From the Andes to the Pacific coast From Baños we passed through Ambato Province into Cotopaxi Province, named after a volcano there which I had seen from Quito. Cotopaxi, in the Andes, is the second highest peak in Ecuador and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. It has an almost symmetrical cone with a neat arch at the summit and it's this shape that gives it the name Cotopaxi meaning 'neck of the moon'. Early on in the trip up to the Andes I began to feel unwell. I had sharp pains in my stomach and a couple times on the journey along the winding mountain roads I had to get Omar to pull over rather suddenly. It's possible I had caught a stomach bug at the baths in Baños the night before
... read more