Westwards

Through black mud towards the Yellow Lagoon – Hiking in the Sangay National Park

For more photos from Ecuador, see: February 2012
After 3 hours of steep uphill hiking in ankle-deep mud we reach an almost mud-free meadow. There we meet two American hikers walking back down. , but they dampen our optimism: „The mud stays with you up to the Refugio, only it's going up and down from here on.“ We had read before that the path might be muddy after heavy rainfalls, and it had indeed rained a lot this year. But we suspect that the locals riding up and down to the high plain on horses are blameable for the better part of the quagmire.

At least the rain only starts after we have reached the Refugio, a simple mountain hut where we have a  quite atmospheric if moderately tasty dinner with two Czech guys in the light of the sole remaining candle (the Americans have used all the candles, and there is no electricity in the hut). The next morning, El Altar, the craggy 5319 m high mountain that we have briefly seen yesterday, is deep in clouds, but we go for the Laguna Amarilla below it anyway. This time, there is no path at all for the first hour, but once we have crossed the Collantes plain and start going up to the 4270 m high rim of the basin containing the Laguna, a clearly defined hiking path materialises. Another hour later we have a stunning view over the lake and some snowfields beyond it. The mountain itself does not show for the rest of the day while we scramble down the rocks, go cross-country over the plain and again wade in mud all the way to the start of the trail 1200 m lower near Candelaria.

 

Conclusion: Beautiful landscape, uncomfortable hut (at 12$ per person per night a bad value) and too much mud.

El Altar and the trail to the Laguna Amarilla are part of the vast Sangay National Park, designated as UNESCO World Heritage site for its extraordinary biodiversity. The complete GPS track can be downloaded here: Download ElAltar.gpx (428.3K) (Copyrighted material, only for personal use)

A trip to the Laguna Quilotoa

For more photos from Ecuador, see: February 2012
The bus winds its way up through the valleys to 3800 m of altitude. In contrast to the weather prognosis we got from several people, the sky is still fairly blue when we arrive at the small village of Quilotoa. We quickly check into a hotel and make our way to the turquoise blue crater lake before the daily afternoon rains set in. The Laguna Quilotoa is said to be one of the most scenic spots in Ecuador. But as soon as we start our descent towards the Laguna, thick fog and clouds drift over the rim and quickly fall into the crater. Within minutes, the Laguna disappears and heavy raindrops splash onto the already muddy path. Unimpressed, the construction workers in charge of preparing a tourist-friendly concrete footpath down to the lake change into sturdy yellow rain-gear, huddle at the side of the path and do not move anymore until the rain stops again. Only one of the men asks us whether we really want to walk down to the lake. A few minutes later, a red and a blue tent-shape materialize out of the fog: Two Germans in rain ponchos hiking back up. „Very slippery and nothing to see,“ they confirm. We half-heartedly continue for another 50 meters or so, catching glimpses of water and coast before we also turn back. When we reach the rim again, the sun is also out again and the Laguna Quilotoa lies calmly and beautifully blue at the bottom of the crater. The workers are taking off their oilskins and reach for the wheelbarrows.

The afternoon rains stay with us for the rest of our three-day-hike through the area: We start early in the morning, arrive around 2 pm at a hostel and stare out into the grey foggy rain for the rest of the afternoon. But by the evening, the sky clears up, and so does our mood: The hostels along the way serve very good food...

We walked from Quilotoa to Sigchos in 2 ½ days. Day 1 Quilotoa – Chugchillan, Day 2 Chugchillan – Isinlivi, Day 3 Isinlivi – Sigchos, where we took a bus back to Latacunga. Our GPS tracks can be downloaded here: Download Quilotoa-sigchos.gpx (392.2K) (copyrighted material, for personal use only)

Ponchos and Plantains on Ecuadorian Markets

For more photos from Ecuador, see: February 2012 
A boy is pulling two pigs over the famous Panamericana, which is a disappointingly medium-sized road here in the North of Ecuador. We are here for the renowned Saturday market of Otavalo and on our way to the animal market, which we finally find behind cardboard boxes full of chicklets and rice bags full of guinea pigs. The guinea pigs are a delicacy in Ecuador and we see prospective buyers probing the belly of the cute rodents .

From a loudspeaker mounted on a van some loud announcements are blaring over the cows – a cattle auction, we guess. But no, after a while of listening we can make out that it is an educational sermon about prostate cancer. A closer inspection of the van confirms this: the car is decorated with appropriately grizzly pictures. Next to the van an ice-cream seller is stomping through the mud carrying a plate of ice-cream and cones on her head. In spite of the location and the unpleasant weather she easily finds customers. Those craving more hearty snacks or an early lunch try their luck with intestine soups and whole roasted pigs in the stalls all around the animal market. A few blocks away from the animal market the town is teeming with other, less smelly items being sold. In Otavalo, several roads in the centre are closed for traffic, and rows of temporary market stalls connect the food, textile and handicraft markets set up on all the squares.

A few days later we are visiting another weekly market in the small town of Saquisilí near Latacunga. Contrary to Otavalo there are almost no proper stalls, everything is just laid out on the concrete floor under the multi-purpose roof that we see in all the Ecuadorian villages. We try Moroccho (a sweet rice porridge drink). „Isn't it really good? If I have two glasses of it, I don't need anything else until the evening“ an indigena lady tells Natascha. We can stock up on cookies and fruits before we head for a three-day hike in the Quilotoa area.