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Published: November 2nd 2009
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J:
Ecuador is so named because it's on the equator. So, to see if water really does flush down toilets in alternate directions in each hemisphere we headed up to Mitad del Mundo ('Half the World'). We've already burned through about a third of our budget for the entire trip in Quito and the Galapagos Islands so to keep costs down we went on a couple of buses to travel the 22km to the Mitad del Mundo monument. We didn't really know where we were going, where we were supposed to change buses or how we'd get to the monument when we got there but somehow everything worked out. The monument is set in a mini city which Holly pointed out looked like an empty Disneyland without the rides. We jumped from one hemisphere to another, and adjusted accents to suit the geography. Unfortunately we're still none the wiser about toilet flush directions.
When we bargained our deal to Galapagos, we got a trip to Otavalo thrown in at a heavily discounted rate, and the day after Mitad del Mundo we set off on our tour. Otavalo market is the largest and most colourful in the continent, selling an array of foodstuffs, natural medicines, clothing, jewellery, paintings and trinkets, often made by the vendors themselves. A benefit of being Westerners in largely Ecuadorian crowds is that we stood about a foot above most people so could get in and see the busiest stalls without much trouble. Holly bought a red bracelet which our guide informed us was a traditional ornament worn for warding off bad luck. Next on the tour was a trek to a waterfall; a visit to a traditional rug weaver and a display of indigenous musical instruments, mostly horns, pan pipes and flutes. I had a go at a few of these but sadly by musical skills in Ecuador are comparable to how they were in the UK. Holly was slightly better than me, and has not spared a chance to remind me of this since. In the evening, down heartened from Lesson 2 (from the previous blog) we resigned ourselves to hanging about in our room - Holly reading her book and me attempting to balance on the end of the bed stand - when I fell into the wall and $40 fell from behind the wall covering. What amazing luck, or karma, or something. I think Holly's bracelet is already working.
Next stop was Baños ('toilets' in Spanish, somewhat unfairly). Baños is a small town in a valley flanked on all sides by imposing lush green mountainside. We had a TV in our room which, brilliantly, constantly had live football on at least three channels. I watched el classico, then a Mexican league game, then Man Utd lose to Liverpool. I seem to remember Holly doing a lot of reading at around this time for some reason. Baños is famous for it's healing mineral hot-pools and we made plans to visit these.
The next day we found an oversized go-kart and hired it for the afternoon. It´s no exaggeration to say that it is the best thing in the world ever. We raced it through the narrow city streets, and out onto the open road to a backdrop of sheer mountain cliffs. I think we were supposed to drive it to a waterfall or something but we didn't want to get out of it so all other attractions were cancelled, including the hot-pools that Baños is famous for. We raced over speed bumps, around hairpin turns and through pitch black tunnels in near-zero visibility (the lights on the kart had the approximate luminescence of a lazy glowworm) all the time trying to avoid being squashed by the articulated lorries that thundered past. Basically, the best time ever.
Next on the agenda was the world famous Nariz del Diablo ('Devil´s nose') train ride. We went to Riobamba to catch the train, only to be told that the first leg of the journey had sold out, and we had to go to Alausí to catch it. We met a Dutch couple called Leanne and, er, 'mate' who were in the same predicament as us and also decided to catch the train from Alaousí. All in all, we were only in Riobamba for about two hours.
Alausí is a pleasant enough town, if lacking much to entertain. It is, similarly to though less spectacularly than Baños, surrounded on all sides by mountains. We went out for dinner with Mate and Leanne and found a curious little restaurant. We enquired about the wine and at that cue our waiter grabbed his jacket, jogged down to the nearby shop and a few minutes later came back with our freshly bought bottle. We food was actually pretty tasty though.
The Nariz del Diablo ride cut through wonderful scenery and around sheer drops but wasn´t the hair-raising ride we were expecting. A few years ago it was customary to sit on the roof of the train to feel the full experience but this is no longer allowed after a couple of tourists stood up mid-ride and had an unpleasant meeting with power cables.
On to Cuenca. Cuenca is the first really beautiful city we´re come across so far. Everything seems so clean and well designed, but not without character - modern and arty. The architecture was stunning and we spent most of our time here happily wandering the streets. Our hostel was also very nice. A 100 year old converted family home, our bedroom stepped into a courtyard with such high ceilings and natural light it felt like it was outside. Cuenca is also the birthplace of the Panama Hat, and Holly indulged in one while we were there. When we originally planned this trip we thought three and a half months would be plenty, but hadn’t banked on encountering towns such as Cuenca with so much to offer. I´d have happily stayed a week longer.
Everywhere that has sold quality Ecuadorian grown coffee beans seemed to sell beans from Loja. Happily our last stop in the country was in this town, so we had high expectations when we arrived. Our hostel here was very basic. Instead of windows we had wooden doors which opened our directly above one of the main streets in town and which didn´t even shut properly. To get to the shower we had to walk down through an unaffiliated doctor's waiting room, outside past a couple of car parking bays and to the bathroom under industrial concrete stairs.
We ventured out for a pizza and a drink, only to discover that both recommended drinking venues in our book no longer existed and then we failed to find anywhere else to see out the evening. I wonder what people do in Loja? We gave up and returned to the hostel to play cards into the night. Maybe Holly’s bracelet isn´t so lucky alter all? Then right on cue the power cut out! Thus ending our Loja night out and game of cards and teeth brushing. Oh well.
Finding little else to do in Loja, we decided to climb up to a statue on the edge of town. After walking for about half an hour we climbed up about 80 steps (not such a formality at altitude) to reach the summit. At the top was a faded, grey statue, possibly of the Virgin Mary, which stood proudly about 4 feet tall and was mostly covered in bird shit. It seemd to sum up Loja to be honest.
So the travels through Ecuador are over and the adventure continues into Peru. We´re pretty excited!
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Aman
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Arsenal
Hi Joe, When you was watching the footie, did you get to see your beloved Arsenal play? They have been awesome so far. May win the league this year if they keep going as they are. I thought i would bring that good news for you. Aman