swingng sasquili & cold cotopaxi

---

I felt brilliant after my early morning hot shower and cup of tea and after checking out of the hostel and storing my bags the day of adventure began. The four dutch and I were off to Saquisili and Cotopaxi today, unfortunately we were paying more for this tour than any of us would have liked to cough up ($40) however it was the only way we were going to be able to climb Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano. We were all unsure on whether or not we would be able to see it, as the sky was cloudy and the weather chilly, but we had our fingers and toes crossed.
We met our guide Diego, who didn't do all that much guiding or talking but he got us to and from in one piece and was a nice enough guy. After jumping into the land cruiser we were on our way to Saquisili for it's famous Thursday market. This I must admit I was excited about. After missing out on Otavalo's very famous Saturday's market and not hearing an end to how sad it was that I'd missed it from almost every backpacker I met, I was thankful to be given a chance to see this incredibly market.
I don't know if words can do it justice, or if I can find the words to even come close to describing what I saw, but I do know that I'll never forget the two hours spent in this bustling town on what was otherwise just another market day for many of the locals.
Our first stop was the animal market and all I can say is WOW. It was nothing like I was expecting and on this note I can't really tell you what I was expecting, but as I said it wasn't anything like what I saw. There were people everywhere, all locals of course, and school children, coming to do their weekly shop and most of whom were dressed in their gorgeous native day wear; most women wear sombrero's, skirts, tights, sweaters and shawls and I must tell you I simply can't help but stare, they look simply amazing. Of course there were animals absolutely everywhere too. Pigs, llama's, sheep, cows, guinea pigs, chickens, puppies and rabbits were just some of the animals available for purchase. At first I thought that what i was seeing; the way the animals were being sold, the congregation of people around the animals poking and proding them to ensure they were 'fat' enough or had enough meat on them was inhumane however after some thought i think it's more humane than the way we do things back home. Of course the treatment of the chickens and the piglets in hesion bags are an exception but more of that later!
All of the animals are separated, very similar I guess to how we do things in the Western world and at the saleyards back home, sheep in one area, cows in the other. Things are no different here except for the fact that the pigs are all handled by the owners and the buyers, like literally handled! The first sight I saw was a native woman of about 65 taking her newly purchased pig home on a leash, yes a leash; definitely something you don't see everyday and definitely worthy of a photo! Unfortunately the calves looked very underweight and my only hope was that they were going to good homes, to be fed well and raised by very caring owners, whether or not this happens, it was the only thing that kept me from releasing them all! The smell of the sheep definitely reminded me of the many school holidays spent in the shearing shed, I think I still have a soft spot for the good old sheep! and the llama's were just so pretty! However the best thing about this particular day at the market was simply people watching. To be able to observe the locals going about their every day business is what always brings a smile to my face. You learn so much by simply watching. If only my spanish was good enough to ask some questions I would have stories to go with my photographs.
After seeing the pretty llama's we moved on to the another part of the market. It was here that I was able to bear witnes to some of the more inhumane conditions they put the animals in. There were guinea pigs tied up in bags, puppies in cardboard boxes and chickens piled into crates; broken legs and necks, no feathers, hmmm I don't like to think about what I saw, but all i can say is battery farms have nothing on this!
Regardless of the uncomfortable feeling I had when I saw the chickens being tied up and slung over the backs of the locals women, or slumped on the ground unable to move, waiting for the moment where they were finally put out of their misery, I am so glad I was able to see Saquisily, especially the animals. As I've already mentioned, it was nothing like I imagined, and it really is farily orderly. I was able to capture some great moments with my camera but it really is all stored away as a memory now, and a beautiful one at that. The ecuadorian culture really is beautiful; the people have a lovely nature and everyone is very friendly towards us tourists. The goods they produce are of great quality and I'm always happy to pay a fair price for something as beautiful as a woolen woven bag or sweater; oh how I wish I could have shopped at Saquisili as well!!
We stopped at one final section of the market; clothing and food and even though I'd shopped my little bum off in Otavalo I was still very happy to wander around and look at the goods. I was happy to see two new vendors; the first was a group of ladies making metal knives and spoons. They were carving these utensils with their bare hands and feet. They had a block of wood between their feet and between their toes they held the utensil, whether it be the knife or spoon and off they went carving....amazing. It is one of my favourite photos and I hope now you can look at it a little differently knowing exactly what it is that they're doing. Hard work at any age, but in your 70's-80's wow.
Now on to Cotopaxi. It was almost another two hours from the market until we reached the parking lot of Cotopaxi. However as always the scenery along the way was beautiful, rolling hills, small villages, lagoons. We had previously been complaining about the strength of the sun; on the way we sat in the car in our t-shirts, applying sunscreen. However it wasn't long before we were complaining about how cold it was. By the time we reached the parking lot the clouds were super low and it was raining oh and did i mention that it we couldn't see the top?! Regardless of the less than perfect weather conditons we all piled out of the car, donned our beanies, jumpers and rain coats (have i told you i don't have one?!) and began the long and tough walk up to the refuge. I think it took about an hour and a half, maybe less, and although we only climbed 200 meters I felt every minute and every meter! I was huffing and puffing like an 80 year old by the time we reached the top, the altitude definitely kicked my arse but I guess it was understandable as we were almost at 5,000m. Throughout the trek my body started reacting; headache and some decent dizziness were the effects but I pushed through, thinking of this as the first step in preparation to the inca trail! So we arrived at base camp and within three minutes we had a cup of hot chocolate in front of us. Soon after Diego served us a quite a decent spread for lunch including ham and cheese sandwhiches, chicken noodle soup, brownies and fruit, nice! We could have climbed another 200m up to the 5,000m mark however none of us were that keen considering we wouldn't be able to see all that much more than what we could already see oh and the fact that we were all pretty 'stuffed'! so we said goodbye to the little refuge and made our way down the face of the volcano in the sleet back to the car. After a quick visit to the museum and one final look at the non existent tip of cotopaxi we returned to the panamerican highway and said our goodbyes to Danique and Pim who were on their way back to Quito to fly home.
By the time we arrived back in Latacunga all three of us were pretty wrecked but it was time for me to move on, again. I was off to Banos and by 4pm I found myself on the bus trying really hard to keep my eyes open!
A great day, spent in wonderful company. A wonderful day where I was able to experience a very typical day in the life of an Ecuadorian. Bless.

---