Ecuador - Central Highlands

7th - 12th August ´08

Our first southerly stop along the Pan-American highway (which runs through Venezuela, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru) was a remote farmhouse called Papagayo, located 2 hours from Quito. This 150 year old building and surrounding land was home to llamas, horses, cows, sheep, chickens and some delightful staff - a welcome breath of fresh air from the urgency of city life. We had already decided to stay the night in one of their cosy wooden cabins in preparation for our tour of Laguna Quilotoa the next morning. After spending the initial few hours hiking around some inspirational valley trails, we volunteered our inexperienced hands on the farm. We were on cow-milking duty and our patient mentor Marco guided us through the process. Squeeze-and-pull... we were somehow both naturals at the technique :-) Thereafter we continued to amuse ourselves with the animals around the grounds before dining with the other guests at the farm. Having lit the log fire in our cold cabin, we spent some of the night huddling around it whilst keeping it burning.

It was an early start the following morning in which we joined the rest of the tour group to Quilotoa - Ecuador´s most stunning volcanic crater. Our first stop enroute was Saquisili Market... a colourful four-sectioned arena where red-poncho´d folk from remote indigenous villages would converge every thursday morning to sell and trade animals, fresh produce, handicrafts and utensils - it was the ideal place to pick up our alpaca garments and sample some traditional cornbread. A further 3 hours of steep, winding roads followed by a short hike, and we had arrived at the crater viewpoint. Filled with turquiose waters, this amazing crater lagoon had naturally formed when an eruption 350 years ago had caused the glacier tip to break and melt. We continued to hike down the sandy, snake-shaped trail for over an hour before reaching the lagoon itself... and there was only one way to avoid the steep climb back up... on horseback. Under the guidance of indigenous children (some as young as 12 years), we clutched the reins of our uncomfortably saddled mules to eventually reach some overdue and well-deserved soup (local speciality) and chicken. By the time we arrived back at the farmhouse, it was pitch-black and late... we abandonned our plans to continue our travels southwards in exchange for a hot shower and a heart-warming log-fire.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere, the only option we had to continue down our road less-travelled was to hitch-hike (a term the locals used for flagging down a bus). For 30 minutes we stood stranded on the dusty sidelines of the Pan-American highway with our thumbs in the air before managing to hail down a bus heading to our next destination, Banos. We claimed the final two separated seats on the bus only to find the conductor overcharging us by a mere dollar... we were unbothered and oblivious to being taken advantage of, but it outraged a local onboard who immediately struck up an argument with the conductor - the sheer beauty of buses. We rewarded our defence lawyer and her two Puerto-Rican female companions with some snacks we had, and continued conversations with them for the remainder of the journey. When we arrived at Banos, it was set amongst green peaks, enticing waterfalls and nestled alongside the currently active Volcan Tungurahua... a small town with a community feel offering various outdoor activities. Our fearless friends joined us in finding accommodation and thereafter in a $2 almuerzo (a large 2 course menu of the day). Later that night, we all joined the heavy loads of tourist cattle onboard chivas (open-sided trucks with cramped benches) to ascend the volcano up to a viewpoint where there may be an opportunity to see a minor eruption (after its last major eruption in 2006, measures were taken to ensure Banos would not be affected). Instead of spewing gases, we witnessed bizarre crowded scenes around bonfires, smoking barbecues and plenty of Canela (sweet alcoholic drink) consumption to warm everybody up - strange... not what anyone expected, but an experience nonetheless.

After spending the initial part of the next day at a herbal spa (another boasting attribute of Banos) and the latter part lounging in world music cafes, it was time to get our wetsuits on and go canyoning - an activity which involved rapelling down waterfalls. We were joined by 6 other bravehearts and 2 amusingly daring guides. Geared up, we sat on the back of a bumpy open-truck which transported us to our adventure hotspot. Over 2 hours, we tackled 4 powerful waterfalls... two at 15m, one at 10m and the final one at a jaw-dropping 50m. It required balance and co-ordination for the major part but also involved some fun guided tricks... highly recommended activity.

Banos with its diverse offerings was a great town to hang out in for a few days. Its outwardly friendly environment meant that we were continually bumping into old faces and acknowledging new ones. After another 7 hour bus journey and one final night in Guayaquil, we caught our flight to the capital of Peru... next stop Lima.