Tigua to Quilotoa via Zumbahua

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After a short bus layover in Latacunga and an interesting "bagged" lunch (see photo), I took a second bus into the clouds and to an area called Tigua. Here I stayed at the Posada de Tigua, a family-run farmhouse. When I first arrived, I went for a hike near the Rio Toachi Canyon (more to come about this canyon later), and then returned for one of the best dinners I've ever eaten. Everything was organically grown right at their farm, and all of it - the soup, chicken, potatoes, carrots, greens - was delicious. For breakfast, the fresh cheese, milk and yogurt were rich and creamy. This hotel was about double the cost of most other hotels in this country, but well worth the splurge. They have horses to rent and have wonderful trails around the farm for day hikes. I could definitely feel the effects of the altitude, though, as I had difficulty climbing a hill that would have been cake at sea level.

I was the sole traveler at the inn, and have yet to see a single other gringo in Ecuador. Being solo has its advantages, of course, but I had expected to see many others on the loop. After dinner I read more of Galapagos (a Vonnegut novel - highly recommended, especially if you're on your way to the islands) and went to bed early.

After breakfast I set out for my longest hike in the loop - nearly 35 km (20 or so miles). About two miles into the hike, I came across Galeria Tigua-Chimbacucho, an art gallery near the center of the community. I found a woman whose family are artists to open it for me, and I ended up buying three small paintings and a mask - all of which I got to carry for the rest of my trip. After the gallery, I picked up the pace toward Zumbahua, and eventually Quilotoa.

Though it was along the main road and many cars and buses passed me along the way, I enjoyed myself immensely. Most people seemed to zoom on by, but when I came through the small towns, children would run down the hills to say hello and to make fun of me, and the townspeople would often walk and talk with me for a while. The youngest children were astoundingly adorable - their wide black eyes were wandering and inquisitive, and all I had to do was smile to get a smile and giggle in return.

I should have known I was ill-prepared for the conditions at the summit when two ten-year-old kids walked with me for a while and kept asking me if I had a coat and hat. When planning for the trip, I chose my clothing based on average temperatures rather than worst-case scenarios.

The last hour of the hike was very difficult. As I made the final ascent to 3800 meters, the temperatures dropped quickly, and it began to rain, and then sleet, heavily. With that much rain, my waterproof raingear did little, and despite my gloves, my hands were frozen when I got to the top. This was all my doing, as plenty of locals stopped to offer me a ride. It became an obsession for me, and I was proud to finish the hike, except that when I finally saw the lake, I was too cold and tired to enjoy it.

I hope this isn't too critical, but the town of Quilotoa was a desperate place whose existence is pretty much centered around tourism. The locals understandably swarmed me and seemed destitute. I guess staying in town helps to support someone, but staying in a nearby town would help support someone as well. A mess of mud and construction materials made up the town square and the accommodations were awful and looked extremely uncomfortable. As tired and cold as I was, I walked around for half an hour trying to find somewhere at least vaguely acceptable.

I stayed at Cabanas Quilotoa. Humberto Latacunga and his family were very friendly, but the language gap just allowed me to sit awkwardly around the stove while the family talked. He's a talented Tigua artist and it might be worth stopping in just to see his artwork. The rooms were interesting, but the hot water was an exaggeration, and the rooms leaked. Granted, the rains were heavy, but I don't think a dry bed is too much to ask for. The rooms have stoves, but they didn´t put any wood in my room, and I couldn't find them after 8:30 PM.

I walked to the lake for a better view, and had to pass through a whole gauntlet of silent locals. They were like something out of Motorcycle Diaries, selling gloves and hats and trinkets. I bought a $10 wool sweater and a very colorful wool hat from a man and his wife, and they immediately packed up for the day and went home.

Back at the hostel two Mexicans - Atahualpa and Monica - had arrived. They were the first tourists I had seen that were not on a bus. They were spending the night before hiking the next day to Chugchilan, and then catching a bus back to Quito. They were quite friendly and conversational, and above all, tolerant of my awful Spanish. It was relieving to have a real conversation.

I barely slept at night. It was terribly cold. Even with my new wool hat on, when my head was outside of the covers, I started to shake. When I put my head under, I couldn't breathe. This continued all night, and by the morning I felt pretty ill. This takes me to the next entry, but the turquoise water of Laguna Quilotoa is gorgeous, particularly in the morning before the clouds roll in. The hike down to the lake - which I didn´t feel motivated to do - seems popular, and you can rent a kayak at the bottom and even swim. I do not recommend spending the night in Quilotoa, however, as the accommodations are primitive and the weather is inhospitable. It would be best to summit at lunch so you can descend to a lower elevation for the night. Rookie mistake.

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Photos

Zumbahua
A political rally of some sort in a town on the way to Quilotoa.

Laguna Quilotoa
Finally, the crater lake of the dead volcano, Quilotoa.

Lunch
My new rule is to not eat hot meals in plastic bags...

Day Hike around Tigua
This dog followed me and attacked cows along the way.

The Hike to Quilotoa 5
More mountains are visible as I climb.

Local Kids
These two kids kept me company for about an hour along the way. The one on the left was very concerned that I wasn´t wearing a hat at the time.