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Tuesday 13th
Our taxi arrives as we are having breakfast and quickly takes us to the other end of Santa Cruz and we hop on the little ferry that takes us across to Baltra and the airport. We arrive in plenty of time for the plane back to the main land. We get talking to an English couple and she turns out to be the sister in law of a woman I play tennis with ! Such a small world.
We arrive in Guayaquil and get picked up by taxi and taken to our hostel. It's on the 7th floor of an apartment block and we have a small balcony which looks over the traffic jams ! Still the woman running it is nice and gives us loads of info.
We decide to take a walk along the Malecon. It's a riverside walk where the city has redeveloped the area into parks, gardens and kids playing areas. It's really nice and offers good shade as well. The river's huge and has water lilies floating along. At the far end we stop and go into the Anthropology museum. It's got some great pieces in it. There's also an art
section but that's full of modern paintings which look rubbish, at least to us.
Finally we walk up to the Las Penas area. It's the original area of Guayaquil and has been preserved. It's full of painted timber building and are mainly occupied by artists and handicraft stalls. It's nice area to wander around.
By now we're feeling weary and make our way back through the traffic. The place is one big noisy traffic jam !
Wednesday 14th
Not a great night's sleep with all the noise outside. Almost constant traffic from dawn to dusk and then the policemen outside our block starts with his whistle directing the cars. I know where I'd like to stick his whistle at 6.30am !
We spend most of the morning trying to get some money out of the ATM but then find our card's been blocked by the bank. We don't know why but it's left us almost penniless ! Luckily we have a reserve card to use until we find out the problem.
We eventually wander through the streets to a small park full of bearded land Iguanas. Some are huge ! There's dozens of them
feeding off leaves they've been given.
We walk down onto the Malecon and walk the whole length to the Las Penas area again and then climb the 434 steps, they're numbered, up to a small lighthouse and church. It's stifling and we can't drink enough to cool down. We take a few photos of the view and then walk down again. We're pretty tired and very hot, so we head back to the hostel for a rest and a cold shower.
Late afternoon we research for the USA and after dinner pack ready to move on tomorrow.
Thursday 15th
We get a taxi at 8am to the bus station and catch an early bus to Cuenca, about 4 hours away. At first we go through suburbs and then open farm land and fields. After an hour or so the bus starts to climb through the clouds and eventually we come out above them. We get great views of the mountains above the clouds and the valleys below. And then the bus breaks down !! The driver and bus boy run out with spanners and after 10 mins they return and the bus moves off.
We
arrive in Cuenca and find it's virtually surrounded in cloud covered mountains and it's high. We have some difficulty catching our breath and we have to walk slowly all time.
Our hostel is in the old part of town and is fine at £17 a night. The people are very helpful with info.
We walk around the town and it has many fine colonial buildings and is a lovely place with lots of interesting plazas, markets and churches.
Lunch is in a first floor local's restaurant where we get soup, chicken main course, two grapes and two slices of banana for desert and a fruit juice for £1.50 each !
In the afternoon we wander round the markets, there's loads of souvenirs Christine would like to buy but luckily I restrict her to only one more. I fear we're going to have problems here ! She's already suggesting that I may like to leave behind my only jumper to make room for them.
Late evening and we have a major problem with the pc. Microsoft send an update which completely freezes the machine and it's out of use. With my limited knowledge I try to
fix it without any success. Disaster !
Friday 16th
Up at 7.30 and have another go at the pc. I get various messages in Spanish, it's still a hybrid pc but luckily I guess which messages to click on and eventually the pc comes back to life.
In the morning we walk along the river path looking for the famous overhanging houses. There's one ! We then go into three museums and have a good look around. They're all about indigenous people and their clothes. They're interesting but we can't understand much as it's all in Spanish. We also have a look at some Inca ruins. The stonework is amazing.
On the way back we pick up yet another souvenir ! I'm fearing for my jumper.
During lunch it pours with rain and then we continue to wander the streets. We go back to the market from yesterday and buy yet another souvenir.
We spend the rest of the afternoon at the hostel keeping out of the rain. The pc goes wrong again and I give it to a chap the hostel owner knows to fix it. Just hope he does.
Saturday 17th
Up early and take a taxi to the bus station and catch a local bus to Gualaceo. It's a small town about an hour away with a textiles market. Our book says it's on Sunday but the hostel owner says everyday. The journey's through very deep green valleys and the scenery's worth a look. We arrive and eventually find where the market's on. Except it's not ! Our book was correct, it's a Sunday market.
So we jump on a bus for the hour's ride back. Not a complete waste of time as the scenery was worth it.
After a quick lunch we have a look around an artist's studio and there's some very nice ceramics but I convince Christine that they're just too big and heavy for the bags.
We walk back along the river and hear a rock group playing in a park and go and have a look. On the way back we get caught up in a running street battle between a chap with two swords and a dozen armed police. No matter which way we run he follows us! Eventually they over power him. Just a normal Saturday afternoon in Cuenca
!
We wander back into town and to the Artisan's market. Christine can't keep out of the place. We buy his and her's Panama hats !
The computer chap arrives and has fixed our pc, hopefully for good this time.
After dinner, another pizza, we go and listen to the free concert in the park. Unfortunately we arrive just as the band with a terrible singer is on. We don't stop for long. Also it's raining.
Sunday 18th
This morning we have arranged for the hostel owner to take us on an excursion to Ingapirca. It's the largest and most preserved Inca site in Ecuador. The journey takes about an hour and after a short while the driver turns onto a dirt road and passes through a deep valley. He explains this this is the best farming area in the district and we see traditionally dressed locals tending the land and animals. The scenery is very green, rugged and attractive.
We arrive and pay our entrance fee. Unfortunately they don't have any guides that speak English so we have a self guided tour. Like most Inca settlements, this one's built high up and today
is in the clouds. We get heavy showers.
The ruins have a lot to look at but the main area is a castle type building. It has some great stonework but some areas appear rebuilt as they're not as good.
Afterwards we go on a circular walk down into the valley and see further ruins and farm workers. It's very hard work on the slopes.
On the way back we stop at a small road side stall for lunch. We have suckling pig from the split whilst chickens run around us. It tastes good !
We get back early afternoon and manage to catch our friends Richard and Phil & Sonya on Skype. They all confirm that their not missing us and are concerned that we'll be back soon ! We just can't wait to show them ALL our photos !
Monday 19th
Yet another early start as we get to the bus station at 8.15 to book the 9.15 bus to Alausi, only to find it's fully booked ! We get ushered to another bus that leaves at 8.30. I start to load our bags in the hold when another bus backs out
and knocks over a pedestrian. Our bus boy rushes over and thumps the driver ! All hell lets loose and the armed guards arrive to sort it out. They seem an excitable lot !
We eventually leave and then we find out we're not on an express bus. It stops every ten minutes. The journey should take 4 hours but at this rate we'll be here all day.
The route passes through the Andes and weaves up and down and round all the valleys. The scenery is terrific but often we are in the clouds with no view at all. After three hours we stop so the driver and his mate can go off for lunch !
Four and a half hours later we arrive. We get dropped on the edge of town and get a taxi to our hostel. It's really expensive but has great rooms with a terrace outside overlooking the valley.
We walk the short distance into town and there's not much to see. We're only here for a special train ride tomorrow into a steep gorge. We wander around and get a late lunch and see lots of locals in traditional clothes
and a shop selling hats. Finally we climb some steps to a park where there's a huge figure of Christ overlooking the town. That's about it for sights.
It's going to be yet another early night with a book !
Tuesday 20th
We arrive at train station just after 7am and collect our tickets for the 8am train. It runs from Alausi to Sibambe and back. It's described as one of the greatest train trips in the world.
At first we travel through clouds as we descend towards Sibambe and then we come out of them and we're on the edge of a mountain looking down into a valley far below. The Andes are all around. The train clings to the edge of the mountain as it makes its way down. There are wonderful views of the mountains and valleys. Eventually we come to an extremely steep section and we're on the very edge of the mountain looking down at Sibambe 600m below us. We're at the Devil's Nose. The train then zig zags down in 3 sections to get to the bottom. It's a great piece of engineering and work. .
We then see
traditional dancers going through their routines. It's entertaining but very touristy. We spend an hour at Sibambe station, which is a bit too long.
We then make the return trip up the mountain. It's certainly the best railway trip we've ever been on and lived up to the hype.
We collect our bags from the hostel and catch the bus to Riobamba about two hours away. Suddenly the bus stops and we are dropped on the edge of town not at the bus station as expected. A taxi takes us to our accommodation. Late last night we booked the Glamour Hotel but when we arrive it's anything but ! They don't have our booking and show us to a room with torn carpets, no covers on the bed and then we find that the bed is two mattresses on the floor ! I complain and we're shown another room but this bed is made of 200 x 50 timber ! Eventually we get a deluxe room, it's still pretty awful but for 20 pounds a night including breakfast we can't expect anymore.
We have a look around town and it's also pretty awful. We can't always get
it right but prefer to blame our guide book !
Wednesday 21st
A leisurely start to the morning after getting up very early for the last few days. We walk about 2K to the bus station to get our tickets for tomorrow and find the woman won't sell them to us. Whilst I'm trying to understand why I get approached by the Riobamba TV station for an interview about my views of Ecuador ! Afterwards I ask the TV woman to sort out my tickets and we get two from another kiosk.
We then trek another 4K to another bus station and catch a local bus to Guano about half an hour away. It's supposed to be a pretty village selling local wares. Anywhere to get out of Riobamba for the day !
We arrive and it takes about half an hour to look all around. We stretch it out for another hour and then catch the bus back.
We walk around the town for a while and Christine manages to find yet another market where she buys a table cloth. My jumper's already been left behind in the last hostel to make room !
Reluctantly we return to our hotel mid afternoon as there's nothing else to look at.
Later we go out and have a drink in a street cafe in the sunshine and listen to the traffic ! Tomorrow can't come quick enough.
Thursday 22nd
A taxi to the bus station and we get the 8.30am bus to Machachi.We don't know where that is but it's where we get off 3 hours later. The hostel are supposed to have sent a pick up truck to meet us and when we get off the bus there's one right there. We load our bags in the back and set off only to find out that it's the wrong truck!
We quickly get out and find a chap with the hostel name board waiting over the road. We reload and set off. The truck turns onto a rough cobble track and heads for the hostel 21K away.
An hour later we arrive at The Secret Garden hostel in the middle of Cotopaxi NP. We've booked a cabin. It's two storey with a ground floor bathroom with chairs and a ladder to the first floor bedroom. It's very rustic with
no electricity but candles and a wood burning stove. We are in the Avenue of the Volcanoes and our bedroom window looks straight out over miles of parkland and at eight volcanoes. Cotopaxi being the highest and most active in world.
There are communal buildings for eating and meeting. It's a wonderful spot and beautiful to stay in.
After setting in we get taken on a short walk to a waterfall. We trek uphill and then along the stream bed before rock climbing to the water fall. Christine stops short when we have to rock climb. I scramble the last 200m or so and make it. The falls are ok but I'm not sure they were worth all the effort.
We return in time for a drink and snack. Christine goes off to shower before it gets dark and is standing wrapped in a towel when the odd job man walks in to light the stove !
Dinner is in the communal building by low lights and candles with an open fire roaring in the background. After chatting to the guests for awhile we return to our cabin and fumble around for things in the dark
! I type this by 6 candle light while listening to frogs in the fields. Christine sits in bed with her kindle light on trying to read. It's a great place !
Friday 23
rd I have trouble getting to sleep, the frogs are so noisy !
At 8.30 four of leave to hike to the top of Pasochoa volcano. It's at 13K trek there and back and the volcano is 4,200 m high and blew it's top off many years ago. The hostel's three dogs accompany us all the way there and back.
We start well and tramp through fields and gently make our way up. The path becomes wetter and after an hour or so we have to negotiate our way across the top of a waterfall and then balance on a pipe on the edge of a 10 foot drop.
We then start the first of many very steep climbs and the altitude starts to get a problem. Christine particularly finds it difficult to breath and has to make many stops to get her breath back.
It gets much harder as we approach the top and stops get more frequent. At last
after three and a half hours we make it.
The views are great of the countryside and we can see the outskirts of Quito in the distance. The volcano now has only three sides to the crater having erupted many years ago.
After a snack we start to make our way down. The weather closes in and we have a shower or two. Then it starts to pour. We trek down for over an hour in heavy rain and start to slip and slide. Christine comes down some parts on her bum and muddies her trousers and what ever is beneath !
Eventually we get back soaked right through and quickly strip off and jump in a hot shower. Our clothes and boots will take longer to dry. The hike has taken us about 6 hours and we're a bit tired !
We spend the rest of the afternoon reading and after dinner have a fairly early night to get ready for tomorrows hike !
We both read for a while. Togetherness is sharing the single kindle light !
Saturday 24
th Another frog chorus keeps me awake until nearly mid night.
At
8am six of us load into a 4 x 4 truck and we set off to climb to the snow line of Cotopaxi volcano. The climb is to 5,000 m and will be steep !
The drive takes over an hour and is really bumpy, we're glad we're inside and not seated in the open back.
We park up at 4,500 m and start to climb. It's as steep as we feared and it takes us about an hour to reach the refuge at 4,864 m. After a short break we head on up to the snow. The climb is on a slope of about 40 degrees and over loose lava. The altitude makes it even harder and we make frequent stops to get our breath but we're no worse than the much younger ones of our group.
Eventually we reach the glacier line at 5,000m and the clouds clear to give us great views over the countryside and towards the other volcanoes.
We come back at a greater speed as we get our breath more easily.
Once we're all on board we make our way to a trout farm to catch fish for dinner
tonight. We're all given a cane with a line and hook and off we go.
I dangle my line in the water and immediately a fish gets hooked. It's not fishing but fish catching ! Christine has a go and straight away catches one and looks amazed ! I go on to catch 6, three without even any bait on the hook. Christine gets 4 and thinks there's nothing to this fishing lark.
We return to the hostel for lunch and in the afternoon soak in the hot tub to ease our aching muscles.
At dinner we all tuck into the trout we caught.
Sunday 25th
We hang around the hostel all day waiting for 2 others to finish a long trek so that we can share a taxi back to Quito.
We walk around the hostel's garden looking at the flowers and feeding the cow and horse.
Early afternoon the couple return and we catch the taxi back arriving around 6.
A nothing type of day !
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Michael
non-member comment
Lucky guys
Hi Steve and Christine, best regards from Austria. You guys were indeed quite lucky - we tried to at least see the Cotopaxi (from far away) three times, but each time it was surrounded by loads of clouds. It seems we were one week early :-) have a nice trip and be safe - be aware of Swords :-) All the best, Michael (& Thekla)