Thursday the 14th of October 2010
After about 8,5 hours on the bus, we arrived in Cuenca, one of the most beautiful colonial villages in Ecuador. We quickly found a hostel and enjoyed a long and nice dinner in ‘café Eucalyptus’. Afterwards we decided to go for a short evening walk along Rio Tomebamba. There we ran into Tim, a Belgian guy who shares a house in Cuenca with 5 other Belgians. They’re all making their thesis from the Catholic University of Leuven, in collaboration with the University of Cuenca. The areas of interest are quite different though (engineering, forest management, food industry ea). We sat a while with him in his house and we met the others later in the pub ‘Wunderbar’ where we planned our trip to the National Park of Cajas. First we wanted to skip this park, but when we passed it on our way from Guayaquil to Cuenca, the beautiful scenery made us change our minds.
Friday the 15th of October 2010
On Friday we planned a visit to the historical sites and the markets of Cuenca. The first stop was the cosy hat museum, Barranco. Here we learned everything about the fabrication of Panama hats. By the way, the heads have little connection to Panama, they are a full Ecuadorian product. The term Panama originates from the fact that the hats were exported through Panama.
We were pretty interested in the local market in Cuenca, that much even that we returned to it twice that day. The first time we returned for lunch (1.5$ per person for a big meal…), the second time to buy fruit to prepare our delicious salad for that evening and the next day. Now and then we managed to obtain a better price for the products than initially proposed by the ladies selling their crops. The most impressive landmark in Cuenca, however, is without a doubt the New Cathedral and the beautiful Parque Calderon that is situated right in front of it. The whole town made us think about Italy in a way, with all its squares and churches.
In the afternoon we ran into Maarten en Diewertje, a Belgian couple that we met before in Ecuador, in the Pumpapungo museum. I knew Maarten’s face from somewhere, which is not surprising since he lives in the city next the village I grew up in. From all the exhibitions in the museum, the one on Ecuadorian ethnical groups was most appealing to us. Ecuador is such a small country, yet so diverse in its people (and nature). Especially the Shuar part of the exhibition triggered our attention since we stayed with a Shuar family before, although the Tzantza’s (shrunken skulls) were a little bit scary. In the garden of the museum we further visited some of the Inca ruins you can find in Cuenca.
In the evening we met up with Maarten en Diewertje again for a beer and later we met a bunch of people that once went on a holiday to Ecuador and never returned to their home country, being the US, Germany and Wales. We would have to admit, it is a nice place to live.
Saturday the 16th of October 2010
We woke up early on Saturday to take an early bus to Parque Nacional de Cajas. The driver first dropped us of a little bit too far, but luckily we were picked up by a bus that took a larger group on a private tour. They dropped us of at the starting point of our walk, the Toreador laguna. The view along the trail was absolutely beautiful. The fact that we were constantly walking at an altitude of about 4000m, made it sometimes hard to climb, but it was surely worth it. We passed some magnificent polylepis forests, blossoming cactus and beautiful rock formations. A little bit after lunch time we reached the end of the trail and took a bus back to Cuenca and later via Loja to Vilcabamba.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Montañita and Isla de la plata
Sunday the 10th of October 2010
The first two weeks of our trip had been very intense, hence we were both longing for a little bit of rest and which place can be better for that than the beach. After a night bus from Puyo to Guayaquil and one early in the morning from Guayaquil to Montañita, we arrived in the Ecuadorian surfers paradise on Sunday morning. The relaxed, almost hippy, little town was still asleep when we started looking for a hostel at 9 o’clock. We found one in the small, but cosy centre of the town, with a hammock on our balcony and a beautiful room in bamboo.
One of the reasons why we choose Montañita as our beach destination was the nearby location of Isla de la plata, commonly referred to as "the galapagos of the poor". We arranged a trip to the island for the next day and spend the remaining part of the day enjoying sun, see and beach. I tried body-boarding for a few minutes, but the waves were a bit too impressive and my technique not good enough to make it to the front page of the next surfers magazine.
Monday the 11th of October 2010
At 8h30 on Monday morning we waited for over half an hour for a bus to Puerto Lopez, from where our boat to Isla de la Plata would leave, that never came. Our man at Machilla tours however, quickly solved the problem by hiring a taxi so that we would make it to our boat in time. From Puerto Lopez we sailed out for Isla de la Plata together with the crew of two, our guide, a guy from Leuven, two slow Mexican women, a couple from Switzerland, a French guy and a couple from Germany. The island itself is known for its large colony of bleu-footed boobies that show off with their bright blue feet to impress the ladies. It is funny to see them dancing around kicking their feet in the air all the time, as if they want to say: “ Hey, look how nicely blue my feet are…” Beside the blue-footed boobies, that all the time stubbornly stay in the middle of the road, we encountered a huge albatros chick. The extremely dry island further houses frigat birds and piqueros enmascarados (masked boobies).
Before we left the island, we all took a swim near the coral reef that surrounds the island. Despite our limited experience with snorkelling we enjoyed our moment in between the fish.
Back in Puerto Lopez we stuck around a bit to see the Pelicans jump over the breaking waves in group (instead of flying a bit deeper into the sea where they could just keep on floating) and to see the frigate birds at work steeling the fish from other birds (the feathers of the frigate birds are not water resistant, the guys rely on steeling fish because they cannot fish themselves).
On our way back to Montañita, the bus driver dropped us of at the Kundalini hostel where we arranged our stay for the next night.
Tuesday the 12th of October 2010
Tuesday was a beautiful day with clear blue skies, ideal to relax in the sun the whole day with a refreshing dip in the sea now and then. We both liked it that much that we decided to stay yet another day in Montañita. This also allowed us to finally get the blog online that was a long time coming. We were on the road for over 2 weeks now without too much information to the home front. We therefore exploited the wifi-availibility to skype with our family with a view on the beach. At the end of the day we relaxed all day taking full advantage of the sunshine and the blog was postponed for another day…
Wednesday the 13th of October 2010
On Wednesday the weather was slightly worse than the day before, finally we found the right moment to set up this blog. Nele started typing the first texts, while I retreated towards the beach to drink a “mate” with the Argentinian guys that stayed in the same hostel. In the afternoon, the roles were turned around, Nele enjoyed the sun, sea and beach, I fought a fearless battle with blogspot to get our messages online in a more or less structured way.
Near sunset we rented a surfboard for an hour as we figured we had to try before leaving. The waves were – for what we are concerned – huge, but after a lot of trial and error, I nevertheless managed to reach the beach standing on the board on at least two occasions – good enough. Nele quit earlier, mainly because the waves played with here rather than that she played with the waves.
Thursday the 14th of October 2010
On Thursday we left our excellent hostel in Montañita and headed out for Cuenca through Guayaquil.
The first two weeks of our trip had been very intense, hence we were both longing for a little bit of rest and which place can be better for that than the beach. After a night bus from Puyo to Guayaquil and one early in the morning from Guayaquil to Montañita, we arrived in the Ecuadorian surfers paradise on Sunday morning. The relaxed, almost hippy, little town was still asleep when we started looking for a hostel at 9 o’clock. We found one in the small, but cosy centre of the town, with a hammock on our balcony and a beautiful room in bamboo.
One of the reasons why we choose Montañita as our beach destination was the nearby location of Isla de la plata, commonly referred to as "the galapagos of the poor". We arranged a trip to the island for the next day and spend the remaining part of the day enjoying sun, see and beach. I tried body-boarding for a few minutes, but the waves were a bit too impressive and my technique not good enough to make it to the front page of the next surfers magazine.
Monday the 11th of October 2010
At 8h30 on Monday morning we waited for over half an hour for a bus to Puerto Lopez, from where our boat to Isla de la Plata would leave, that never came. Our man at Machilla tours however, quickly solved the problem by hiring a taxi so that we would make it to our boat in time. From Puerto Lopez we sailed out for Isla de la Plata together with the crew of two, our guide, a guy from Leuven, two slow Mexican women, a couple from Switzerland, a French guy and a couple from Germany. The island itself is known for its large colony of bleu-footed boobies that show off with their bright blue feet to impress the ladies. It is funny to see them dancing around kicking their feet in the air all the time, as if they want to say: “ Hey, look how nicely blue my feet are…” Beside the blue-footed boobies, that all the time stubbornly stay in the middle of the road, we encountered a huge albatros chick. The extremely dry island further houses frigat birds and piqueros enmascarados (masked boobies).
Before we left the island, we all took a swim near the coral reef that surrounds the island. Despite our limited experience with snorkelling we enjoyed our moment in between the fish.
Back in Puerto Lopez we stuck around a bit to see the Pelicans jump over the breaking waves in group (instead of flying a bit deeper into the sea where they could just keep on floating) and to see the frigate birds at work steeling the fish from other birds (the feathers of the frigate birds are not water resistant, the guys rely on steeling fish because they cannot fish themselves).
On our way back to Montañita, the bus driver dropped us of at the Kundalini hostel where we arranged our stay for the next night.
Tuesday the 12th of October 2010
Tuesday was a beautiful day with clear blue skies, ideal to relax in the sun the whole day with a refreshing dip in the sea now and then. We both liked it that much that we decided to stay yet another day in Montañita. This also allowed us to finally get the blog online that was a long time coming. We were on the road for over 2 weeks now without too much information to the home front. We therefore exploited the wifi-availibility to skype with our family with a view on the beach. At the end of the day we relaxed all day taking full advantage of the sunshine and the blog was postponed for another day…
Wednesday the 13th of October 2010
On Wednesday the weather was slightly worse than the day before, finally we found the right moment to set up this blog. Nele started typing the first texts, while I retreated towards the beach to drink a “mate” with the Argentinian guys that stayed in the same hostel. In the afternoon, the roles were turned around, Nele enjoyed the sun, sea and beach, I fought a fearless battle with blogspot to get our messages online in a more or less structured way.
Near sunset we rented a surfboard for an hour as we figured we had to try before leaving. The waves were – for what we are concerned – huge, but after a lot of trial and error, I nevertheless managed to reach the beach standing on the board on at least two occasions – good enough. Nele quit earlier, mainly because the waves played with here rather than that she played with the waves.
Thursday the 14th of October 2010
On Thursday we left our excellent hostel in Montañita and headed out for Cuenca through Guayaquil.
Shuar family
Friday the 8th of October 2010
From Puyo we decided to visit a
Shuar family that organizes jungle stays in their community. We took a bus to Macas, direction jungle, and got of at the Arútam reserve in the middle of the Amazone. We were immediately welcomed by a few Shuar 'warriors'. One of them was limping slightly, a soccer injury he took on during a game against a neighbouring family. The welcome committee further consisted of two Scotish girls that had been crazy enough to sign up for 3 months of volunteer work with the Shuar.
Our new friend Timothy (Shuar) showed us our hut for the coming night and later we joined the family, i.e. the men of the family, for dinner. We were served our first “Chicha”, a slightly fermented drink the Shuar are famous for. Later we found out that the stuff is prepared by the women in a rather traditionally way. They chew on a yucca and then spit it in a bowl with water, let it sit for a day to ferment and your drink is ready, nice…
The family we stayed with is the offspring of a single man and his first wife: 12 children and some grandchildren. During our stay the father stayed with his other wife a few kilometers down the road. At that place he too had arranged enough working hands. He was also the teacher in the little school that educated both communities.
In the afternoon Timothy took us on our first jungle trip. Large animals, such as anaconda’s and monkeys are rarely seen during daytime in this area, but insects including tarantula’s crossed our path more than once. Near the end of our walk we picked our salad for dinner in one of the many “gardens” of the family. We would have fresh leaves of the yucca plant. It was lovely by the way, almost like spinach. The gardens I refer to are bare parts of the jungle (the guys chop down all the trees) on which the Shuar women grow there fruits and vegetables in an – at least to us – rather unstructured way.
Before going to bed we visited the hut of the volunteers for a little chat with them. At that moment there were two Americans and two Scottish girls helping with the work of the Shuar (making roads, building cabins and huts, building a kitchen for the school, etc.). I didn’t quit figure out wether the volunteers liked or hated their stay and work. For the three of us (Martijn stil joined us) it was clear, not our cup of tea. One overnight stay will do..
Saturday the 9th of October 2010
Alex (15 years old) took us on our second jungle trip the following day, one that would lead us to a waterfall. Waterfalls are sacred to the Shuar as they contain all the information from the forest and because the Shuar believe that the Creator of the World -Arutam- lives in waterfalls. A shower underneath the falls should purify our souls. It was at least a welcome refreshment. On our way to the falls (and back) we were decorated with the war signs of the Shuar en Alex taught us which plants to use for a flew, a cold, pain, diarrhea or a constipation, how to get water from a bamboo tree, etc. For a boy of 15, he knew a whole damn lot about the jungle. On the other hand, Ecuadorians and especially Shuar normally get married around that age. They appear to grow up a bit faster than we do. We had our lunch with a beautiful view on the rain forest. An aunt and niece of Alex had left slightly earlier than we did and were already preparing lunch when we all of a sudden encountered a hut in the middle of the jungle.
Once we returned to our point of departure we took a refreshing shower and later waited for the bus together with our guide of that morning. The little guy suddenly looked different, somewhat like a little punk that tries to be too though with his Walkman, jeans and only a t-shirt while he is actually freezing. We hence saw two sides of the Shuar culture in the 20th century.
Nevertheless we all left with a tremendous respect for the culture and for what the family is doing to preserve its heritage. If you read a bit more about the Shuar you will find that they are one of the few tribes or communities that withstood the Inca’s and the Spanish and even drove them back when they tried to invade their territory. Further do they seem to like hallucinating plants (to the extreme) and did they indulge in the practice of skull shrinking (literally shrinking the skulls of killed enemies to use them as necklaces). All of this fits in their strong believe in the forces of nature. Alex told us that one of their drinks allows them to talk to trees and see their future, it reminded me of Avatar in a way.
Later that day we said goodbye to Martijn who had been travelling with us until then. We took a night bus to Guayaquil and from there set course for the beach.
From Puyo we decided to visit a
Shuar family that organizes jungle stays in their community. We took a bus to Macas, direction jungle, and got of at the Arútam reserve in the middle of the Amazone. We were immediately welcomed by a few Shuar 'warriors'. One of them was limping slightly, a soccer injury he took on during a game against a neighbouring family. The welcome committee further consisted of two Scotish girls that had been crazy enough to sign up for 3 months of volunteer work with the Shuar.
Our new friend Timothy (Shuar) showed us our hut for the coming night and later we joined the family, i.e. the men of the family, for dinner. We were served our first “Chicha”, a slightly fermented drink the Shuar are famous for. Later we found out that the stuff is prepared by the women in a rather traditionally way. They chew on a yucca and then spit it in a bowl with water, let it sit for a day to ferment and your drink is ready, nice…
The family we stayed with is the offspring of a single man and his first wife: 12 children and some grandchildren. During our stay the father stayed with his other wife a few kilometers down the road. At that place he too had arranged enough working hands. He was also the teacher in the little school that educated both communities.
In the afternoon Timothy took us on our first jungle trip. Large animals, such as anaconda’s and monkeys are rarely seen during daytime in this area, but insects including tarantula’s crossed our path more than once. Near the end of our walk we picked our salad for dinner in one of the many “gardens” of the family. We would have fresh leaves of the yucca plant. It was lovely by the way, almost like spinach. The gardens I refer to are bare parts of the jungle (the guys chop down all the trees) on which the Shuar women grow there fruits and vegetables in an – at least to us – rather unstructured way.
Before going to bed we visited the hut of the volunteers for a little chat with them. At that moment there were two Americans and two Scottish girls helping with the work of the Shuar (making roads, building cabins and huts, building a kitchen for the school, etc.). I didn’t quit figure out wether the volunteers liked or hated their stay and work. For the three of us (Martijn stil joined us) it was clear, not our cup of tea. One overnight stay will do..
Saturday the 9th of October 2010
Alex (15 years old) took us on our second jungle trip the following day, one that would lead us to a waterfall. Waterfalls are sacred to the Shuar as they contain all the information from the forest and because the Shuar believe that the Creator of the World -Arutam- lives in waterfalls. A shower underneath the falls should purify our souls. It was at least a welcome refreshment. On our way to the falls (and back) we were decorated with the war signs of the Shuar en Alex taught us which plants to use for a flew, a cold, pain, diarrhea or a constipation, how to get water from a bamboo tree, etc. For a boy of 15, he knew a whole damn lot about the jungle. On the other hand, Ecuadorians and especially Shuar normally get married around that age. They appear to grow up a bit faster than we do. We had our lunch with a beautiful view on the rain forest. An aunt and niece of Alex had left slightly earlier than we did and were already preparing lunch when we all of a sudden encountered a hut in the middle of the jungle.
Once we returned to our point of departure we took a refreshing shower and later waited for the bus together with our guide of that morning. The little guy suddenly looked different, somewhat like a little punk that tries to be too though with his Walkman, jeans and only a t-shirt while he is actually freezing. We hence saw two sides of the Shuar culture in the 20th century.
Nevertheless we all left with a tremendous respect for the culture and for what the family is doing to preserve its heritage. If you read a bit more about the Shuar you will find that they are one of the few tribes or communities that withstood the Inca’s and the Spanish and even drove them back when they tried to invade their territory. Further do they seem to like hallucinating plants (to the extreme) and did they indulge in the practice of skull shrinking (literally shrinking the skulls of killed enemies to use them as necklaces). All of this fits in their strong believe in the forces of nature. Alex told us that one of their drinks allows them to talk to trees and see their future, it reminded me of Avatar in a way.
Later that day we said goodbye to Martijn who had been travelling with us until then. We took a night bus to Guayaquil and from there set course for the beach.
Baños and Puyo
Wednesday the 6th of October 2010
We were more than ready for a relaxing day. Baños is the perfect place for that. It is a small, quiet town in the center of Ecuador in the shade of the highest active volcano of the country. The biggest touristic attraction of the town – beside the magnificent view on the volcano – is the presence of several thermal, mineral rich baths, which again are only there because of the volcanic activity in the area. In the afternoon we (Martijn, Nele and myself) walked around in town, which has some funny, but also worrying, signs previously unknown to us that indicate the escape routes in case of a volcanic eruption. In the evening we headed for “Thermales de la Virgin” were we enjoyed several warming up and cooling down cycles by changing from the nicely warm to freezing cold waters. Lovely! We met two nice French couples that would join us the next day for a mountainbike trip to Puyo.
Thursday the 8th of October 2010
It is about 61 km from Baños to Puyo. Most of it is downhill, but occasionally it went uphill quite steep. Luckily we allowed ourselves some rest the day before. The first part of the route is nicknamed the “route de cascades” (the waterfall route), a nickname that it certainly deserves. Around lunchtime we reached the most famous of the falls, the devils falls. To reach the falls you have to walk down the jungle about 10 minutes (back up takes longer). Once down you can admire the massive falls from different angles, from a hanging bridge, from close by and from very close by:from behind the falls. For the last step you have to crawl a little bit, but the refreshing waterfall shower in the hot jungle is worth it.
The Frenchies took the bus back to Baños after lunch, but Martijn, Nele and I were determined; we would make it to Puyo. The next waterfall we encountered was already more than worth to continue. Again we had to walk down, this time down some stairs; it was rather steep going into the valley. At the bottom of the valley we gazed up on a massive fall with a small natural pool at the bottom; an invitation by nature that we had to accept. For a second it makes you feel one with it all if you are swimming in a pool in the middle of the jungle right underneath an absolutely massive waterfall. We stayed here for about an hour and then headed for Puyo.
This part of the road announced itself much more difficult than what we had experienced until then. The last 15-20km’s were flat again. Taken it all into account, it was an exhausting trip, but surely worth it. At around 18h, we arrived in Puyo, generally regarded as the last city before the Oriente, i.e. the city where the jungle starts. We spent some time finding a hostel and waiting for our luggage to arrive from Baños and afterwards enjoyed a magnificent meal in El Jardin (a little bit more expensive than what we are used to, but we figured we had deserved it).
Before finally going to bed, we did some research on jungle trips from Puyo. Something that was on our schedule for the coming days…
We were more than ready for a relaxing day. Baños is the perfect place for that. It is a small, quiet town in the center of Ecuador in the shade of the highest active volcano of the country. The biggest touristic attraction of the town – beside the magnificent view on the volcano – is the presence of several thermal, mineral rich baths, which again are only there because of the volcanic activity in the area. In the afternoon we (Martijn, Nele and myself) walked around in town, which has some funny, but also worrying, signs previously unknown to us that indicate the escape routes in case of a volcanic eruption. In the evening we headed for “Thermales de la Virgin” were we enjoyed several warming up and cooling down cycles by changing from the nicely warm to freezing cold waters. Lovely! We met two nice French couples that would join us the next day for a mountainbike trip to Puyo.
Thursday the 8th of October 2010
It is about 61 km from Baños to Puyo. Most of it is downhill, but occasionally it went uphill quite steep. Luckily we allowed ourselves some rest the day before. The first part of the route is nicknamed the “route de cascades” (the waterfall route), a nickname that it certainly deserves. Around lunchtime we reached the most famous of the falls, the devils falls. To reach the falls you have to walk down the jungle about 10 minutes (back up takes longer). Once down you can admire the massive falls from different angles, from a hanging bridge, from close by and from very close by:from behind the falls. For the last step you have to crawl a little bit, but the refreshing waterfall shower in the hot jungle is worth it.
The Frenchies took the bus back to Baños after lunch, but Martijn, Nele and I were determined; we would make it to Puyo. The next waterfall we encountered was already more than worth to continue. Again we had to walk down, this time down some stairs; it was rather steep going into the valley. At the bottom of the valley we gazed up on a massive fall with a small natural pool at the bottom; an invitation by nature that we had to accept. For a second it makes you feel one with it all if you are swimming in a pool in the middle of the jungle right underneath an absolutely massive waterfall. We stayed here for about an hour and then headed for Puyo.
This part of the road announced itself much more difficult than what we had experienced until then. The last 15-20km’s were flat again. Taken it all into account, it was an exhausting trip, but surely worth it. At around 18h, we arrived in Puyo, generally regarded as the last city before the Oriente, i.e. the city where the jungle starts. We spent some time finding a hostel and waiting for our luggage to arrive from Baños and afterwards enjoyed a magnificent meal in El Jardin (a little bit more expensive than what we are used to, but we figured we had deserved it).
Before finally going to bed, we did some research on jungle trips from Puyo. Something that was on our schedule for the coming days…
The Quilotoa loop
Monday the 4th of October 2010
Together with Martijn en Nienke (NED), who we met the day before in Latacunga, we took an early morning bus to Quilotoa. Upon arrival we checked in in the hostel and restaurant Cabañas, were the meals are served for all guests at the same time. It feels like you are all one big family, which creates a very enjoyable atmosphere. After checking in and having a quick bite, we walked to the crater lake Quilotoa is famous for. Full of energy we decided to walk down the crater all the way to the lake. Walking down was not a big problem, going back up was much harder. Quilotoa is located at about 3500m above sea level and the path is pretty sandy… tough! For the remaining part of the day we restricted ourselves to a walk in and around Quilotoa – again the landscape was stupefying. At night we played a game of carts and went to bed early in our woodstove heated room.
Tuesday the 5th of October 2010
We woke up at 7 in the morning and felt more or less ready for the 12 km hike from Quilotoa to Chuchillan – we didn’t sleep to well because of a baggy mattress. Nienke decided to take a bus, but she was quickly replaced by Vanessa, a girl from Hong Kong who we met the evening before. The altitude, the terrain and the lack of sleep the night before made it a pretty hard walk. Especially the last part was tough, but also the nicest. We walked down a valley on one side to walk up again on the other side. This was after our lunch break in Guyama where we arrived at the school playground right at lunch time for the kids at school, allowing us to have lunch altogether. We arrived early in Chuchillan (14h). Vanessa decided to stay overnight and walk to Isinlivi the next day. Martijn and the two of us decided to get in a pickup and try to catch the next bus to Latacunga in the next town 40 minutes down the road. The view during the entire bus trip was postcard worthy again.
Together with Martijn en Nienke (NED), who we met the day before in Latacunga, we took an early morning bus to Quilotoa. Upon arrival we checked in in the hostel and restaurant Cabañas, were the meals are served for all guests at the same time. It feels like you are all one big family, which creates a very enjoyable atmosphere. After checking in and having a quick bite, we walked to the crater lake Quilotoa is famous for. Full of energy we decided to walk down the crater all the way to the lake. Walking down was not a big problem, going back up was much harder. Quilotoa is located at about 3500m above sea level and the path is pretty sandy… tough! For the remaining part of the day we restricted ourselves to a walk in and around Quilotoa – again the landscape was stupefying. At night we played a game of carts and went to bed early in our woodstove heated room.
Tuesday the 5th of October 2010
We woke up at 7 in the morning and felt more or less ready for the 12 km hike from Quilotoa to Chuchillan – we didn’t sleep to well because of a baggy mattress. Nienke decided to take a bus, but she was quickly replaced by Vanessa, a girl from Hong Kong who we met the evening before. The altitude, the terrain and the lack of sleep the night before made it a pretty hard walk. Especially the last part was tough, but also the nicest. We walked down a valley on one side to walk up again on the other side. This was after our lunch break in Guyama where we arrived at the school playground right at lunch time for the kids at school, allowing us to have lunch altogether. We arrived early in Chuchillan (14h). Vanessa decided to stay overnight and walk to Isinlivi the next day. Martijn and the two of us decided to get in a pickup and try to catch the next bus to Latacunga in the next town 40 minutes down the road. The view during the entire bus trip was postcard worthy again.
Cotopaxi
Saturday the 2nd of October 2010
On Saturday we left our Spanish school, our family for one week, and Quito and started exploring the rest of Ecuador. The first destination was the Cotopaxi volcano, the second highest (5897m) and still active volcano in Ecuador. To get to the volcano we registered on a “biking Dutchmen” tour. Our guide, Fernando, picked us up with his jeep and drove us to the parking lot on the flank of the volcano (4500m). From there we biked down into the valley. The view was amazing and the reliable equipment we rented made it a most enjoyable trip. We continued to a laguna where we had lunch and then set course for Tambopaxi past a herd of at least 200 lama’s, meeting wild horses and domesticated cows and bulls on the way. Tambopaxi is the only hostel within the boundaries of the National Park and it offers camping possibilities. We did not let this change slip by and quickly set up our tent. Before dinner, we made a short walk in the valley without turning our eyes away from the majestic volcano.
Sunday the 3rd of October 2010
The next morning we woke up with a magnificent view on the volcano. Absolutely astonishing! After breakfast and a short morning walk we got in the pickup we organized together with Pierre-Roland (SUI) and Johan (SWE) who we met the evening before. At the same parking lot we started our ride down the day before, we now jumped out of the open cargo part of the pickup (great ride up!) ready to climb another 300m to a refuge on the side of the volcano and from there on to the bottom of the glacier (5000m above sea level). At this altitude every step is at least five times harder than at sea level, making the hike up challenging, but very rewarding. 2 hours later we jumped back in the back of the pickup to be dropped of at the Panamerican highway where we took a bus to Latacunga. Pierre-Roland and Johan continued to Baños, while we stayed in Latacunga, which would be our home base for a trip to Quilotoa.
On Saturday we left our Spanish school, our family for one week, and Quito and started exploring the rest of Ecuador. The first destination was the Cotopaxi volcano, the second highest (5897m) and still active volcano in Ecuador. To get to the volcano we registered on a “biking Dutchmen” tour. Our guide, Fernando, picked us up with his jeep and drove us to the parking lot on the flank of the volcano (4500m). From there we biked down into the valley. The view was amazing and the reliable equipment we rented made it a most enjoyable trip. We continued to a laguna where we had lunch and then set course for Tambopaxi past a herd of at least 200 lama’s, meeting wild horses and domesticated cows and bulls on the way. Tambopaxi is the only hostel within the boundaries of the National Park and it offers camping possibilities. We did not let this change slip by and quickly set up our tent. Before dinner, we made a short walk in the valley without turning our eyes away from the majestic volcano.
Sunday the 3rd of October 2010
The next morning we woke up with a magnificent view on the volcano. Absolutely astonishing! After breakfast and a short morning walk we got in the pickup we organized together with Pierre-Roland (SUI) and Johan (SWE) who we met the evening before. At the same parking lot we started our ride down the day before, we now jumped out of the open cargo part of the pickup (great ride up!) ready to climb another 300m to a refuge on the side of the volcano and from there on to the bottom of the glacier (5000m above sea level). At this altitude every step is at least five times harder than at sea level, making the hike up challenging, but very rewarding. 2 hours later we jumped back in the back of the pickup to be dropped of at the Panamerican highway where we took a bus to Latacunga. Pierre-Roland and Johan continued to Baños, while we stayed in Latacunga, which would be our home base for a trip to Quilotoa.
Quito, Otavalo & Mitad del Mundo
Both carrying a small and a big backpack we left our apartment in Montréal on Thursday the 23rd of September. Approximately 15 hours later we arrived save and sound in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. This would be our home for the coming 8 days. The first three days we visited Quito and its surroundings, the last 5 days we spent in a Spanish school in the colonial, historical part of Quito combined with a home stay.
Friday the 24th of September 2010
On our first day in Quito we explored the city. In the colonial as well as in the touristic part of the new part of the city, everything appears to be within walking distance. To travel from one (the old) to the other (the new) part of town the cheapest solution is to take the overfull Troleybus. The colonial part of the town clearly was our favourite. Life seems to be very quiet in this area and everywhere you can find small “tiendas” (shops) and restaurants where you walk in and out as you please. This part of town is filled with churches and buildings that date from the times the Spanish settled in Quito. A beautiful example is the Presidential palace that we visited in the afternoon. Visits to the palace are free of charge, one of Rafael Correa’s initiatives in his vision of “Ecaudor ya es de todo” (Ecaudor now belongs to everyone). This slogan was printed on the free picture of us in the Palace that we were offered by the president. Later we encountered it throughout Quito and Ecuador.
Saturday the 25th of September 2010
A 2 hours bus ride from Quito liess the little town of Otavala that is known for its indigenous community that fills the town in their traditional outfit and for the craft market. I couldn’t resist buying a typical Ecuadorian panama-hat. It was our first real experience with the bargaining that is common in this part of the world. We are still trying to get used to it.
I particularly enjoyed our lunch. At a small table in the middle of the market place we sat together with an indigenous couple and savoured the pieces of pork that were freshly cut off a pig roasted as a whole and that was lying right next to us.
Sunday the 26th of September 2010
On Sunday we embarked on one of the most touristic trips you can make from Quito, we set sail for Mitad del Mundo. Mitad del Mundo is something of a touristic complex that is supposedly located exactly on the equatorial line. In fact the equator lies a little bit north from where all the pictures with one foot in the northern hemisphere, one foot in the southern hemisphere are taken. Visiting the place on Sunday means that you can enjoy local, indigenous dance performances, making the whole thing even more touristic.
From within Mitad del mundo we decided to make a small excursion to the nearby Pululahua crater. In this crater lives a community of about 150 souls from crops they grow on the fertile land. We arrived at the edge of the crater at around 14h45, just in time to catch a glimpse of what can be found in the crater. 15 minutes later, the clouds set in and the bottom of the crater remained hidden for us. Although an occasional brise opened the cloud cover and exposed the farmlands below. Our guide, Frederico, turned the trip in somewhat of a spiritual experience as well by telling us about (and performing some of) the rituals of “his” indigenous community. Very enthusiastically, he talked about purifying rituals performed by the ‘Shaman’ at the latest solstice (a few days ago) where the Shaman apparently had drunk a very spicy, very alcoholic drink through his nose. You could clearly feel that Frederico still was impressed by the performance of the Shaman and the influence it had had on him. Before leaving our marvellous viewpoint at the edge of the crater, he further thanked Mother Nature by playing a little tune on his miniature flute: a pretty special experience. Back in Mitad del Mundo we briefly met the 85 year old Shaman our guide just talked to us about.
Monday the 27th of September 2010 – until Friday the 1st of October 2010
The first full week in Quito we devoted ourselves to the Spanish language. Every day we followed 6 hours of Spanish (4 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon). For lunch and dinner we returned to the local family we stayed with and the Spanish lessons continued in a more informal way (although the real lessons were rather informal as well). We visited a few schools before deciding to go for the Quito Antigua Spanish school, because our teacher and the director of this school, Freddy, made the best impression on us. It turned out to be a good choice. In one week we studied the basic grammar of South American (!) Spanish and built up the necessary vocabulary to make ourselves understandable and understand (if they don't speak too fast, which they normally do) the locals.
The nice thing about the school was that everything happened in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere. We learned a lot about the Ecuadorian culture and kitchen as well. For this part, our teacher was assisted by his good friend Johny that always accompanied us for our outings to the indigenous fruit and vegetable markets. They took us to places where tourists normally do not show and where Ecuadorians buy their fruit, veggies and meat (including the popular guinea pigs – sold alive). Cats and dogs (2$ - not intended for consumption, I think…) are sold alongside the geese, and other poultry.
On one occasion we returned from the market to a small apartment owned by Freddy to cook a local dish. In fact, Johny did most of the cooking and we enjoyed the result. Later that week, Johny attracted the flu. He claims it happened on the day we cooked, he had spent too much time with his head in the fridge he said…
Not only did we enjoy the Spanish course, also the family stay was an interesting experience. We stayed with Rina and her 30 year old son, Malik, in a house in the colonial part of the city at a few minutes walking from our school. Rina and Malik now and then referred to themselves as being “un poco loco” (a little bit crazy) and we both agreed. Breakfast, lunch and dinner looked (and tasted) like a Christmas meal every time again. We assisted our hosts in cooking as much as we could, which made us feel part of the family for the time we stayed there. It was nice being able to return to a place we “knew” every evening. We had our own bedroom, living room and bathroom in the house that was colourfully decorated with paintings by our host.
You might have heard about the attempted coup on Thursday of the week we were in Quito. Part of the national police was not very happy with planned cuts in the budget for the police force. The police went on strike, which cause chaos in part of the city. When President Correa tried to talk to the striking police force he was more or less kidnapped and held in the police hospital in the north of the city. Later that day, the military that always kept supporting the president, liberated him from the hospital in a pretty spectacular action that could be followed live on TV. All that time we found ourselves safely in the old part of the city were people were gathering on Plaza Grande in front of the presidential palace to support their president. We joined the “celebrations” when the president was still in the hospital and later just after his speech from the balcony of the presidential palace. In short, for us this was a great experience, we felt part of history and yet we never felt insecure or in danger, despite the stuff that was going on in the north. Because we felt that the (international) press only broadcasted the 'action' that was going on in the north of town (and made it all look more dangerous and spectacular than it was for us), we decided to write a little article with our perspective on the whole thing and sent it to the Belgian newspapers. Our article was published on the website of Mo* Magazine, you can check it out here, although it is in Dutch...
One day later, the crisis was all over and live returned to normal. Our Spanish teacher predicted this by the way. He ensured us on Thursday already that there was no crisis as long as the military is supporting the president. To him this was just a small uprising of some guys that are not happy with a law that is about to be voted and approved. These things are normal in South America. People are much more passionate about everything here, he said.
Friday the 24th of September 2010
On our first day in Quito we explored the city. In the colonial as well as in the touristic part of the new part of the city, everything appears to be within walking distance. To travel from one (the old) to the other (the new) part of town the cheapest solution is to take the overfull Troleybus. The colonial part of the town clearly was our favourite. Life seems to be very quiet in this area and everywhere you can find small “tiendas” (shops) and restaurants where you walk in and out as you please. This part of town is filled with churches and buildings that date from the times the Spanish settled in Quito. A beautiful example is the Presidential palace that we visited in the afternoon. Visits to the palace are free of charge, one of Rafael Correa’s initiatives in his vision of “Ecaudor ya es de todo” (Ecaudor now belongs to everyone). This slogan was printed on the free picture of us in the Palace that we were offered by the president. Later we encountered it throughout Quito and Ecuador.
Saturday the 25th of September 2010
A 2 hours bus ride from Quito liess the little town of Otavala that is known for its indigenous community that fills the town in their traditional outfit and for the craft market. I couldn’t resist buying a typical Ecuadorian panama-hat. It was our first real experience with the bargaining that is common in this part of the world. We are still trying to get used to it.
I particularly enjoyed our lunch. At a small table in the middle of the market place we sat together with an indigenous couple and savoured the pieces of pork that were freshly cut off a pig roasted as a whole and that was lying right next to us.
Sunday the 26th of September 2010
On Sunday we embarked on one of the most touristic trips you can make from Quito, we set sail for Mitad del Mundo. Mitad del Mundo is something of a touristic complex that is supposedly located exactly on the equatorial line. In fact the equator lies a little bit north from where all the pictures with one foot in the northern hemisphere, one foot in the southern hemisphere are taken. Visiting the place on Sunday means that you can enjoy local, indigenous dance performances, making the whole thing even more touristic.
From within Mitad del mundo we decided to make a small excursion to the nearby Pululahua crater. In this crater lives a community of about 150 souls from crops they grow on the fertile land. We arrived at the edge of the crater at around 14h45, just in time to catch a glimpse of what can be found in the crater. 15 minutes later, the clouds set in and the bottom of the crater remained hidden for us. Although an occasional brise opened the cloud cover and exposed the farmlands below. Our guide, Frederico, turned the trip in somewhat of a spiritual experience as well by telling us about (and performing some of) the rituals of “his” indigenous community. Very enthusiastically, he talked about purifying rituals performed by the ‘Shaman’ at the latest solstice (a few days ago) where the Shaman apparently had drunk a very spicy, very alcoholic drink through his nose. You could clearly feel that Frederico still was impressed by the performance of the Shaman and the influence it had had on him. Before leaving our marvellous viewpoint at the edge of the crater, he further thanked Mother Nature by playing a little tune on his miniature flute: a pretty special experience. Back in Mitad del Mundo we briefly met the 85 year old Shaman our guide just talked to us about.
Monday the 27th of September 2010 – until Friday the 1st of October 2010
The first full week in Quito we devoted ourselves to the Spanish language. Every day we followed 6 hours of Spanish (4 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon). For lunch and dinner we returned to the local family we stayed with and the Spanish lessons continued in a more informal way (although the real lessons were rather informal as well). We visited a few schools before deciding to go for the Quito Antigua Spanish school, because our teacher and the director of this school, Freddy, made the best impression on us. It turned out to be a good choice. In one week we studied the basic grammar of South American (!) Spanish and built up the necessary vocabulary to make ourselves understandable and understand (if they don't speak too fast, which they normally do) the locals.
The nice thing about the school was that everything happened in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere. We learned a lot about the Ecuadorian culture and kitchen as well. For this part, our teacher was assisted by his good friend Johny that always accompanied us for our outings to the indigenous fruit and vegetable markets. They took us to places where tourists normally do not show and where Ecuadorians buy their fruit, veggies and meat (including the popular guinea pigs – sold alive). Cats and dogs (2$ - not intended for consumption, I think…) are sold alongside the geese, and other poultry.
On one occasion we returned from the market to a small apartment owned by Freddy to cook a local dish. In fact, Johny did most of the cooking and we enjoyed the result. Later that week, Johny attracted the flu. He claims it happened on the day we cooked, he had spent too much time with his head in the fridge he said…
Not only did we enjoy the Spanish course, also the family stay was an interesting experience. We stayed with Rina and her 30 year old son, Malik, in a house in the colonial part of the city at a few minutes walking from our school. Rina and Malik now and then referred to themselves as being “un poco loco” (a little bit crazy) and we both agreed. Breakfast, lunch and dinner looked (and tasted) like a Christmas meal every time again. We assisted our hosts in cooking as much as we could, which made us feel part of the family for the time we stayed there. It was nice being able to return to a place we “knew” every evening. We had our own bedroom, living room and bathroom in the house that was colourfully decorated with paintings by our host.
You might have heard about the attempted coup on Thursday of the week we were in Quito. Part of the national police was not very happy with planned cuts in the budget for the police force. The police went on strike, which cause chaos in part of the city. When President Correa tried to talk to the striking police force he was more or less kidnapped and held in the police hospital in the north of the city. Later that day, the military that always kept supporting the president, liberated him from the hospital in a pretty spectacular action that could be followed live on TV. All that time we found ourselves safely in the old part of the city were people were gathering on Plaza Grande in front of the presidential palace to support their president. We joined the “celebrations” when the president was still in the hospital and later just after his speech from the balcony of the presidential palace. In short, for us this was a great experience, we felt part of history and yet we never felt insecure or in danger, despite the stuff that was going on in the north. Because we felt that the (international) press only broadcasted the 'action' that was going on in the north of town (and made it all look more dangerous and spectacular than it was for us), we decided to write a little article with our perspective on the whole thing and sent it to the Belgian newspapers. Our article was published on the website of Mo* Magazine, you can check it out here, although it is in Dutch...
One day later, the crisis was all over and live returned to normal. Our Spanish teacher predicted this by the way. He ensured us on Thursday already that there was no crisis as long as the military is supporting the president. To him this was just a small uprising of some guys that are not happy with a law that is about to be voted and approved. These things are normal in South America. People are much more passionate about everything here, he said.
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