When I got on the bus I knew I would get to Otavalo at around 3 am, so I told the driver if he could wake me up when we get to the terminal, where I wanted to wait for the morning.
When he woke me up, I was ready to get off at the terminal. I could see the streets of the town, and knew we should be there any second. Time passed by and we only stopped along the road. After a while I got up to ask the assistant (in South America there are usually a driver and an assistant on a bus), and he just looked at me and told me that we had already passed Otavalo and that we were never gonna stop at the terminal. The bus now was already on the highway again, heading South to Quito.
I was still sleepy and pissed and didn't know what to do. Then the driver told me he could drop me off at a gas station where I could catch a bus back to Otavalo.
It was about 3:30 in the morning, but I didn't have the choice if I didn't want to go all the way to Quito and back up. So I got off.
It was dark and empty, there was a gas station and some stores, everything closed. I saw a police car and went up to ask them about the situation. I knew I would have to wait until the morning, and I desperately needed some more sleep. Besides, it was cold outside.
The policemen didn't really help when I talked to them. They just didn't care, and told me that it was a safe place. Then they drove off.
And I was left alone, not knowing what to do. The doors were closed, and I didn't want to stay outside. I have to admit that I was a little scared and uneasy about the situation. I went to the bathrooms and found their door open. There was also light. That didn't change the circumstances but light always makes one feel better.
At first I just sat down on the floor, and got out my sleeping bag. I really needed to sleep. But then I started hearing people outside and I had no idea what was going on. I didn't want to go outside to check, so I locked myself into one of the cabins. All the time I tried to figure out if this was a good idea, or if it would just make my situation worse if someone came in.
Afraid and cold I cuddled into my sleeping bag, the two hours until morning passed, and I think I even slept a bit every once in a while.
As soon as I felt there would be light outside I got my stuff together and left. The sky was still dark blue, but the first cars were passing by and it would be day soon.
I got to the road and took the first bus I found back to Otavalo. I was tired as hell, but relieved that the night was over and nothing had happened.
When I got to Otavalo it was still early morning. I got off the bus and just walked along one of the streets I found. I immediatly felt comfortable in the peaceful atmosphere of this Andean town. Otavalo ia famous for its friendly and open-minded people (supposedly they have a talent for learning languages and there were people speaking seven - I never found out if it was true), traditional clothing and great handicraft markets, and there really is a reason why.
There were very few people on the streets, but the ones I met were incredibly nice and helped me out. Soon I got to the main square, and found a place to drop off my backpack right in the center of town.
My plan was just to visit the market and then cross the border to Colombia, but at this time in the morning the market wasn't open yet. People just started to put up their stands, accompanied by wagons and huge bags full of alpaca shawls, wool sweaters and jewelry.
I decided to walk around for a while, find some breakfast and then return to the market place. I visited the food market, but here as well most of the places were still closed. I found a bakery and bought some bread, which I ate at the main square.
By the time most of the stands at the market were opening, and I started to walk around.
I hadn't bought much in all my time in South America and had resisted the beautiful markets, but since I was being a real tourist in Ecuador I thought it would be time to enjoy this now.
I think I was the first person strolling through the market this day, and so I took advantage of the "first-buy" deals. I could've bought the whole market, but I left happy with just some things I'd been wanting to buy for a while.
After the visit to the market, my original plan of going on to Colombia started to fall apart. I was just too tired to be on the road all day and worry about the border crossing and arriving at a new place I didn't know with a new currency in my hands. Besides, I liked Otavalo and wouldn't have mind to spend some more time in this town and also buy some materials to make my own handicrafts.
So I started looking for a hostel to spend the night. I think I walked over the whole town, until I decided to stay at the place right across from where I had left my backpack.
The owner was again the nicest Colombian lady, chatting with me, and giving me a feeling of personal interest. She let me stay for less and I got a great room, right next to the rooftop terrace and with access to the kitchen. She also explained me where to get the best and cheapest food and what to do around Otavalo.
I went to the market again and got some vegetables and quinua. I had a quick lunch at the hostel and then left for a walk to a waterfall.
I walked the whole way, until I got a neighbourhood a little outside. Everybody on the streets was nice and it was a beautiful day. I also noticed that, even though I had only been on the coast for two weeks, I had already been missing the Andes.
From the neighbourhood I walked up a hill and spent my time listening to music and reading in the sun.
In the afternoon I went back to town, and rested at the hostel, chatting with my new roommate, who had arrived in the meantime. He borrowed me his computer and we tried to rescue my fotos, but unfortunately it didn't work.
He was good company, but left later in the afternoon.
After it got dark I went again to the market place, which had been transformed completely. The colorful stands had disappeared, and now the smell of grills and warm food filled the air.
There were a few booths, selling all kinds of food. I think I had to pass the whole row five times until I decided to get some potatoes with salad and a delicious hot drink made out of blackberries and other fruits as dessert.
After dinner I went back to the hostel and got to sleep early.
On the next day I strolled around and went to buy some strings for knotting bracelets. It took me a while to choose the colors, but I was happy when I finally finished and could start making my own stuff.
Then I already had to pack my stuff, make some lunch to take with me and get ready for the border crossing procedure.
I calculated the last money I would need, spent the rest of it and went to find the bus stop.
I was expecting that it would work like anywhere else in Ecuador and Colombia, but after three buses just passed by I started doubting this.
I asked around and got sent to another bus stop. But there neither a bus stopped, and I was starting to get late and worried.
In the end I had to take another bus to get to the bus stop, where the bus to the border was leaving. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long.
The bus ride was rather short and comfortable, and I already started to use my new artwork utensils.
When I got to the border town of Tulcan, it was already dark and I didn't know if I would still find a bus for the last part to the bridge Rumichaca, which marked the border to Colombia. But I did find two guys that were on the same way and so we shared a taxi.
We crossed the border without problems and I changed some money. Since I had never changed money before, I didn't know if it was better to change at the border or in the next town. So I changed a part and kept something as well.
Then we took another taxi which took us across the bridge to the Colombian side.
I left Esmeraldas in the first bus that went up to San Lorenzo.
I didn't know much about San Lorenzo, since a friend of mine just recently had told me about it and she didn't know it herself either. But it was on my way to Colombia, and fitted into my plans.
I arrived there in the morning, more than clueless. Still with all my bags I walked through the town, thinking about what I should do. I passed the market and the lively streets of this small town.
The first thing to do was to get rid of my bags. So I asked at a hotel on the main square and they were nice enough to let me leave my backpack there.
A lot lighter I went to find some breakfast, then I sat down at the jetty, ate some bananas, and started drawing. I decided to just enjoy another day at the shore (there wasn't really any beach).
After a short time a group of students came with their guides. They were joking around and rapidly I got involved into the conversation. The students were in town for a music and dance festival, which was taking place that very night. The guides told me a little about it, and soon they left again. To be honest I didn't miss the bunch of 17-year-olds too much. But the information about the festival did make me rethink my plans.
A short while after, a young guy with a beer in his hand came and sat down next to me. He started asking me about what I was doing, and we started talking.
He was very nice and polite, studying medicine in Barcelona and here for a visit at the hospital where he used to work (god knows why someone moves to San Lorenzo ;)).
He told me about the good seafood, and we decided to get lunch together. But it was early still, and so we went to get some beers instead.
We sat down at a table outside, close to the sea, in a little store. Next to us where quite a few other man, watching the soccer game. Apparently it was important.
We drank beer and talked , and drank some more beer. The atmosphere was laid-back and everybody was enjoying their Saturday morning. In a coastal town, mostly inhabited by black people, like San Lorenzo this means that people were talking and joking around on the streets, sound systems blasting reaggaeton were in action with groups sitting around them next to their doors drinking beer and children were laughing and playing.
I felt relaxed and enjoyed the vibes around me, slowly starting to feel the beer and the heat.
After a while we went to get lunch, soup and a huge plate with fish, rice and fried bananas. It was delicious.
By then I had started to suffer a little from the heat, but the fresh lemonade helped me.
After lunch, I was surprised I could still get up from the chair, we took a walk into the direction of the hospital where my new friend used to work.
San Lorenzo isn't what I would call a pretty place, but I liked it's energy a lot. Everybody seems unworried, and people were very talkative and friendly
At the hospital unfortunately nobody let us in, so we went to visit some friend at a bakery.
The two guys were happy to see each other, and talked about what had changed in their lives. I was immediately made feeling comfortable and we were invited some pastries and drinks. I think my stomach was about to burst at that moment.
After this visit we went to the bus terminal, since it had been closed in the morning. I bought my ticket for the night, and was happy that I found a bus that left later so I could see a little of the festival.
Then I accompanied my friend to his hotel to get his stuff and bring it to another one. Now I could leave my backpack in his room for a while, and bring it to the bus before the festival started.
The rest of the afternoon we spent resting at the esplanade, then we settled at the big stairs in front of the stage, now occupying the middle of the semi circled main square, to enjoy the festival.
It seemed like the whole town had come together, and again I the laid-back atmosphere of the people here fascinated me.
Even the two military man with their huge guns in their hands, strolling up and down behind me, seemed relaxed and friendly.
The festival itself was like a dream of colors and music - it was just great. Most of the groups danced Marimba, the typical dance of the Afro-cultures in Middle- and South america, but there was also an incredible Salsa group from Colombia and traditional dancers from the Southern mountains of Ecuador.
Unfortunately I also lost the pictures from there, so you'll have to use your imagination. Or google it ;)
It was definitely a great day, and I was happy I had stopped in San Lorenzo.
I enjoyed the festival as long as I could, then I had to say goodbye to my companion and left for the bus to Otavalo, my last stop before Colombia.
When the bus was just leaving the town, we were stopped by the military. I was a little confused as everybody had to get off the bus and was checked. Men on their bodies, and all women's purses. Then everybody could get back on the bus and nothing more happened. But military presence like this I always take as an indicator for something going on in the area, even though you usually don't even notice it.
Luckily I fell asleep shortly after, eager to arrive.
Getting to Mompiche was a most complicated thing. It wasn't that long in distance, but I had to take 4 buses, all changing in the middle of the road.
The last bit of the way was the most beautiful one, on a small road through a lush forest, that reminded me a lot of the jungle. It seemed even greener, if that's possible.
I arrived in the small village around noon, and started looking around. It seemed like a quiet place, populated by fishermen and hippies, and there were also quite a few hotels. All in the "traditional" wooden style of the coast.
I rapidly saw a sign with an arrow to a camp site, and I thought it sounded like a good idea.
I turned left, walked along the muddy road and the beach, passing little restaurants and cafes. It was easy to find the campsite, even though it wasn't clearly marked. Behind a fence right next to the beach I saw some hammocks and a small bar, in the background some tents and bathrooms. Behind the bar was a little outdoors kitchen.
I entered and tried to find the owner and ask for information. Apparently he wasn't there, and so I got talking with a girl from Uruguay offering me some fresh pineapple. We got along from the first moment and she told me just to put my tent up, the owner would show up later.
As I found out later, the owner was a hippie from Uruguay as well, settling in Mompiche and trying to put up a bar. He bought the terrain and was now using it as a campsite until he got the money to build the house.
In my opinion he was a little too relaxed and all too cool, but I'm also not the person to lay around in a hammock all day long without doing anything. If that't what he enjoys, he should do it.
After putting up the tent and storing my stuff I got something small to eat and motivated myself to go for a walk. Since the weather wasn't too bright, Gabriela (the girl from Urugauy) didn't want to go yet, and I took off alone. I went for the beach called playa negra. It was a walk of maybe 20-30 minutes, and I wasn't sure if I was on the right path.
But then I got out at the beach, a beautiful place with deep black sand and trees behind. Only the ocean was typical Pacific, grey and cold. There was only one other group of people and soon they also left. I went for a swim for a little bit, but the waves were so big I couldn't really enjoy it. So I spent my time there reading and taking pictures.
After a while I started my way back to the town.
In the middle of the way I met Gabriela who was just on her way to the beach.
At night the plan at the campsite came up to make pizza. All of us hippies put money together, bought the ingredients and spent a large part of the evening and night making and eating pizza. There were lots of them!
It was a nice evening, but the company wasn't really were I felt comfortable, so I went to sleep after a while.
The next day again was a rainy day. There was an island close to Mompiche, called Portete, which I wanted to go to, but the weather wasn't motivating at all. It was drizzling from early in the morning and I spent my time reading in the hammock, watching the grey sea.
It got noon, and it then finally looked like the weather would be getting better a little bit.
Gabriela also wanted to go, and so we risked it and started off in early afternoon.
We walked along the road until we got to a point where the road just ended. There was a small canal where the water separated the island from the mainland. There were little boats and some young guys offering transfer.
We got on one of them and were road to the other side. It really wasn't that far, but for the people of the community it was a way of generating income.
On the island we just started to walk around and soon got to the main beach. It was equipped for tourists, but looked abandoned and there were only a few people. It was off-season.
We walked along the beach for a while, collecting shells and other stuff that we found. We were surrounded by the wide sea and coconut trees, and almost felt like in the Caribbean even though everything looked pretty grey.
We found a spot to go swimming for a while, but again the water was cold and the waves big. Due to the rising water we almost lost out bags, and so had to back up a little. We had some lunch there, before looking for a way to continue our walk.
We had to go back a little and cross through the coconut forest until we got to one of the two communities still living on the island. It was a small and peaceful village with wooden houses, colorful clothes drying in the wind and kids playing around. A big part of the population was black, since all the Pacific coast, starting from around Mompiche, up through all Colombia until the Caribbean was used by the incoming and escaping slaves as refugee.
The people were friendly, and we watched some guys playing football for a while. Then we started to go back to the canal where we waited for one of the little boats to take us back to the mainland.
When we started walking the both of us agreed that we didn't really feel like walking all the way back to Mompiche. So, when cars started to drive by we tried to hitchhike, just for the heck of it, and surprisingly the first car already stopped.
Inside the car was on Ecuadorian and two Colombians, all of them very friendly and glad to help us out. And I was happy, because I love spontaneous actions like this.
Getting back to Mompiche I ate one of the best things ever - something fried out of green bananas and fish and filled with salad and mayonese.
The late afternoon we spent at the campsite, with the other guys, teaching each other knotting techniques for handicraft bracelets.
We had pasta for dinner, and then I went to bed, since I was already planning to leave the next day. I don't know why but I just couldn't enjoy doing nothing and hanging around at the beach all day long. I couldn't even go swimming since the weather was just terrible.
I packed my stuff early in the morning and then left for a short walk in the other direction, so to speak land inwards. There was a river, and following the crystal clear creek I found myself in the jungle. I haven't realized until then, that, instead of desert or some other type of vegetation, the Pacific coast in northern South America was surrounded by a deep and wild jungle. In many parts there wasn't even access by land through it, and that's what the fugitive slaves used to their advantage.
It was crazy to be at the beach one moment and then turn around and find oneself in such a different landscape.
I took some pictures, but when I wanted to look at them on the camera I found out that there were many missing. It didn't seem like they were deleted but I couldn't see them either.
Later I would find out that while putting the pictures on the computer at the isla the corazon, I caught myself a virus which messed up my memory card. This is also why the only picture on here I from Gabriela's camera.
After the walk I got my stuff from the campsite and went to the bus. I wanted to get further to the North, to a place called San Lorenzo. I had to change bus in Esmeraldas and the traveling was going to take up all day. It was a beautiful road, along the coast and through the jungle and passing some pretty villages where people were selling food and snacks and fresh coconutmilk.
From Mompiche to Esmeraldas it was a 3-hour ride and just entering Esmeraldas I noticed that I forgot my camera charger in Mompiche. I sat there thinking about the options I had, but at the end I knew I had to go back to get it. I got off the bus and onto another bus and went back to get the charger.
Esmeraldas
I stayed in Mompiche a moment and took the next bus to Esmeraldas, where I now arrived at night and had to spend the night there at some place close to the bus terminal. I didn't like it, didn't feel comfortable in the area and was pissed off, but I didn't have a choice.
I went to a bakery to get something to eat, which in that case was chocolate cake. The owner of the bakery was Colombian, and as the lady in Latacunga, he made my day better. He was very friendly and came to talk to me. He told me about his country, gave me tips and invited me to try "avena polaka", a cold drink made out of oats and milk.
With this experience I went to bed in a little better mood, and prepared myself to get ready and leave early in the morning on the next day.
After a lot of time in the mountains and the jungle, I felt like going to the coast again.
In Ecuador you can do like a zig-zag between the coast and the mountains, but since I wasn't planning of spending that much time there I left out some places. Actually a big city with a beach, or a small party town with a beach, didn't really call my attention.
So I took a nightbus from Quito to the pacific coast, but instead of going all the way back down south, I went pretty much straight to a small city called Bahia de Caraquez. On the other side of the bay lies the village San Vincente, a typical small fishing village, standing in contrast to the business like Bahia de Caraquez.
I decided to cross the bridge and find a place to stay in San
Vincente, because it looked just nicer and not as expensive as Bahia.
It wasn't hard to find a place to stay, since there weren't many options. I decided for a bigger place, right next to the main part of the village, and across from the little fish market.
It was a very simple room, but it was okay. I got rid of my stuff, and took a shower. I still find it incredible how the climate changes within 8 hours from one place to another, and since I came from the Andes to the coast, I was dying in the heat. And I was hungry.
What I love about small places is, that it's always easy to find a good and cheap place to eat. In San Vincente there was a variety of little stands along the main road, selling a fish and onion soup called "encebollado". I think it was one of the best breakfasts I've had until then, apart from the strange Ecuadorian habit to eat popcorn along with everything.
After that I went to find a place with internet, and tried to find out what to do. I liked the village because it was very roots, and it seemed like not many tourists got lost here.
I found out about a place called "isla del corazon", the island of the heart, close to San Vincente. It was a mangrove reserve on an island shaped like a heart, and supposedly you could do a tour around there and watch the variety of bird species living there.
I took a bus, and told them the village where I had to go to. They dropped me off there, and I found out that I should've gotten off at the port, not the village. I was a little clueless how to get there now, and just when I started to walk back, a boy from the community on a motorcycle told me to hop on, and gave me a ride.
It wasn't far, but things like this just make me happy.
When I got to the port, I was a little confused and didn't see many people around. Someone came up to me and offered me a tour, but when I asked the price I discarded this option, and just sat down net to the water and read my book.
After a while one of the guys working there came up to me and started telling me about their project; the whole island was an environmental project, where they had started to plant mangroves again to support the recreation of their biodiversity. Within the last decades, it had been decreasing almost exponentially and many of the species had disappeared - with the mangrove forest many of the birds had started coming back and their colonies were flourishing again. It was altogether a community project, providing work as tour guides for some of the man and protecting their ecosystem, with support from several NGO's. They had built an information center, and even rooms where you could spend the night. There was also a kitchen and something like a restaurant, even though there were no tourists there except for me.
After talking a while to the guy, he told me that they wanted to invite me for lunch, and since I was starving, I gladly accepted.
They were about 4 or 5 guides and a cook, this day only sitting around in their hammocks. We had lunch together and they kept asking me questions and explaining me about their project. They also told me I could've stayed the night, but since I already had a place to stay I had to decline the offer.
After lunch one of the owners of the little boats came, and they repaired something. When they finished they took me on a test ride, along the shore and he also tried to take me to the protected area. But since I wasn't with a tour guide, the rangers there wouldn't let us in.
Still, I enjoyed the short ride and was happy having met such friendly people.
I went back to San Vincente some time in the afternoon, had an early dinner (what I really love about villages on the coast is that all menus include fresh fish), and spent the evening taking pictures on the beach.
When I got up the next morning; I decided to go for a run to the other side of the bridge and think about what to do next.
So I crossed the bridge, and had planned to run up the hill on the other side. I followed street, some steps, and then, all of a sudden, I landed in the woods. The was a lonely wooden hut, and I started to feel a little uncomfortable. Then the owner appeared out of the nowhere and scared me to death. Moreover, he told me that this was a dangerous area, and I shouldn't spent too much time around here. That explained my weird feelings.
I promised to leave as fast as possible, and the guy told me he would check on me on my way back. Fortunately it wasn't hard to find a way to the road, and from there I didn't go left, as I had planned, but right, in direction of the city of Bahia.
I found myself on little streets and stairs, winding between some houses. There also was a huge cross, where you could climb up the stairs inside and so get to the top and enjoy the view.
When I got there the whole area was closed, but soon an old man appeared from the house across with a key and let me in.
That's another thing I love about those non-touristic places: everybody is just happy to see you, talk to you and people are much friendlier.
From the top I could see the whole bay, until the Island of the Heart.
I took another way back down, having decided that after breakfast, I would pack my stuff and spend another day at the community project. When I was waiting for the bus, I happened to run into one of the guys from there, also on their way back with some materials. They took me with them, on the back of the truck.
When I got there everybody seemed happy to see me again, and they borrowed me a room, to store my things and sleep there if I wanted.
This day I also got lucky to find some other tourists there, doing the tour around the island. In the beginning I still hesitated, but then the guide, Francisco, told me I should just go and not worry too much. He took us to the other side of the island, where a colony of frigate birds was living. I'd seen them before, but only in a documentary about the Galapagos Islands, and was excited to see them now in real life. We also saw a variety of other bird, of which I unfortunately forgot the names.
At the end we entered the island, and did the wooden circuit they had constructed through the mangroves. It was a type of forest I had never seen before, with muddy ground and mangroves, the strangest tree there is. Between their trunks were holes, where the red crabs lived.
After the tour I had lunch with the guys again, and since I also took some food with me, I shared my salad and invited everybody a cookie I had brought for them. The atmosphere was relaxed, and it was a beautiful day again. I also gave them all the pictures I had taken throughout the tour, which later turned out being a big mistake.
In the afternoon, some of the guys took me to the island again, to do some crab fishing. This time we left the wooden construction and climbed around between the trunks of the mangroves, looking for the holes. There, the guys just stuck their arms up to the shoulder into the mud, trying to catch a crab.
Unfortunately we weren't lucky and it seemed like all the crabs had disappeared.
Back at the center everybody went home, and they left me by myself. I joined some kids, playing around in the water and took a swim in the last sun.
Then I put up my mattress and got settled for the night. It was kind of strange being there all by myself, but they told me there would be a night guard as well. I slept outside, but on the second floor, next to the door to the information room where the guard was.
It was a strange night, more so as the night guard left in the middle of the night and I only saw his shadow with a machete in the hand passing by.
The next morning I got up early, and packed everything. I had some bus rides waiting for me to get to my next stop, and I don't like arriving at night.
I left the isla del corazon community with a heavy heart, since they had received and treated me most friendly until the end, and I felt like the whole community was full of good people.
Fortunately I had found a couchsurfing host where I could stay in Quito. Big cities are always a little dangerous, especially if you arrive as a white girl with a big backpack and without knowing where to go.
My host, Chelo, and his family lived a little outside of Quito, so I had to get off the bus at some reference that he had given me earlier and change bus.
The second bus was a smaller bus, and took me through little villages around Quito and stopped literally everywhere.
I was a little unsure where I should get off the bus, but fortunately I found the "puente 8" and Chelo and his father picked me up there and took me to their house. It actually wasn't that far from where the bus stopped, but since it already had gotten dark and I was carrying all my stuff, I gladly accepted the pick-up service.
The whole family received me with open arms, and I immediately felt comfortable. They cared about me like they would have known me forever and were helpful with whatever I needed.
The day I got day there, I didn't do much, but Chelo promised me to show me around Quito the next day.
We left in the morning and took a bus to one of the main stations, close to the historic city center. From there we walked all day long.
Chelo showed me around his dad's former neighborhood, took me to a park with a great view over Quito and from there we walked down to the small streets of the center. Chelo was like my personal tour guide - he told me about the buildings, the history and politics of Quito and Ecuador. My head was getting filled up with information, and I was happy to be with someone who knows his city. There wasn't a single moment where I felt lost or scared, and I started to get an overview over Quito's structure.
I especially remember the cathedral, that looks way older than it is and that is still not finished. I loved the statues of all kinds of animals that you can find all around the cathedral!
We passed the main square, where we found ourselves with lots of people (I think it was a Sunday) and stopped from time to time to watch someone dancing or look at some old black and white photographs that were exhibited on the street. We stayed quite a while watching a group dancing the traditional Bolivian dance "Tinku", and I found myself thinking about my time in Bolivia and was fascinated by the colorful costumes the dances were wearing.
After that we made our way up to the big virgin, a giant statue on a hill, watching all over Quito.
It was great, and I took a looot of pictures.
When we got back to the house it was like 6 or 7 pm and we had been walking all day long.
Chelo's family supplied us with food, and tired after the long day I feel into "my" bed.
The following day we had planned to go to the "middle of the world", a monument in the North of Quito, which supposedly marks the point 0'0'0 and where you can cross a yellow line which marks the equator. So you can cross from the northern to the southern hemisphere and vice versa.
The monument is the center of a whole complex of museums, restaurants and souvenir shops. It's not the kind of thing I would usually do, but I had planned to make a little photo project for my dad's 50th birthday, that was coming up.
Chelo accompanied me, and helped me to take the pictures - we had to take them with his phone, since I was a typical me and forgot to charge my camera. We got there pretty early, and there were already a lot of people, mainly bigger travel groups or families.
We went to two of the museums as well, one about measuring instruments in the old days, and one photography exhibitions with pictures of the biggest mountains of the world. I loved the pictures, and it was even better see the places where I had been and lived in Peru.
Other than that we didn't spent too much time in the "middle of the world", but soon started our way back to Quito.
There I accompanied Chelo to some kind of office, where he had to pick up some documents. Close to the office we found a vegetarian restaurant, where we had a delicious and healthy lunch.
From there we walked through the business part of Quito, crossed a big park and finally landed in the touristic and nightlife part of the city.
We walked around a little bit, had a fruit juice, and then ended up in one of the bars drinking some beers. It was still afternoon, and I was surprised not to see as many tourists as I expected. It seemed more like an university student bar, since there were a lot of students drinking their after-classes-beer(s).
I actually liked the atmosphere of the bar and we sat outside under a roof watching the rain falling on the street.
Back at the house I checked the weather forecast, since I was still hoping to find a nice day to go to the Cotopaxi volcano. The way from Quito is longer than from Latacunga, but it's not impossible and transport in Ecuador is really cheap and easy to handle (you can hop on and off a long-distance (!) bus wherever you want and Ecuador isn't that big, so you can get anywhere in reasonable time).
The forecast showed good weather for the following day, so I packed some food and prepared my warm clothes. I went to bed early, since I had to get up early and get to the park entrance first.
Cotopaxi
I had to take two buses in the morning - when I was waiting for the first one, it was still dark outside.
Getting to the entrance of the national park was quite easy. I told the bus driver where I wanted to go, and he told me where I had to get off.
The more difficult thing was to find someone to take me to the actual volcano.
So I got off the bus on the side of the highway, which I also had to cross (my most favorite thing of all) and on the other side I found a little hut. There were some pick-up trucks standing around, but it was still early.
I knew I should find a driver and a group, so it would be a little cheaper. And I still wasn't at the actual park entrance building.
I waited there for a while, and neither the gray clouds over my head nor the cold wind disappeared. I was already thinking about going back to Quito, when a car stopped that looked like a park ranger's car. The man were getting into the car, and were about to leave when I went up to them and asked if they knew what I should do. I just wasn't sure if this was the right place to wait.
They were nice and told me they could take me to the actual entrance building where it would be easier to find a group and a guide because all cars had to stop there.
I agreed and enjoyed my short, exclusive ride.
They left me in a parking lot, and I was getting more optimistic. It just had to be possible to find someone. The park rangers also called over a guide who was already there, but since I was alone, he wanted to charge me more. I decided to wait a little bit, and soon cars and people started arriving at the parking lot. I asked around and then found a group of girls sitting in a car and waiting for their guide, while he went to register the visitors. I found him and asked if I could join. He told me the price, and since it was what I had expected to pay, I agreed.
In the car I found out that all of the girls spoke German, and I was happy to have some company.
We drove up, through the clouds, to the last parking place. Almost the whole way we could see the perfectly-shaped, snow-covered peak of one of the most famous mountains of Ecuador.
When we got out of the car, a cold wind received us. We got all of our warm clothes out of the car, and started walking up to the shelter. The trail was a broad sand strip, leading upwards. I enjoyed the fresh, chilly air, but I also started to feel the, by now, familiar effects of the high altitude. On of the girls already wanted to go back to the car and wait for us there.
Soon we got up to the shelter, which was under construction. There another one of the girls stayed behind, while the guide, a Swiss girl, and I kept going. It wasn't far, and our goal was only to get to the beginning of the glacier.
In the end I was the only one who reached it. Even the guide stayed behind and waited for me close to the glacier.
I got there easily, to the border of the snow, to the end of the trail, to the place where one could only keep going overcoming their limits. It felt so good to be out there, and the only thing I wanted was to have my boyfriend with me and climb the Cotopaxi up to the top with him.
I was also thinking in my grandpa, who had actually been one of the main reasons I wanted to do this trip so badly. He died about 2 years ago, and when I was a kid, he always told me about the "volcanoes with the funny names", including the Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl and, for me, the Cotopaxi. I took a picture which I wanted to take to his grave back home.
But it wasn't possible, so I had to keep this thought in my mind and my dreams for the future and start walking back down. We 'collected' everybody that stayed behind and returned to the car.
We left the parking spot and started our way down, where we stopped at a lake and a camp site. We ate the lunch each of had brought with them, and then we already went back to where we started.
The driver dropped me off at the highway, and from there I took the two buses back to the house where I was staying.
I was tired and exhausted, but happy.
On the next day I enjoyed sleeping in and stayed "at home" all day. I did laundry (they even had a washing machine!!!), updated my blog a little bit (haha) and uploaded photos.
In the late afternoon I helped Chelo and his mom in their little paper store around the corner. I just love being in stores like that and my head is always spinning with ideas. I also wanted to thank them by helping out, since they let me stay and eat for free and even gave me the materials for my dad's birthday gift without accepting a cent.
The following day (I was starting to like Quito, I stayed there quite a while) I met up with another guy from CS, a friend of his and a Canadian girl at the cable car station of a mountain called Pichincha.
It's basically still in Quito, and the mountain is one of the many that surrounds the capital like a wall.
We took the cable car, and started a hike from the top station. We walked about 2 hours (I think) and made it to the summit of 4696 msnm. The weather was absolutely shitty, but the trail was great and super diversified. Initially we wanted to take an alternative route over the ridge, but because of the weather it was too dangerous.
Still, I liked it a lot, and it always feels so good to go outside and get your body moving, and return exhausted!
After a little break we took the cable car back down again and went to an Indian restaurant in La Mariscal to get lunch. I think it was the only time in my whole trip that I ate Indian food.
We talked for a while, and planned to meet again later for a birthday party/climbing party. Or something like that.
I spent the afternoon with Chelo and a friend of his, and then we met up again with the guys from the hike and drove to the climbing spot.
It had already gotten dark and it's quite a unique climbing spot - next to an old road, on the outside of a tunnel.
From there we had a great view over the lights of Quito, and it was the first time I did some night climbing. The routes were short and easy, but it was fun, and then we had some delicious birthday cake.
After that I went to get some beers with Chelo and his friend, but I was starting to get tired after this long day. At the end I fell asleep on the couch of some of his friends, and just waited to get back to my bed.
The time was passing by fast, and I was already staying in Quito for almost a week. Still, I couldn't get myself to leave, also because I needed a little break from changing place all the time.
So Friday I spent most of the time at the house, doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
In the early afternoon I talked to an acquaintance that I had met once in Antacocha on a climbing trip with my boyfriend. He told me he was going to the climbing gym, and since I didn't want to be that lazy and not leave the house all day I took the bus up to Quito.
I was only half-motivated and even though Chelo gave me clear instructions on which bus to take, I thought I knew it better and took another one. I thought it can't be that far away.
But when the bus came to it's final stop I realized that I actually was kind of far away from the gym, and my motivation sank further. When I started walking it started raining. I had already taken the decision of looking for the next bus stop and take the bus back home. The traffic was horrible, it was cold and rainy and I was already late.
At some point the rain turned into hail, and I think I've never seen it hailing like this in my life before. Within seconds the streets where covered in ice. Everything turned white, the pavements were like carpets of hailstones. I kept walking, in astonishment about the force of nature that could turn a mega city like Quito into a completely different world in just seconds.
I got completely wet, from head to toe, but I think it was the weather that woke me up and made me walk to the climbing gym, even though I had already canceled.
I stayed there for a while, but more bouldering for myself than socializing with the guys that were there.
Waiting for the bus I had a nice chat with a women at the bus stop, and then I enjoyed the bus ride back (I actually got on the right bus this time).
Back to the house and I called it a day.
Family
On the following day there was to be a family reunion at the house of Chelo's grandmother. His family had been talking about it all week long and almost forced me to come with them.
We walked over to grandma's some time between morning and noon, I got to meet all aunts and uncles and cousins and nephews and nieces. They were already working on the grill, and everybody was messing around with some type of food. It didn't take long until everything was finished and I helped serving the plates. And as it has to be at family reunions all over the world, it was a LOT of food. Cooked bananas, different kinds of potatoes, salad, chicharron, sauces...unfortunately I don't remember what else.
But I do remember that it didn't seem that much on the plate, and I almost couldn't finish the meal. I still don't understand how those who ate meat could eat everything. It was incredible.
Since we got there we were drinking beer and when it was time for the cake I already felt a little tipsy.
After cleaning up a little some uncle started to unload his sound system from the car. He had brought microphones, a guitar, and some big speakers.
He put it all up in the living room, and started to sing and play the guitar. From time to time someone joined him, and I felt like listening to all of the most famous latino songs in a row. Everybody was full and relaxed.
After a while he stopped singing and turned on the speakers. It seemed like full volume, and now we were listening to everything. From salsa to cumbia to disco to reaggaeton to some arab songs. The uncle was Colombian, and next to his sunny personality a great dancer. He motivated everybody and even dared to try teaching me some salsa. The family reunion turned more and more into a party as they got out the whiskey and he absolutely rocked it.
When the energy faded, we started eating again. Dinner was soup (I don't know what they do to their soups in South America, but they're always delicious) and the leftovers from lunch. We also cut a second cake, until nobody was able to move from their seat.
We kept talking for a while, and everybody seemed happy asking me questions about my country and my travels.
Then we finally went to sleep, since it had been a long day.
The day after the family reunion was to be my last day in Quito.
I stayed at the house, packing my stuff and organizing some other things. I also enjoyed being able to use a laptop and got into writing my blog again.
The day before I had already checked the bus schedule, and decided to take a night bus to the coast. Apparently there was only one bus company, with service to Bahia de Caraquez and I was had been sure that I would get a seat if I would arrive at the bus terminal three hours before the bus was leaving.
Just to be sure I called the company around noon. The lady on the phone told me that they had only five seats free and that I couldn't make a reservation. Now I was scared I wouldn't get a seat if I didn't leave the house right now and get to the terminal super early.
It wasn't my plan of choice - I was sitting on the comfortable bed, writing, and then all of a sudden I had to finish packing rapidly and say goodbye.
It was a sad goodbye, and I definitely hope I can visit the Herrera family again.
So I took off to the terminal and bought my ticket. There I found out that it wasn't true at all that there were only five seats left, but the whole bus was still empty. I was glad to get a ticket but now I also had to wait in the terminal all afternoon.
I changed place from time to time, read my book, chatted with the security guards and drank some hot chocolate.
Fortunately time passed by, and at 9 pm it finally got time to get on the bus.
Filled with excitement to wake up in an unknown place again, I finally fell asleep when we were driving out of Quito.
I got off the bus in Latacunga, but since there was no bus terminal I found myself on the biggest street passing to the city.
I didn't have a map neither much of an idea what Latacunga was like. To be honest I only went there because it was closest to the volcano Cotopaxi, which I wanted to visit.
When I arrived there was still light, but a little later it already started getting dark. I started askeing around for a hostel - the people were very friendly, but no one knew anything.
I felt lost and tired, and it was getting later and later. And I was hungry.
At some point I decided to cross the bridge to try my luck on the other side. I came out on a big plaza and was started to get hope again.
Then I found a cheap hostel, or rather a hotel, and I decided to stay. I left my stuff and payed the night, then I left to get something to eat, and when I left the builing I started feeling weird. The street was dark and it seemed to me that the strangest people were around here. I don't know if it was paranoia or reality, but I felt uncomfortable and kind of scared.
Around the corner I found another hotel, and as I found out that it only cost a tiny bit more and seemed a lot safer, I rushed back to the other place, got my stuff and changed room. Surprisingly I even got my money back.
After I settled in the other hotel I left again to get something to eat. I was starving.
I started walking around what seemed to be the city center, and my paranoia continued. It seemed like a really strange place to me - there were not many people around and the streets were dark. I hardly found any open restaurants. I didn't feel comfortable there, at night, all by myself.
Finally I found some street food. It was not what I was hoping, but I didn't care anymore.
I bought a filled potato, and then I returned to the big plaza. There I found a cheese empanada and something hot to drink.
I sat down on the little bench and started chatting with the woman selling. She was very nice and seemed like a mom, so I immediatly felt a little better. I stayed there a while, until she was about to leave her post, and then returned to the hotel to get some rest.
When I got up in the morning, the weather was foggy and rainy and cold.
I went to the market to get breakfast (the market was definitely the best thing about Latacunga, and the only thing I liked), but when I finished the weather still looked terrible.
Originally I wanted to go to the Cotopaxi volcano, but under those conditions my motivation to get up to 5000m was not very high.
I went to the bus terminal to see what other options there where.
By accident I came by a bus to a village called Zumbahua, the entering point to the Quilotoa loop, a crater lake.
The bus was about to leave, and I had to take a fast decision.
I ran back to the hotel, cleaned out my room and left my backpack at the reception. I wrote a fast message to my couchsurfing host-to-be that I would arrive earlier than planned, and then ran back to the bus terminal.
Of course the bus left late so I had PLENTY of time.
The ride was short, and the landscape - or what I was able to see through the fog - beautiful.
In the village I had to take a truck, which took me directly to the lake.
There was a lookout point where one could see the whole crater. There was a trail around it and one that lead down to the shore.
I didn't have time to go around it (it was a 5 hour hike), and the weather was still terrible. But I did go down to the shore where I ate a snack before going back up.
It was easy finding transport back to Zumbahua, and I ejoyed my time there, Most of all because it was market day, and there was a huge market with food, clothes and everything else.
I bought some food, a beautiful handmade headband and then sat down to eat.
The food was cheap and good, and I was happy that I had been able to see a more traditional part of Ecuador.
In the afternoon I took a bus back to Latacunga, got my stuff from the hotel and started my way to Quito.
When I arrived in Baños when it had already gotten dark. I got off the bus and started my search for a hostel, since I didn't manage to look for a place on couchsurfing.
I was a little afraid that it would be quite expensive, but found a pleasant surprise in the first place I asked. It wasn't expensive at all. The bigger problem was just, that it was full. As was the second and the third place. I kept walking around in the dark, little town. and it started raining. All the hostels I asked at where full, until I found one that offered me a private room but at a higher cost.
I told them I would come back if I didn't find anything else, when they found a shared bedroom for me, at 8$, including breakfast.
When I got to the room I had it all for myself. I dropped my bags, grabbed my purse and left to find something to eat.
As usual in touristic places there was someone offering pizza (or something like that), but I had already seen the place I wanted to eat at on my way to the hostel.
It was a tiny local restaurant selling meat and 'tortilla de papa' and salad. Since I was still being a vegetarian, at least at far as possible, I ordered two plates with potates and salad and some kind of sauce.
In general the food in Ecuador isn't as good as in Peru, but during my time there I found my favourites. And tortilla de papa was definitely one of them, next to tortilla de maiz, grilled banana filled with cheese, and something that included green banana, fish and mayonese.
After that I returned to the hostel, trying to find out what I could do these days (there where A LOT of options). By that I had also gotten a roommate, a girl from Slovakia.
We stayed up a while, chatting on the balcony, and it felt great to be able to talk to a girl again. We got along really well, and so we decided to spend the following day together, walking up to the ' tree house'.
La Casa del Arbol
The tree house is located on the border of a hill, and has a large swing above nothing.
The walk up took us quite a while, but Baños is located in a beautiful valley with green hills all around it, and the climate is great.
So we walked and talked, and studied the plants we found.
It was the first time I saw how a granadilla grows and we also passed by a mandarine tree (we got a little off trail and ended up in someone's garden).
The tree house was quite busy, since there was a whole bunch of people, including a lot of Ecuatorian tourists. We had to wait a while for the swing, but it was worth it.
It was a foggy day so I felt almost as if swinging into the clouds. For a moment I forgot about all the people waiting behind me and just enjoyed feeling the wind in my face.
But unfortanately there wasn't that much time for everybody, and soon I got off the swing again and let the others go.
After that we walked back down, and went to get some lunch on town. Zuzana was a little more 'tourist' than me in general, and I was in a part of my travels where I was also enjoying a little more of 'mainstream tourism', so we went to a little Mexican place and I had my favourite dish: cheese and bean nachos.
We walked around town for a little bit and Zusanna intoduced me to another one of Ecuador's delights, the chocobanana. It's nothing more than a simple frozen banana covered in chocolate, but it looked delicious. I didn't order one myself that day because I'd already had some ice cream, but I knew there was no way around it and saved it for the next day.
The town of Baños is quite small, but due to its many possibilities for adventure sports, waterfalls and hot springs, it's one of the most touristic destinations in Ecuador. It's quiet and its arcitecture had nothing particulary special, but it's a nice place to walk around. Around the corner of the main square we found some stores selling sweets. Guys were making them right there, and it looked like some physical exercise. We guessed it was something with a lot of sugar, and the guys working moved it until its color changed from brown to white. What exactly it was, and what the technique was all about, I have no idea.
In the afternoon we rested a while at the hostel, where we met our new roommate, a German guy.
Together we decided to go to the famous hot springs at night.
There are various hot springs in and around Baños, and we decided to go to the closest and maybe most common one's.
When we got there, we found out that it was full of people, and eventhough there were more than one pool, it was hard to find a space. But dealing with the crowd of people and wearing the stupid-looking but required bath cap was definitely worth it.
The pool was next to an illuminated waterfall and the water was that hot that I had to change to the ice cold pool every once in a while. I enjoyed it a lot, and felt fresh and relaxed when we returned to the hostel.
There I stayed up quite late because finally I had acess to a computer where I could talk to Rodrigo.
The Waterfall Route
On the next day after the (delicious) breakfast at the hostel I went with the German guy and an Israeli, who also joined us in our room, to rent some bikes and explore the 'route of the waterfalls'.
In reality it's a mainly downhill road that leads through the valley, accompanied by a river and various waterfalls. At each one of the waterfalls there's some kind of zip line or cable car or something similar installed, and we also passed a lot of tourists in 'chivas', open, colorful buses, usally playing music.
We didn't join any of the activities offered, but we did go to the biggest waterfall of all, which was an about one-hour hike. The best part was a tunnel, that lead to a platform behind the waterfall. It took some time to get there, because there was a university field trip visiting the waterfall as well and so there were a lot of people.
But that was already it, and we returned to our bikes to continue down the road.
The last stop was a waterfall with a natural pool underneath it, which was the reason why we took towels and bathing suits with us.
The trail down to the waterfall was surrounded by a beautiful garden, and the waterfall itself was also beautiful.
We met a bunch of other people there, and went for a swim in the pool.
After playing around in the water for a while it got time to go back to town.
In the morning I was all motivated to bike back uphill and not to pay the truck, but by then I was fine with the easy option, and so all of us (we were about 11 people, all with bikes) got on a truck and had a fun ride back to town. It was incredible how the driver installed 11 bikes on his truck, but the bikes and we arrived unharmed in Baños.
Since we all got along well we decided to meet up again for dinner after returning the bikes to the different agencies.
We met at the lates hour at the market, and got the last plate of food before they closed the doors.
After dinner we went to a bar and stayed there for a while, watching some hilarious wrestling.
Then we went to the hostel where the other guys where staying. There we talked, played pool (well, I just watched, since I'm a terrible player), and had some beers.
Most of them were Germans, and after a long time not talking German I enjoyed their company a lot.
The following day was already my last day in Baños, since I had decided to travel on to Latacunga and the hostel was beginning to charge double price because of some holiday.
I packed my stuff in the morning, and stayed a while in the hostel writing the blog. I also wanted to talk to Rodrigo again, but at some point the hostel turned off the computers and the internet because of some reparations they had to make.
A little pissed off I went for a walk to pass time, and in the end I liked it a lot. I went down to the river where I found a nice spot under the bridge, watched the people doing swing jump and read my book. I also discovered some climbing routes there.
After a while I went back to the hostel but obviously the light had not returned yet, and it was getting late for me to leave, since I didn't want to arrive in Latacunga at night.
So got my stuff and went to the bus terminal. The busride was short, as most busrides in Ecuador, but I still arrived in the last light.
