Volcanoes and vibrant cities

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Packing up our tents for the first time in the dark was a challenge but we left Banos on time at 6am. It was a long drive to the next destination of Chugchilan but on arrival, the hostal was one of the best yet - games room with table tennis, table football and a pool table, as well as lovely, comfortable rooms and a tv room with a wood burning stove. The purpose of visiting this area was to trek down a volcano called Quilotoa which took about 5 hours.

We were driven to the top of Quilotoa in the morning, in a sheep truck and in the thick fog. However, luck was on our side as the mist cleared when we reached the top and I was blown away by the sight of the lake sitting in the crater as the colour changed, depending on the depth of the water, the time of year and the amount of sulphur. The variety of blues and greens that morning was spectacular. Most of the group began the trek with our guide Jose by walking one way round the top of the crater, whilst the remaining four started walking in the opposite direction for a longer and more challenging walk.

Walking around a quarter of the crater rim was lulling us into a false sense of security, in terms incredible physical difficulty. The view seemed to just keep getting better as we started descending the volcano, fast walking along the sandy ground. A packed lunch was shared alongside 3 dogs and a pig...and then came the tough uphill climb back to the hostel! The Andes is definitely good preparation for the Inca Trail. It was bliss to take the walking boots off, eat a Magnum, drink a cold beer in the sun and wait for the other group to return and felt like a perfect reward for a reasonably tough trek. There was just enough energy left for some continuous table tennis and pool with some Dutch guys also staying at the hostel.

We had two long driving days, either side of a night at Riobamba. Whilst not particularly looking forward to another city, I was pleasantly surprised due to witnessing a hilarious procession through the town, of music and dancing. It was an annual event on behalf of one of Riobambas educational establishments and there were many groups in different fancy dress costumes; gorillas, clowns, warriors, indigenous people, cowboys and Indians and many other colourful creations.

We finally arrived at Cuenca the following afternoon and this lively but beautiful city lived up to all its expectations. We spent a day and a half here but it was yet another place where I could have easily enjoyed an extra day. There was an abundance of beautiful cathedrals, churches and old, vibrant squares to enjoy a drink and just people watch! An excellent Thai dinner, with live jazz music in the background, great wine and open fires was a perfect way to spend our first evening in Cuenca...until several bottles of wine later, we arrived at Wunderbar to join the rest of a group for a few rounds of mojitos and some dancing to more live music. It was tough!!

Fighting the hangover the following morning, a few of us made an early start to the Panama hat factory. It was lucky we found it as the taxi driver took us to a nearby location and then said he didn't know where it was. By coincidence someone spotted the entrance sign as we were about 10 meters away. It was the most interesting and entertaining museum I think I have been too, especially when we were watching the hats being dyed a variety of colours. At the end there was a shop selling some samples of Panama hats that were sold in shops like Harrods and Bloomingdales and ranged from £150 to about £1000 and we were allowed to try any of them on. I have never tried in so many stunning hats and I cold easily have stayed all morning! For those of you who remember the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts is at the polo, wearing a brown spotty dress - the hat she was wearing was a Panama hat and I tried on the same design, amongst others.

I look forward to hearing all your news and I hope you're all well.

Lots of love,

Olivia

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Comments

[Kate]

reply
sounds awesome Livvie! Any pictures? xxx