The Quilitoa Loop

---

2 blog postings in one day!!! I was feeling bad with the less that standard performance that I had once kept up, and combined with much information, I decided to post this one today as well (the real truth is is that this is the fastest internet that I have found in a long time, and it is really cheap as well...how could I not take advantage of this). This blog will be about the Quilitoa Loop. What it is is a more or less loop of small towns that you can go through, with a crater lake located at Quilitoa. It can be done in one day, or a week, just depending on how fast someone really wants to do it. Our first day, we decided to take it slow, and we bused into a town called Zumbahua. We arrived just as the market was closing, which was too bad, because the market looked to be quite amazing, and because there was nothing else to do in the town. We found a hotel to stay in, and as soon as we paid and got our room, the manager dissapeared, and we did not see him again during our stay. We were the only 2 people in the whole hotel, and at times it gave a rather spooky feel, but at times was really nice and relaxing.
The next morning, we got a ride to Quilitoa in the back of a man´s pickup truck. The ride was anything but smooth, but it gave us an amazing chance to see the country side, and was a nice experience in itself. We saw these trucks travelling on our first day, and there were usually full of locals, but I think due to us leaving early on a Sunday morning, we were the only 2 in the back of the truck. Once in Quilitoa, we made our way to the lake and the view was amazing. If you did not know about it, it would be almost impossible to believe that it was there. It is in an old volcano, and you dont see it until you reach the edge. It was a magical view to say the least.
After checking out the lake, we decided to hike our way to the next town of Chugchilan. This trek took us about 3 hours, but it felt like much more because we had our fully loaded backs on our backs. I can still feel the soreness in my legs and shoulders, but the views we saw during the hike made it well worth it. Again, we were the only ones in our huge dorm room at our hostal that night, although this town didn´t have the ghosttown feel like Zumbahua.
The following morning, we had to options on how to continue through the loop. We could either take a bus at 3 am, or catch a ride with a passing milk truck at 9 am. I don´t think it needs to even be questioned which option we went with. At 9 am, we hopped into the back of a milk truck along with several barrels of milk and a couple locals. The road from Chugchilan to Sigchos was extremely bumpy and had numerous 180 degree turns as we wound through the mountains. Looking back, it is a tough call whether it was better to avoid the 3 am bus and sleep in, or take the 9 am truck and feel the extreme pain with each bump through my stiff legs. Again, the views were amazing, and the experience was something unlike anything else, so I think we made the correct choice. Once in Sigchos, we had a couple hours to wander the town before catching a bus back to Latacunga, where this journey all originated from. It was neat doing the whole loop, and seeing the enormous valley from both sides. It was also very interesting seeing life in these tiny towns, and how they contrasted so greatly to life in big cities. The views and the rides made for a great couple of days...and the feeling of the trip is still with me, mentally, and physically.

---