2038 kms...round trip

What a fantastic trip we had. We decided to return home east of the Andes, to see something different. Maps, including our GPS, for Ecuador are a) non-existent; b) outdated; and c) generally unreliable. But we struck out anyway. We figured we might be able to make it 500 kms to spend the night in Banos before we continued on to Quito. However....

...we didn't take into account that there may be landslides and
washed out roads. About 3 hours into our trip we came to a village
where all the cars  were stopped. We were told the wait would be
1 hour before we could go on, but we did not know why exactly
we were being held up. After 1.5 hours waiting,  buses and cars
began coming from the other direction. After about 60 cars came
through, our east-bound traffic began to move. We were
directed onto a small road leading down to a small bridge crossing
a raging river. The road contined along a mucky, tenuous mountain
track. Finally, we saw why the road on the south side of the river
valley had been closed. This detour was about 20 kms, crawling along.
It was a great adventure!!

Our Chevrolet Vitara does not have 4 WD - which can be worrisome.
But, so far, it has brought us through some pretty slick situations.
Anyway... on this day we were in the car for 10 hours and managed to
make it only as far as Macas - 330 kms. But what a beautiful trip
it was, nonetheless.

 

Within 20 kms of our destination, we ran into political parades
demonstrating support for the candidates for the presidential
elections to be held 3 days later. These  people are celebrating
the indigeneous party.



On the second day of our home trip we left Macas at 6:30 am with the
hope of getting to Banos to see Tungurahua before the mid-morning
clouds rolled in. We made it!!! When we were in this same spot 6 weeks ago
we had hoped to see this volcano erupting. However, the clouds were so thick
then that we had no idea how close the volcano really was. The eruptions have stopped now.
We just made it in time to get this picture. 10 minutes later the volcano was again covered by clouds.



Ecuador is an incredible country. It is truly a hidden gem. The national parks offer unlimited hiking and exploration. The people are friendly and helpful. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to live here!!!!

Cuenca and Vilcabamba

We spent one week in Cuenca - 6 hours a day for 5 days, with intensive Spanish lessons. It was good to get a more solid conversational Spanish input.

Panama hats are originally from Ecuador. They are woven in
villages surrounding Cuenca and shaped and finished in factories
like this in Cuenca.



There are also many artesans weaving. I bought an ikat shawl
from this weaver. They are woven on a loom that he wears around
his body.



We went hiking in Cajas National Park, 30 km west of Cuenca.
The paramo here holds a lots of small lakes. It was pouring rain,
but our hour and half hike was still incredibly beautiful.



We also hiked in Podocarpus National Park (30 km north Vilcabamba).
This 5 km hike took 4 hours - it was not raining, but the path was
very muddy and wet and precarious in some places. Ole is waiting for
 cloud to sweep me off of this ridge. Another breathtaking hike!



Street vendors in Vilcabamba. Vilcamba is about 80km from the
Peruvian border, hence the two Peruvian ladies selling stuff from
Peru.



The poster says "Vilcabamba - World Centre for Gerontology
Investigations". People are said to live long lives here (over 100
years old).



Maybe it's true....

 

 

 

Ingapirca

The Incas were only in Ecuador for 70 years before the Spanish savagely destroyed that  civilization. While these ruins do not match those in Peru, it is still impressive to observe the masonry and structures and imagine the rituals and day to day life of the people of that time.

The site also has remains from a Canari village (pre-Inca), probabaly
a granary and water reservoirs.

The main temple in an elliptical shape was used for observing the
sun to determine when to plant and harvest.

Note the  lower blocks - they are soooo close fitting that you can
not even slip a piece of paper between them. Incredible
workmanship. 

We have travelled a great deal in Ecuador and two things are
ubiquitous - cows and dogs. Wherever you go, there are cows
tied to a patch of  ground. There are few pastures with fences.
In the morning and evening they are moved to a fresh patch of grass.
The old women in the upper right was moving each cow, while
the younger  one in the middle was milking.

On our early morning walk we came across this trout farm
between the hills behind the ruins.

Continuing South - day 2

On Day 2 of our trip we continued south. Unfortunately, we drove in the clouds for most of the way. This makes driving (and being a passenger :) ) a bit nerve-wracking because of limited visibility on the constantly twisting, winding roads. Sometimes we got above the clouds or below the clouds but generally we were in the clouds for most of the journey.

Waiting for the credit union in Guamote to open. We stopped in this town for gas.



Alausi - just under the clouds.



Saturday - market day and soccer in the market square.



We needed some bread for our canned tuna lunch.




















Typical clothing store in small town.



 

Today's destination - Ingapirca - the most important Inca ruins in Ecuador.
Note the clouds to the right. Those are the clouds that we drove in the whole day. It was
a relief to emerge from that valley.

Chimborazo

So...on February 1 we headed south on the Pan-American Highway. On the off-chance that we could get a glimpse of Chimborazo, the highest volcano in Ecuador, we took the road less traveled west around the Chimborazo National Park. This was the start of our 2 week adventure exploring Southern Ecuador. Like every other road in Ecuador, each bend reveals a new stunning vista.

2800  m above sea level, the Andes, as far as the eye can see

 



Then, suddenly, around the next bend, there it is...in full majesty... Chimborazo!

... Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo (6,268 meters), is also the farthest point from the center of the earth and closest point to the sun. Even though it is some 2,500 meters shorter than Everest when measured from sea level, Chimborazo’s peak is actually farther from the center of the earth because of the earth’s equatorial bulge.

Just after we had lunch with this incredible backdrop, the clouds rolled in and obscured the view.

The second treat of this drive was spotting Vicunas, a wild cousin to llamas and alpacas. They used to be indigenous to this part of Ecuador but were hunted to extinction. In the 1980's they were re-introduced from Bolivia and Peru and seem to be thriving in the park now.