Lots of catching up to do…more to come
Alright…so the days in Ecuador have been hard on me internet-wise, since all hotels so far, except this one, charged a lot for internet access, and I did not want to have everybody waiting for me when at an internet cafe…
So here are the records of the last week, that is, the last days in Peru and the days in Ecuador up to here, Guayaquil.
The next day after I stayed in bed, we went to Pisac, to see even more Inca ruins. But nothing that beat the Machu Picchu, so I won’t go into much detail here.
But we went to a llama resort first…
My sister feeding one of the beasts (not working at the moment)
A loooong-haired alpaca (not working at the moment)
Indigenous women weaving (not working at the moment)
The walk up to the Pisac ruins were kind of hard, especially since I was not feeling too well…but the view was nice enough to compensate!
The city of Pisaq itself was also nice, the market was busy, and lots of bakerys were around.
Cuys roasting over an open fire at a bakery
We went to drink some corn chicha…which I did not try due to my illness, but I got a clear shot of their cuy stable..
Next day, next station: Cusco airport…off to Lima, from there to Quito, ECUADOR!!!
No photos there, just one night, to get the car the next day, and to start the trip.
We were off to Latacunga then, where we saw a few interesting things, including the virgen saltada, but the church itself was locked, so no photos. We got ripped off at the market, though.
Next stop: Ambato. Nice main square, very modern cathedral. Not as nice and green as I had remembered it, though.
In Ambato we also had the car’s antenna changed, which cost us about 4 hours total….crap!
Goodbye Ambato, hello Baños!!! On the way to one of my favourite places, we saw the volcano Tungurahua smoking, and lots of volcanic rock was around.
I just love Baños…it has gotten even more touristy, with quads all over the place and lots of chifa. The main church is not as cheesy though, they used to have a neon-crucifix…now it is just a “virgen de neon”.
Virgin Mary illuminated by neon lights
Also the church’s towers are illuminated in a cheesy blue, but my pics are not good enough to post, so I’ll get some from my parents once we’re back.
So, that meant: Quito-Latacunga-Ambato-Baños. Next day. Trip to the jungle.
Great waterfalls on the way out of Baños to Puyo
Tunnels on the way…yes, that is how the road looked inside the tunnel. No idea how Christian, the guide, drove the car.
We visited a botanic garden of a Shuar family. They showed us some of the plants which we were to see to our “real” jungle trip afterwards.
My sister holding a leaf with poisonous caterpillars
The Shuar are a very proud jungle tribe, with strict rules and the polygamy that can go with that 😉
Then we went to a jungle refuge, but they did not have food. So we drove to another one. No food there either. So off to the jungle itself we went, in gumboots and with beautiful butterflies around.
Myself, looking stupid, swimming in the waterfall’s pool in my boxer shorts
Any idea why we were wearing gumboots?
Great butterflies were always around
One time a big helicopter-like insect flew over our heads. Scaaaary!
Predatory bird hovering over the jungle
That evening we played poker and schnapsen. Fun stuff!
The next day meant goodbye to Baños, and after a brief visit to the doctor and some 100 pills later, we were in Riobamba.
We went to visit the house I lived in back in 1998/99, but it seemed abandoned at first.
After a brief visit to the shop at the floor level though, where we met aunt Pilar and miss Tapia, we found out that the sticky tape was to protect the inside of the house in case of volcano alarm, and that it had saved them a lot of trouble when the military ammo-depot had blown up a few years back, breaking all the windows in town.
We went to visit monica at the hardware store.
In the evening, we heard about the earthquake in Peru. Terrible, terrible event. We were lucky to have missed it by a few days. All the best to the whole of Peru to recover from that disaster!
Next day: trip to Chimborazo
A glimpse of the point farthest away from the earth’s center
Wild vicuñas, a national project
At this point a strange guy charged us $10 per person for entering the national park. Could have been a fake, though…who knows.
The first refuge at 4800m altitude We got some Maggi champignon cream soup to warm up.
A view of better weather on the way down
The different layers of earth and volcanic stone they uncovered while constructing the road
In the evening, we went for dinner with Monica, her friend, aunt Pilar and uncle Antonio. It was nice to see them all again after such a long time and have a chat, and the restaurant was very nice.
Yesterday, off to Alausi we were.
Probably the most stoic dog I’ve ever seen
In Alausi, we got some train tickets. Had to wait for the train to “la nariz del diablo” for 3 hours though, so we went around the city.
Finally on the train, we had a great view.
As always, it derailed They got the train back on the tracks using stones, though. Cheap fix to keep the tourists interested and excited, I guess.
Just so you know, that’s a pretty big river…so it’s a looooong way down
So on we went, from Alausi to Cuenca. Fantastic Scenery, great light and shadow because we were between layers of clouds.
In Cuenca, we stayed the night, had dinner at “El Maiz” which was…little. And I had a Godfather cocktail, causing me to sleep like a log.
Next day: Cuenca tour.
Girl in front of a fake house, weaving a Panama hat at the factory Panama hats are actually from Cuenca. The name is a misconception. Really! Go look it up!
We all got ourselves a hat there.
Cuenca’s always unfinished cathedral
This was once the house of a filthy-rich woman She traded chinine resources…she donated stuff like a fricking university to the city.
A view of Cuenca from a lookout point
And off we were again, to Guayaquil this time. Again, over a mountain, between layers of clouds.
A flock of scavenger birds near the coast
Finally, oxygen!!! No more than 100m above sea level.
First impressions of Guayaquil
Kids feeding a waran in a park in Guayaquil Yes, a park. In town. With a church and everything. Not a zoo..
Warans hanging from the tree…in that same park
A burger ad Try to identify all the ingredients!
So, that’s it.
Tomorrow, we’re off to Galapagos! Hope to have lots of new stuff to post when we’re back!
See you soon!