La Cienega Cotopaxi

... Becks whom we had first met in Mompos about 8 weeks ago and again at the Secret Garden in Quitos before we disappeared to the Galapagos. Here they were again working in this wonderful setting. The hostel had only a limited supply of electricity, working off a generator, the lighting was by candlelight and the meals were spectacular. We had a lovely room with an open wood fire, where we could wake up with a full view of Cotopaxi.<br><br>We arrived just ...

... only really touched on Ecuador as time was short but we hope to come back in the future to see the coast and the famous Galapagos Islands!<br><br>And with that our time in South America has come to a close. 161 days of adventure, adrenaline and tons of memories! You will get the whole soppy summary of how much we loved it and will miss it in our last post in a few weeks. For now its off to Jamaica and then Florida for the last 2 weeks of our trip...

... and although you are walking around alot during the day seeing sights, its hardly a substitute for a good run or gym session. Hence the fact I was breathing like an 80 year old chain smoker!<br>Anyway, the hike involved two stages, the first from the car park at 4500m up to the hut at 4800m, about 1km. At the hut we had some tea and some snacks and rested before hiking to 5000m, about another 800m to the glacier.<br>This really knackered me out. Also add the ...

... a lower price but for some reason changed her mind which left Christie understandably annoyed.<br><br>We arrived in Latacunga just before midday. We were dropped in town where there was a busy market but no sign of a festival. We made our way to Hotel Central where we had heard that there was a room, our source being the Secret Garden. As we arrived we were greeted as if we were old friends, or part of an extended family. The landlady, a middle aged lady ...

... on a smaller summit, one that gave us magnificent views of Ruminahui itself as well as the surrounding hills and valleys. Although the climb was a bit difficult and a bit terrifying for me, it was well worth it. The views were indescribable; pictures (which I´m going to try to get up tomorrow), only partly do them justice. Perhas even better than the view was the peaceful serenity on the mountain. The adrenaline rush and sublime beauty were both a bit ...

We are on the road all this week and today was Day 2, not quite as adventurous as yesterday's Cotopaxi but still an active day of exploring.<br><br>Our plan was to visit Quilotoa which is a crater lake, probably about 3 hours drive away. You can walk right down into the crater to the edge of the lake, and then back out again. Its about a 500m walk straight down, naturally through 3 inches of loose soil, and then back up again. The landscape is ...

... bag of some liquid, lets just say it could have been gone off milk or something with a similar consistency and colour, but the guy in the car in front bought it, really wish we knew what it was! There is somewhere where some hallucinogenic cactus juice is popular (although illegal and can give you flashbacks years afterward), so maybe it was that but we will never know and I´m sorry, but no photo of that for you!<br><br>So ...

... etc. It wasn´t much more than a few walls but I couldn´t believe they were still here when everything around it was covered by volcanic rock from relatively long ago eruptions. He also showed us a series of little hills that looked like bumps on the landcape. These are apparently burial chambers for the higher caste, and were covered over to avoid Incan discovery. We also saw an Andean Condor which apparantly is quite rare, so lucky us.<br><br>Next up ...

... bikes, especially during the busy lunchtime period. lacatunga itself is not really a tourist destination, however, it is the starting point for many of the adventure tours we see advertised. Also, there is a famous Indian market nearby so tourists stay here for that. Unfortunately that means accommodation is generally priced on the high side. The cheapest we could find was 16 usd (or 12 for shared facilities, but no window either) but for the extra 4 dollars we have got ...