Cayambe to Chugchilan

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So the trip is almost over, and unfortunately, I have been out of touch for the last 8 days or so, so instead of trying to put it all into one blog, I am going to break down where I left off last time up until Chugchilan, which was 4 days ago, and then I will do a different entry for Cotopaxi.
I feel like so much has happened since the last time I blogged from Cuenca, so I will try my best to put the good details in here, and then in the next entry I´ll give a full detail of the climb.
So we left Cuenca last Monday and flew back into Quito for one night to chill before a long bus day. The flight was quick and easy, offering incredible views of Volcan Cotopaxi and Chimborazo on the way in, which we were all pretty pumped about. We got into the city around two in the afternoon, leaving the rest of the afternoon and evening for free time to explore the city and have a good time. Unfortunately, of the students named Patrick got extremely sick and had to be hospitalized upon arrival in Quito, so we all hung out for a few hours while that got worked out, then headed out on the town for a big night out. I had every intention of going to bed early, but Peter would not hear of it. We went out to a local Thai restaurant owned by some Michigan fans, so of course we took it upon ourselves to give them a bunch of hell about the App State game. They were good sports about it, and we ended up hanging out with them for a few hours drinking martinis and filling them in on what is going on in the states right now. We left the restaurant around midnight, and on our way home, somehow got pulled into a reggae club for ¨one beer¨. Six of us stayed there for several hours gettin down to some good, loud dub music...unplanned, but what a great time! Sometimes the only way you can really let loose is when you are a few thousand miles from home, and you know you won´t run into anyone. All in all a good time with great friends, great music, and cheap drinks.
The next morning, we boarded the bus and had a really long drive to our final destination in Cayambe, with numerous stops along the way. We stopped at a big museum on the Ecuator where we took a bunch of tourist pictures and strolled through a few artist stands. From there, we drove up into the hills and had class at the top of a collapsed Caldera that was truly mind-blowing. I´ll send pictures of all of these spots when I get home. The view up there looking down into the old crater was astonishing. I expected to see barren wasteland, but instead, it was full of hundreds of acres of working farmlands and haciendas. Super cool.
From there, we drove on through the rain and fog for several hours up and down rolling hills and steep mountains before finally arriving in Cayambe. We stayed at an old hacienda that was built in 1585 at the base of the volcano. The farm is now being used for rose cultivation and some cow pastures as well. We stayed in a renovated section of the original house, some 500 years old. It had an eerie, if not magical feeling about it. I loved it.
The last day there we all piled into the back of a couple pickup trucks and drove up through dirt roads and rocky fields to the refugio at Volcan Cayambe, elev. 16,700 feet. The weather cleared out for us just in time to do some exploring on the glacier and scramble around on one of the boulder fields. Just as we were packing up the trucks for the trip back down, an Andean fox peeked out from behind a rock and hung out just long enough for us to get some photos of it.
We hung out at the hacienda for one more night, eating a typical Ecuadorian meal of Quinua soup, chuleta, rice, and vegetables...and of course, plenty of Argentine Cabernet to get the stories going.
The next morning, we packed up and said goodbye to Diego and his wonderful staff and hit the road again.
Seven hours of negotiating curvy mountain roads, steep canyons and several creek crossing brought us to the tiny village of Chugchilan, nestled way up high in the Andean highlands. We got rooms at an awesome little hostel called Mama Hilda´s, named after the precious old woman that has run the chalet-style inn for years. We were all greeted with hugs and hot tea, and immediately felt at home. Mama and padre were some of the sweetest people I have ever met, welcoming us into their humble abode with open arms and contagious smiles. We spent three days there, exploring the deep river canyons, dancing with the locals at midnight in the town square during their annual festival, and exploring lake Quilotoa. We are so lucky for our visit to have coincided with their holiday. We were the only gringos in town, and the town invited us to join in their celebration. The entire village gathered in the church square on Saturday night for hours of singing, dancing and fireworks. It was definitely one of those insights into a local culture that I have been seeking for a long time and finally got the opportunity to be a part of. Well, time is running out, and I have a plane to catch, so I will write more about the close of the trip when I get back tomorrow. Hope everyone is well and can´t wait to see you all!

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