Week 1

So we´re off to a great start.. Had a couple very nice days in Quito wandering around the Old Town and taking a cable car up to one of the mountains overlooking the city and generally just trying to acclimatise to the altitude. We headed down south of Quito to a small city called Latacunga on Friday which we used as our base for a couple of day trips to Cotopaxi and Lake Quilatoa.

Cotopaxi is one of Equador´s most impressive volcanos and reaches about 6,100 meters high. Our trip started on Saturday with a drive through the national park, at which point Cotopaxi was totally covered in clouds... but by the time we parked the car and got our gear the clouds had lifted and the views were fantastic. The hike up to the climbers refuge was shall we say, less than fantastic. Walking up 300 meters at 4,500 meter altitiude is tougher than it sounds! Tim practically sprinted it of course knowing that lunch was waiting for him at the top! After eating, Tim and I continued up the mountain to reach 5,000 meters and where the glacier began. The view alone made the complete lack of oxygen and dizzy spells all worthwhile! Then it was down the hill to a very pretty lake and a bit of a hike before heading home.

The next day it was off to Lake Qiulotoa which is a massive volcanic lake about 3,500 meters high and surrounded by mountains - the sight of it was breathtaking. Tim and I had hired a guide for the day in order to drive us there and take us on a hike through the mountain paths that run along the edge of the lake. Apprently he wasn´t as keen as we were and dumped us with a local 10 year old boy who had the unfortunate task of trekking with us for 5 hours. Luckily for us he was really friendly and equally up for a sit down and a couple of sweets every 20 minutes or so! Although the trek was great fun... I´m now starting to have a few doubts about how well we´ll fare on the Inca Trail which is supposed to last 5 days, yikes! The drive to Quilotoa, through the Andean highlands, is considered one of the highlights of Ecuador.

Yesterday it was off to the coast which meant two bus journeys each about 6 or so hours long... mostly on winding dirt mountain roads. The first bus was delayed at some point in the mountains as apparently they were still building the road in front of us. And the second bus broke down about every half hour! But we made it to Manta, a fishing town on the coast, where we had a very interesting breakfast of fried fish eggs and bananas this morning.

Got on another bus after breakfast and are now in a small beachtown called Puerto Lopez. Tomorrow it´s off whale watching off of Isla la Puerta, and then to see more wildlife in Manchalilla National Park. But for the rest of the afternoon, I think it might be hammocks and cervesas for us!