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Published: February 26th 2006
Hiking in Vilcabamba
MAN is it beautiful...Hola,
Well it has been a very exciting week or so with lots to report although I don't really have enough time to type it all. After spending a night in Loja, a charming university city towards the south of Ecuador. Enjoying it but not loving it, I left the next day for Vilcabamba, where I am now, possibly the most gorgeous place I have ever been. After spending a night drinking rum with a nice, but quirky, British lady I stumbled back to my amazing hostel about a ten minute walk out of the small town. The next day, the first day of Carnivale, I moved to another hostel to meet up with some friends and to test out my new watergun, nicknamed Terminator. After settling in, Eva and a new friend Ory and I went for a hike up the local mountains. The first half of the hike was somewhat tame, leaving us to believe that the second half would be much the same.... oy.
The hike took us along the tip of the mountains along a very - Very - narrow path. There was fantastic scenery all around: the town of Vilcabamba and the nearby andean peaks
Hiking in Vilcabamba
MAN is it beautiful... full of animal tracks like veigns on the greenish brown, tranquil mountains. Unfortunetely we were all too busy crawling along on our butts hoping dearly not to be blown off the edge of the very steep, very narrow tip of the mountain below us. At one point we were certain we had lost the trail, not a comforting thought to have while gripping loose rock on a three foot wide peek at 2000 meters. Blazing our own trail, we managed to (although trespassing on a few farms...) find a way back to safe ground. All in all not my favorite hike, but certainly one to remember. I also don't think I have ever had better surrounding scenery, although the blasting music from Carnivale below did spoil a little of it.
Returning to town we had a hearty lunch and took some much needed showers before getting started on the evening's celebrations. After polishing off a bottle of rum and two bottles of Zhumir (a very cheap, very sugary, very strong ecuadorian liquor) we all headed into town with the Terminator locked and loaded. After having a shootout with some local kids (they also had silly string, a real nuisance
Hiking in Vilcabamba
MAN is it beautiful... I must say) we improvised a dance club with a boombox and some middle to upper aged local women who showed us some moves. After about an hour there, we left for a club a little bit more learned in the ways of the salsa.
That's where my memory sort of fades, but I know I had a good time and I know that I had some chicken at about 3 am... good time, though. This morning, waking with squinty eyes and a nasty headache, we ate breakfast and got ready for today's hike (yes, the hangover wasn't enough to deter me from doing another day hike) around some of the local lakes. The fun continues!
Tidbits:
How can a place be exactly the same but totally different? I really have gotten the feel of Ecuador now and I am amazed by both it's similarity and it's entirely different cultural feel. One thing they certainly have going for them is a more laid back, "tranquilo" approach to life that I am enjoying a lot. Vilcabamba is known as the town of longevity, nurturing some of the world's oldest people. I have personally met a 105 year old, who
Hiking in Vilcabamba
MAN is it beautiful... was dancing (albeit a little slowly) at the parade yesterday. Amazing.
I had my hiking boots stolen (although my own fault) the other day... that sucked.
Joe, my yukon buddy, is now in Ecuador and eager to meet up with me, probably in Vilcabamba. We are then planning on heading to the coast of peru for some much needed swimming. Afterwards, who knows? It really depends on which way the wind is blowing, if you catch my drift...
ciao for now
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