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Published: August 12th 2007
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roads of peril
the dirt road which our bus driver was negotiating at high speed! My next stop was Quilitoa, a remote mountainous region and some of the most spectacular scenery I have seen so far. It was a 4-hour journey over unpaved roads, with a bus driver who was a certified NUTTER! Generally if a road has potholes, the bus slows down and gently weaves around them. This guy continued at full pelt and wrenched the steering wheel hard to avoid them. This caused the bus to lean on it´s side precariously, passengers flying around and with the back-end sliding out on occasion. He also went dangerously close to a number of crumbling cliff edges. A white knuckle ride for sure. But we got there on time and in one piece.
I stayed at an Eco-Lodge called "The Black Sheep Inn", which was quite possibly the BEST place I have ever stayed in. Everything was eco-friendly to an impressive degree. For example, the self-composting toilet. The toilet was housed on a hillside, and instead of being a dark, dingy room, it had a huge window with magnificent view. (I could have pooed for hours with that view). After each visit, you threw a shovel of woodshavings into the pit. You washed your hands using
loo with a view
an amzing toilet complete with interior herb garden a tank of rainwater. The sink drained into a herb garden inside the toilet-room. Excess rainwater from the rooftank fills the duckpond. When the compost is removed to "mature", the insects from the pile are fed upon by the ducks. The duck eggs are used to make cookies and brownies. The final compost is used for the vegetable garden, the produce of which we eat each night. Full recycling! The owners were American and were very laidback and friendly. One morning a fellow traveller called Sara was making a three-hour hike to a local market. The owners gave her $50 and asked her to buy and bring back a llama from the market! There were other assorted animals around the Black Sheen Inn, including actual black sheep. Well, I say actual black sheep. I have a suspicion they were normal sheep dyed black.
One of my potential projects later in life is to run my own travellers lodge/hostel. So I was making notes on this place. It had a welcoming communal feel, and things I liked were:
1. Photocopied maps of all the local walks and hikes
2. A rack of hats, gloves and scarves to borrow for
the bunkhouse
our three-storey mountainside dormitory. Had a winch to hoist heavy backpacks to the third floor! Double cabins with woodburning stoves were also available walking
3. Free tea, coffee and filtered water
4. Wood-fired sauna on the mountainside
5. Packed lunches made on request for walkers
6. A zip-line from a tree for an early morning wake-up
7. Honesty bar. Help yourself from the fridge and mark off on your room tab (Excellent cartons of red wine from Chile. Can´t manage a whole one? Mark your name on it and they´ll keep it for the next night)
8. Every Sunday was "pancakes and jazz"
9. Free communal dinner every night at 7pm, with fresh produce from the garden
10. Scrabble, Jenga and other games to play
11. Themed nights such as Mexican Night
12. Entertainment such as traditional dances by the local children
13. Dogs you can take for a walk
14. Extensive book exchange
15. Wood burning stove for cosy nights
I had only planned to stay for one night, but ended up staying for four! There were spectacular walks nearby, and I tried to do most of them in my time there. The main lodge closed at 10pm each night, ensuring everyone got a good nights sleep. Which wasn´t a problem after a days walking at 3,000 metres! One morning I
extreme farming
check out the steepness of these fields. I couldn´t even stand on these slopes never mind farm them! awoke early and set off for a walk by myself at 6:30am. It was magical, walking the hills and feeling like you are the only person for miles around.
Also did horseriding for a full day, for the bargain price of six pounds! We were given all the commands and signals that the horses knew, but it didn´t make a blind bit of difference. They just did what they wanted. Mine always wanted to be at the front, and never did anything I said- If another horse tried to overtake, it would accelerate to horse-factor-ten and take the lead again, with me clinging precariously to the saddle! Someone thought mine was a large mule and not a horse, which would explain it´s stubbornness. Do you know the difference between a mule and an ass? They are the offspring of a horse and a donkey, and the resut depends on which species was the father and which was the mother. Interesting fact. There are a number of other animals which can interbreed. For examples, lions and tigers. Depending on parentage, the offspring is either a Liger or a Tigon. The offspring inherit certain characteristics of their parent (eg partial lion´s
give us a twirl
girls from the local village performed a dance for our lodge mane and tiger stripes) Other animals which can interbreed are:
Jaguar and Leopard (giving birth to a Jagulep)
Leopard and Lion (giving birth to a Leopon)
Don´t believe me? Sometimes fact can be stranger than fiction....
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Francoise
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Ouah!
Thank for the beautifull photos.