Independence Day

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Today, August 10th is a national holiday - Independence Day. We were picked up at 8 a.m by a new guide for a morning tour of the Cajas Park, a wild area about 30 Km West of Cuenca. On the way out, we saw huge pigs which had been slit then flattened being turned on spit roasts at roadside cafes for the holiday day trippers.

The Cajas is a wild area, rather reminiscent of Wales or Scotland, but of course, much higher - between 3500 -4200 metres. It is often cloudy or raining so we were lucky to have a glorious sunny day. We made 3 stops, the first after ascending many hairpins to arrive at the Continental Divide at 4,200 metres. We only climbed a little way, but it left us breathless, and the wind was vicious and cut through us. On the West, the waters drain fairly quickly into the Pacific Ocean at Guayacil, but on the East, the lakes drain into the headwaters of the amazon, and then flow for over a thousand miles before reaching the Atlantic Ocean,

There were all types of beautiful wild flowers if you looked closely, and more morbidly, 3 crosses at the summit of the pass to commemorate those who had died on the crossing through exposure or altitude sickness. Needless to say, we headed a bit lower to our next stop, Lake Illincocha, where we tried - and failed - to spot the rare and elusive bluebird, then went for a short walk through some fine specimans of the native tree hereabouts, whose name escapes me, but they were like something from a fairy tale, draped in moss with twisted sinuous branches covered in a deep rich red peeling bark.

Next stop, slightly lower again, was Lake Toreadora, where we did a slow walk - slow because we found any uphill parts hard going - for an hour or so, which gave us a real insight into the native flora here, and some wonderful views back down the valley. By the end we were puffed out, and our hands frozen, as the wind was so strong.

Back to Cuenca, and a very leisurely lunch in the beautiful hotel restaurant, after which Jude and I went out to do some last minute shopping before returning to be picked up for our evening flight to Quito for our last night in Ecuador. It took us the best part of 2 days to get to Cuenca by road from Quito, but only half an hour to fly back.
Once in the hotel, we then had the mammoth task of re-arranging and repacking our cases to fit in all the souvenirs we had acquired ready for the flight home. Then a final drink and bed, as we had to leave for the airport at 6.00 a.m.

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Photos

Road from Cuenca
Roasting the pig for the holiday celebrations

Cajas
Standing on the Continental Divide at 4,200 metres

Cajas
wild flowers

Cajas
grim memorial on the pass summit

Cajas
Lake Illicocha

Cajas
Native montane forest - this tree is 300 years old.

Cajas
Eric by Lake Toreadora

Cajas
View across the Cajas

Cajas
Lake Toreadora

Cajas
Bromeliad

Cajas
Andes flowers