A walk in the park
Trip Start
Aug 03, 2006
1
15
75
Trip End
Dec 13, 2006
Cuenca,
Ecuador
Sunday, August 20, 2006
The views from the bus were stunning as we drove down through the central highlands of the Andes. At one point we were on the edge of a cliff, driving through the clouds. The bus driver was a bit of a boy racer and liked to accelerate on corners with a 500 foot drop and no crash barriers. It was a hairy ride!
We passed through Ambato and Riobamba, which were affected by the volcanic eruption. There was volcanic ash everywhere! We were driving through clouds of it for at least 2 hours. The windows on the bus had to stay closed which made for a very hot few hours. People were walking the streets with masks on and the crops were covered in grey. The devastation for the farmers is unbelievable; you could see the cows covered in ash, eating the soiled grass.
We arrived in Cuenca in one piece and found our hotel, with its nice view of the church. We took Friday as a relaxing day and had a nice walk around Cuenca. It is a pleasant little city. Much calmer than Quito. We walked the river and spent a lot of the day trying to find tour agencies that the Lonely Planet recommended but, as we are finding more and more each day, the Lonely Planet is out of date and a few things in it don't exist any more.
A view of the forest we hiked through
In the end we went back to our hotel and got in touch with a tour guide there. Went for dinner at a nearby place but made it an early night as we had another big hike the next day!This morning we met our guide Alvaro at 9 for a drive up to the Cajas National Park. Our 4 hour hike rounded lakes, went through forests and over mountains. It was great, except when Tara stepped on what she thought was solid ground but was really a swamp cleverly disguised. She was up past her knee in guck. Steve thought this was amusing as he had just done the same but only up to his ankle! Alvaro was a superb tour guide - he really knew his stuff and made the hike very interesting. He was also very friendly and spoke excellent English. We´d definitely recommend him as a tour guide. You can contact him on his e-mail address saitogel@latinmail.com if you so happen to be in the area and are looking for a great day out!
One part of the hike went through a great forest that looked like the set from some sci-fi movie. We both hiked well at 4000m (13,000 feet) for 3 hours and are looking forward to the Inca Trail! Bring it on!
DAILY FACTS
- Stayed at: Hotel Milan - an excellent place with cable TV, good rooms with views, clean bathrooms and free drinking water. Recommended.
- Tip: Selecting from the "Menu del Dia" in cafes and restaurants can save you a lot of money. We found a place that served a hearty soup, a main course and a mate for USD$1.50 per person!
- Wikitravel: Cuenca
