Blogs from Latacunga, Centre, Ecuador, South America
March 23rd 2011
Latacunga, I arrived after another long day in a not so fresh bus with not so fresh smelling locals. Nevertheless it was only 6 hours out of yet another day doing and seeing well not all that much that I hadn't seen. I ended up catching the bus from Otavalo to Quito as the bus to Latacunga wasn't leaving until 1pm. Executive decision on my part. Good decision? I'm not so sure. You see express buses aren't what I'd call express and this bus to Quito and the buses from North Quito to South Quito and from South Quito Latacunga definitely weren't express. As I said, it was a day spent doing something I really didn't want to be doing, but so goes the story of overland travel! By 4pm I had arrived in Latacunga, booked ... read more
Zumbahua - jedna z mnoha - one of many
Published: October 18th 2010South America » Ecuador » Centre » Latacunga
October 15th 2010
Rano sme, ako obycajne vstali a urobili si nase oblubene ranajky - vajicka. Mame so sebou varic, panvicku a varechu takze nieje problem. Celkom tu na vajickach ulietavame a dnes sme ich mali 8 dokopy, ani nam to neprislo asi to je z toho vsetkeho chodenia. Na najblizsich par dni sme si naplanovali navstevy okolitych, malych, pomerne bezvyznamnych andskych dediniek. Najzaujimavejsie na tychto dedinkach je to, ze sa da vidiet ako ziju obycajni chudobni Ekvadorcania. Nasa prva zastavka bola Pujili. V Pujili sme navstivili velmi pekne namestie s kostolom a miestny trh, kde sme si kupili zvlastne vyzerajuce ovocie a cukrovu trstinu /cukrovou trtinu/, ktora sa zuje a je velmi osviezujuca a sladka. Tiez sme tu videli zatial najhorsieho vyzerajuceho bezdomovca. A potom sme vyrazili dalej. Dalsia zastavka mala byt Tigua, ale ked nadiesiel cast vystupovat ... read more
October 14th 2010
Dnes bol nas posledny den v Quite a potom presun do Latacungy z prekvapivo cistej a novej hlavnej stanice. Autobus sa nam opet podarilo stihnut velmi sikovne a vobec sme necakali, prave naopak, sofer cakal na Stanika kym kupi mandarinky, trocha sa aj pohol, co ma celkom vystresovalo. V autobuse sme boli napadnuty predavacskou mafiou. Asi 15 predajcov nam vo vlnach liezlo do autobusu a pokusalo sa nam predat uplne vselico, hlavne jedlo a zmrzlinu. Vodic v pokoji cakal kym sa vsetci predajci vystriedaju, nedalo sa nemysliet si ze su dohodnuty, ale uz si zvykame. V Latacunge sa na nas pri hladani hostelu zavesil par z Rakuska /Linz/, nemali mapu a my ano, hahaha. Podarilo sa nam najst solidny a bezpecne vyzerajuci hostel, hned na druhy pokus, za 12 dolarov na noc pre obidvoch je to ... read more
March 26th 2010
Le lien vers les videos se trouvent a la fin du texte. Videos a the bottom of the text. english version below Arrives a Latacunga, on a retrouve dans le meme hostel Bruno et Berengere avec qui l’on avait passe la semaine aux Galapagos. Ce fut une soiree de plus bien sympathique. On devait partir aussitot pour voir le volcan Latacunga. Mais les 4 derniers jours etaient charges en activites sportives et on avait vraiment besoin de se reposer. On a ainsi reporte notre depart au dimanche matin. On a decouvert dans l’hostel que l’on pouvait faire un tour complet en 2 jours de marche pour voir le volcan au lieu de faire un aller retour dans la journee. On part le 1er jour pour Isinlivi, un petit lieu dit dans les montagnes. On monte a ... read more
February 2nd 2010
Welcome to Blog #40. Sorry it's coming so fast on the heels of the last entry, but now is when I have time to catch up. In 10 days I'll be back at Hosteria Mandala, working 16-18 hour days and barely finding time to pee!! Late January I arrived back in Quito for a day of doctor's appointments before meeting up with the first of the volunteer engineers. The results of my colonoscopy show my Crohn's disease to be in full remission! I could have told the doctor that, based on how good I've been feeling, but I'm glad I had the tests to check it all out medically. I also indulged in a facial and had dinner with a friend before heading to the airport. This was Joel's 4th visit to Ecuador and though he ... read more
Mama Negra, a Bull Fight and a Bike Ride
Published: November 11th 2009South America » Ecuador » Centre » Latacunga
November 9th 2009
We are currently in Banos, a small town about 200km south of Quito. It reminds me a lot of Moab in Utah, USA, such is the vibe of the place full of young adventurers! We arrived this morning after spending two nights in Latacunga, a place a bit off the beaten track for tourists and thus quite rewarding. We were there for the Mama Negra festival - an annual party celebrating a diversity of cultures including Catholic, pre-Colombian and Indigenous cultures. But really it is an alcohol fueled do where the men dress as women and black themselves up, carrying giant hogs and cuy (roasted Guinea Pigs) while spitting sugar cane alcohol at all those not in the procession! The head of the procession is a man dressed as the Goddess Mercedes who protects the town ... read more
SATURDAY MARKET, FIESTA AND A VOLCANO
Published: October 28th 2009South America » Ecuador » Centre » Latacunga
October 26th 2009
The town of Latacunga, the capital of the province of Cotopaxi is chaotic on a Saturday, arriving mid day, lots of things going on I noticed as the bus crossed the blue bridge and into the narrow streets, i was the only one left in the bus, the driver told me to get off, i said take me to the terminal, he said it was before the bridge where everyone else got off! I got annoyed and yelled at him and the bus conductor, why the hell did they not tell me! Just gave me a blank stare back. Mumbling to myself I collected my backpack, I started to walk aimlessly, the bus is stuck in traffic, the bus conductor was shouting me directions on how to get to the terminal, f..k off I said under ... read more
October 19th 2008
Gisteren zij we de Chimborazo vanaf 4800 meter afgedaald per bike,een tocht van 7 kilometer langs over een zandweg langs steile rotsen.Daarna een downhilltocht van 50 kilometer door het meest ongeloofelijke spectaculaire landschap wat je je maar voor kunt stellen,beide uiteraard zadelpijn maar zeer voldaan.Op dit moment zijn we in Latacunga,vanwaar uit we de meerdaagse tocht gaan ondernemen naar de Latacunga Loop, een tocht van enkele dagen rond een kratermeer met zeer authentieke dorpjes erom heen verspreid.Vandaag een rustdag ingelast en Latacunga bekeken. Een prachtig stadje met veel bezienswaardigheden,zowel aan mensen als gebouwen.Bedankt iedereen voor jullie berichtjes.... read more
