Hotsprings, mountains and llamas

We spent the week-end of the 8 - 9 Sept up in the clouds. Papallacta is only 72 km away from home and is only about 600 meter higher up from the 2,700 meter above the sea we live in Campo Alegre.

 It was a road trip, however (the first of many to come) as it was up and down and around and spiralled, it was serious mountain driving. Beautiful, exciting, enjoyable and a far cry from Hwy115 or the 401 for sure (or Roskilde landevej for den sags skyld).


Wildlife too, they do look a bit like raccoons



rocky and misty

 



Most pictures werre taken from the car, it was windy, rainy and 4c



Not that anyone drives too fast in the first place

 

The goal was the hot springs in Papallacta.

 

 

We were there the first weekend we arrived, on one of the new teacher introduction to

Ecuador trips and we decided then to come back and stay at the resort



 up there. Good choice as you can see

 

 





 

     Individual cottages with fireplaces (green, new and  very smoky wood) and just outside the door are the "tubs" and they are hot and great in the cool misty weather.

 

 

 A walk down to the little village  where you can get anything you need for a swim. The hot tubs outside the resort are at times as big as swimming pools and well visited by tourist and locals from Quito.

 

We went up there with two teaching couples from the school, Tim & Judy from Nova Scotia and Bill & Tina and their two young kids from California. Great people, Tim & Judy with experience from the Middle East and Bill & Tina with background from Tanzania, Cairo and now second time i Ecuador. A lot of nice chats about old places where we were at different times in life, and  mutual acquaintances. We are indeed back in  the international setting and it is comforting, I guess I missed it more than I realised.

 

We went on on a hike Sunday morning up along a mountain stream, slippery path, but well worth the effort

Trees overgrown with orchids                                  solid enough, but not a place to fall in

 

 there they were LLamas you did not have to pay to photograph, next on the agenda Condors in flight not in a cage

 

                                                                                           

                                                                                                a different way to mark a trail

   Lots and lots of orchids, but only few blooming like this

 



                                                      And trees trying to survive moss attacks

 

                                                                             

 

A great hike

 

 



 

Great contrast in this country. On the way home we stopped for lunch in Cumbaya. It is only 20 min from Quito, a sort of suburb, therefore newer and with very trendy shopping, cafe and dining places. It is also several hundred meters lower so average temp is 6 - 8 degrees warmer. That made us seriously overdressed, in the warm sense, for our Mexican meal with a cold pilsner. A perfect week-end get-away, you should try this for yourselves. Bienvenido mis amigos, anytime.