to the shimmering emerald lake. The sun was out at first, the the lake really glowed a beautiful green color. We then descended down the volcano to the town of Guayama, a small traditional village where we had chicken neck for lunch (and also peanut butter shared by the Canadians!!) and then continued on. The trail dropped steeply and dramatically into a deep gorge. From the rim of the gorge was a beautiful view of the agricultural studded mountains. Once at the bottom of the gorge, we ascended up into the village of chugchilan. We reached the village just after it started to pur. From Chugchilan, we took a truck back on an amazingly scenic (and narrow cliff dropping) road back to Quilotoa. The two Canucks and I sat in the bed of the truck under a plastic tarp to stay out of the rain. But we got soaked anyways. We spent the rest of the afternoon tucked up by the fire reading and drinking hot tea as it poured outside
5-8
Woke up early and saw the sunrise over Quilitoa. We could see two snow covered volcanoes (Illiniza North and South). We then took a school pick up truck (we sat in the bed) to Zumbahua. From there a bus to Latacunca and then a bus to Quito and a taxi to the Mariscal area. We spent the afternoon looking for last minute Galapagos cruise deals and looking for a replacement camera for me. Mine is on the fritz and starting to break and with the galapagos and the gorgeous high Andes of Peru coming up, I did not want be without one. Prices for canons are increased here, but I bought a decent one for US$265 (not including tax) which was listed on Canon´s US website as $200.
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