Blogs from Cotopaxi, Centre, Ecuador, South America - page 7

After a 2 hour journey in the back of a jeep we arrived at probably one of the nicest places we´ve been to so far. Our accommodation was officially called a hostel but as Vicki said, it felt more like we were invited into this family´s home for a few days. Called the Secret Garden Cotopaxi, it is owned by an Aussie guy and his Ecuadorian wife. They also own the hostel we stayed in in Quito and the advertisements for Cotopaxi were such a draw that we decided to give it a crack and in no way were we disappointed. Tarquin (I know!) started the Secret Garden in Quito and it went so well that himself and his wife were able to pursue their dream of opening and living in a place in such a ... read more

Hola again!! OK here goes the final blog entry and this really is going to be a short one because ive been sat in the internet cafe for an eternity now! :o( .... A group of us from the hostel got the bus to Cotopaxi (Patricia and I nearly bought some puppies on the way as there was a box of them, they were adorable and being sold for $5!!) and ended up going straight to the festival in town/mountains as it was their yearly festival and everyone from the hostal was already there! The festival was very funny mainly because the whole town (which was tiny!) was insanely drunk and the dancing was well under way (apart from a short break when the stage collapsed, the band fell through the wooden boards and the music ... read more

Greetings Lovelies! Sorry for being a little late on the blog action this week and for having no pictures for the last entry. Two weeks ago, I was in a hurry and thus an idiot and accidentally left my memory stick with all of the pictures from my trip in the internet cafe. When I returned 4 hours later it was long gone (thank goodness I posted some on this blog!). Thus, since then I have taken to sketching (smartest purchase since leaving the States: a box of miniature colored pencils) the scenes which I refuse to forget, or describing them in my journal, and thus have been taking less pics. Also, last week volunteering in some pretty rough neighborhoods, I left the camera with friends further North, and thus will have to describe what I ... read more

This famous trek from El Tambo (near Papallacta) is being described as one of the most beautiful treks in Ecuador. And I must admit it was special. And I was lucky with the weather. While on the first day it was still foggy, the weather cleared when we were just in front of Antisana, and it was amazing when its snowy face, towering above Laguna Santa Lucia, opened just when we were sitting there for a break. And above all, a couple of huge condors were circling high above. The next morning was even more amazing. After a freezing cold night everything was covered in frost, but the sky was blue...bluer...bluest, as I had never seen it in Ecuador before. And on the one side there was the mighty snow-covered Antisana and on the other side ... read more

Frueh morgens treffen wir unserern Guide in Quito und ab geht es mit dem Jeep die Panamerikana Richtung Sueden. Am Nationalpark des hoechsten noch aktiven Vulkans Cotopaxi angekommen, geht das Offroad - Feeling los - zuerst noch im Jeep, dann auf den Mountainbikes. Der Jeep bringt uns auf den Vulkan auf eine Hoehe von 4.600 m, dann geht es 8 km downhill mit den Bikes. Wir haben grosses Glueck, denn die Sonne scheint und bei blauem Himmel haben wir freie Sicht auf den schneebedeckten Gipfel des Cotopaxi - einfach gigantisch! Unten angekommen fahren wir weiter durch den Nationalpark, vorbei an einer Lagune (an der man bestimmt viele Voegel haette beobachten koennen), durch wilde Pferdeherden und im Hintergrund immer der Cotopaxi. Auf den flacherern Stuecken koennen wir nun auch die Landschaft besser geniessen, wobei uns die wenigen ... read more