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Published: July 25th 2012
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Day 7: Chugchilan Day 2:
Well, by noon we finally have fairly dependable internet access. We slept nice and cozy last night, waking up around 6am or so. At 7am we ate our first breakfast at Mama Hildas. Either a lot of folks left earlier or came to breakfast later as we only saw 8 or 10 others at breakfast. They served fresh fruit, toast with jam, yogurt, and coffee/tea. It was all good and homemade/fresh, but we missed the more filling eggs or cereal we often get. We both took a nice hot shower, then left about 8am for our first hike from Chugchilan. One of the hostal family gave us a pretty decent map of the area and we'd decided to check out the Cheese Factory (Queseria), Italian Monastery, and/or Canyon overlook. There was also something they called the Phenomena, but we never found it. When we arrived at the fork in the road that either continued down the main road to the monastery or up to the Cheese Factory, we opted to continue to the monastery.
The road to the Cheese Factory looked like it went up at over a 45 degree anlge for quite a
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Free advertising of a quaint little place along the road, selling drinks, food, gas, etc. ways! We got some great views along the way and met a few folks and kids before arriving at the monastery. We weren't sure if they made anything for sale besides wood crafts and furniture, but we'd heard the girls from the surrounding area were there for their catechism. Sure enough, the chapel building was full and overflowing with young girls. We decided to show them some respect and not take any photos. The monastery folks do make some nice wooden things, but don't sell anything else. Oh well, no wine to fortify me for the return trip.
It was already lunch time, so we bought a Coke and some cookies and crackers from a little store across from the monastery. Manoli saw a couple of cute little local girls hanging around, so she bought them each a package of cookies. Believe it or not, they were only 20 cents a package! After a fairly tough walk back uphill to Chugchilan, we settled back into the hostal and discovered the interent was now working... off and on. I was finally able to post both Quilotoa and the trip here. We seemed to be about the only guests left in
the hostal. It was almot 2pm by this time, so we asked about lunch here or nearby and were told they'd have two lunches ready in about ten minutes. I still don't know what the cost is, since only breakfast and dinner are included each day, but it was pretty good and consisted of a nice salad and a plate of chicken and french fries.
After lunch, we both chilled, meaning Manoli read a book and I took a nap. Around 5pm or so we went to the lounge to read, have some coffee (I'm getting used to drinking it without cream!), and work on my blogs. Just before 7pm, we went to the dining room for another dinner. Tonight, the hostal wasn't as crowded and everyone could eat at the same time. We sat next to a young couple from Holland and two Ecuadorian guides. Dinner tonight was a nice vegetable soup, stewed chicken, potato cakes, rice, and a salad of radishes, carrots, and green pepper. I'm getting used to putting the local sauce called ajil on a lot of things. Everything was very good and we also had two kinds of dessert cakes.
Tomorrow we
plan on doing the 3-hour hike up to the cheese factory, the counter-clockwise and gentler climb route. We still haven't decided for sure how we're going to get to Saquisili on Thursday for the market there. Either by taking the 3am bus, or waiting for a van or pickup to leave a bit later. Well, time to relax by the stove and post thig blog before another good night's sleep.
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