Yesterday we drove for an hour into the mountains, headed for the Mojanda Lakes, 3700 metres above sea level (1,000m higher than Otavalo). It´s the first time we´ve ever been out for a walk with a policeman, a chauffeur and an outdoor specialist. The greatest danger we faced was stepping in caca de vaca (cowpats or wolf droppings). We thought the policeman plus walkie-talkie might have been supplied in case one of us collapsed in a heap. However, you´ll be glad to hear that we didn´t let New Zealand down; we all held our own very well. We had a lovely tramp part-way around one of the lakes, and especially enjoyed the trip up and down, over a cobbled and rough roads, past beautiful haciendas, with frequent swerves for potholes and roadworks. We were especially on
... read more