Blogs from Latacunga, Centre, Ecuador, South America - page 4

Back across the equator from Otavalo and deep deep deep into the southern hemisphere (about 80 klms) to Latacunga (avoiding one more robbery attempt enroute). Arriving in Latacunga on a Sunday afternoon and one adjective springs to mind - DEAD. The town isn´t the most attractive in Latin America, plus you could fire off an AK47 in all directions on a Sunday arvo and not cause any human damage. So why come here? Latacunga is strategically central for a number of excursions. 1. Cotopaxi We were hitched up with 2 very eccentric retired English ladies for a hike up to a refuge at 5000 mtrs which acts as a base for assaults on the summit on Cotopaxi (a perfectly conical snow clad volcano) at 6000 mtrs. Look up ´anal´in your Oxford and there are these 2 ... read more

Je me surpasse : physiquement, mentalement et culturellement !!!! Donc, mardi matin exactement une semaine qu'on est parti ! On part tôt pour se rendre à Quilatoa : petit village où il y a une superbe lagune dans un cratère de volcan. La route en autobus est assez spectaculaire quand tu es du coté où tu peux voir toutes les belles montagnes et villages, mais aussi spectaculaire quand tu realises que tu peux tomber de haut ! Les chauffeurs ont l'air de s'y connaitre avec leur klaxon avant chaque tournant ! Rendu à Quilatoa, je me demandais où était le restant du village.... ça se résume à environ : 4 hôtels, 5-6 cabanes où les gens vivent et vendent de l'eau et du coke, des chiens, des enfants qui quêtent, 3-4 touristes ( nous autres inclus ... read more

On August 5th, we flew to Quito and we were all very excited to meet Sophia (our university friend) at the airport . We spent a couple of days in Quito, getting used to a new country, working out our next move, and eating some exctremely delicious apple pancakes (the Magic Bean cafe is the place should you ever find yourself in need in Quito...). A 12 hour bus ride later, we were in the Amazon basin, ready to embark on our jungle adventure. The first excitement was a canoe ride to our jungle camp, with life being made a bit more interesting by the fact it was dark! The moon was amazingly bright though, so it wasn't quite as scary as it could have been. Our cabin was, somewhat unexpectedly, really nice, although the lack ... read more

...or as they call it here, dinner. Well, they don´t, ´cause that´s English... So I guess that should be cena. Anyway, Guinea pig is known here as Cuy, and it makes a very tasty streetmeat treat. You see them everywhere along the roadside, at little eateries, spinning away on spits at a surprising pace. It´s really quite greasy, but has a really nice strong flavour which I can´t really compare to anything, even Rabbit. It definitely doesn´t "taste like chicken" though! Anyway, I had my first taste of household pet in Latacunga, capital of Cotopaxi province. Stopped there on the way to some leather market in Ambato with my homestay family, where had I wanted to, I could have bought a nice leather jacket for about $40. Not really my thing though, and anyway, there wouldn´t ... read more

August 15, 1984 *City official name :Latacunga *Founded date : *Location :Cotopaxi Province *Elavation :? ft (? m) *Area :Approximately ? square miles (? km²). *Facts :Latacunga (2,850m) is the capital of the Cotopaxi Province, with some 55,000 inhabitants. This is not an invigorating town, but it is a good base point for some interesting excursions such as the Cotopaxi volcano. The city has been destroyed three times in the past by the Cotopaxi volcano. In 1,742; 1,768 and in 1877. The volcano's activity is zero at the moment and other eruptions are not expected for at least some decades more. In Latacunga the central plaza, Parque Vicente León, has beautiful well preserved gardens. Others similar to this one are Parque San Francisco and L... read more