Gringos in the Mist

The what?! loop. Oh the Quilatao Loop, a 2 day long roundabout bumping along dusty roads from one tiny Andean village to the next. Beautiful scenary with volcanoes all around. First stop Latacunga, a sleepy little mountain town whose main attraction is the Pijuli market 20 minutes away. This was our first taste of the Andean markets, chaotic gatherings where everybody loads up their donkey or lama with as much as it can carry, dons their best clothes and heads to town to sell their wares, get drunk and catch up on gossip. 6 guinea pigs for 4 bucks - Sold! Need a basketfull of bunnies? No problem! Think they were for eating not petting though... Not sure which of the 30 varieties of spud you fancy, yer on your own! With the streets full of the local indigenous folk, sporting their latest pork pie hat purchase we wandered about, catching up on some shopping, 2 unequal length shoe laces for a dollar, hmmm, pestering locals and trying not to look at the meat section (or the local favorite of roasted pig skin, generally still attached to the whole beast). As part of our altitude training (or maybe just in search of that perfect volcano pic) we then huffed and puffed our way up the brightly painted stairs to the town mirador, not much at the top but a great view of the town below and lots of gum trees.

After the hustle-bustle (or maybe not) of Latacunga we moved on around the loop to the one lama town of Chugchillan. After passing through numerous hamlets consisting of one or two cinder-block houses we had our doubts about where we were heading. Luckily our little mountain retreat proved to be perfect even with hot water (a constant puzzle oup north). After sorting out our horse and bus escape we were set the next day for some hiking.

Our exercise for the next day was a round trip to check out a local cheese factory (which was closed) and the cloud forest behind on the other side of the mountain (which we decided wasn't a good idea as it was too cloudy to find it). On the way we enjoyed great views, the smiles and waves from curious local kiddies, some cute local beasties and the fresh (albeit a little thin air-gasp!). The locals farm the steep hillsides growing mainly peas (we think thats what the blue flowers were) and grazing sheep and goats which they tether to spikes to stop them wandering.
That evening the local kids put on a performance of traditional dancing to much giggling (on their part). It was only their fourth attempt but there cuteness and energy won over the audience. We were all huffing and puffing after the kids pulled us up to join in.

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The next day, instead of getting the 4am bus out of town we whipped up a little horse riding back to civilisation. So with our rucksacks lashed to the back of a horse and our two guides trotting behind on foot we waddled down into the deep canyon which runs alongside the village then stuggled up to the otherside (with our guides hanging on to the tails of the horses to pull themselves up).

The ride brought us out at the flooded crater of Laguna Quilatoa, the main grockle draw in the area. In contrast to our high-speed horsey adventures in Uruguay there was no way these dobbins were going to trot without our guide beating them on the rump with a stick -no worries, it was still a lesuirely way to leave Chugchillan and take in more dramatic views. Unfortunately our ride ended prematurely and we were left to our own devices to explore the lake despite this being a major selling point of the ride...

With our foray into the Quilitoa loop over, we made our way down from the mountains headed for the coast. And not a moment too soon, as that night Volcan Tungurahua blew its top, covering everything to the west of it in thick volcanic ash. Locals living nearby villages were flooded from their homes as the lava melted the snow from its slopes. From four hours west in Quevado we woke the next day to the streets covered in ash and locals wearing an array of face masks. Maybe the signs outside the tour agencies in Baños were right after all!!!

Love Kaz and Stu

Sight of the week: Two live sheep, bus-surfing on the roof.

Meal of the week: Quevada chiffa, more than you can eat for US$10.

Bargain of the week: Cloud forest hostel. Why pay $30 when you can pay $10!!! Baaaaaaah to the Black Sheep Inn.