To follow up my week in Zamora I returned to Quito. I had no concrete plans to speak of, and I needed to send many an email. While I was around I received a tour of Dr. Ron's lab, and the lab nextdoor, called BALSA de los Sapos, where they have several terrariums of frogs that are of concern for conservation. The tour was highlighted by some Jabba the Hutt-esque Telmatobius frogs, and some spade-footed horned frogs from the arid western part of Ecuador. I also took a quick trip to the equator to see water go clockwise, counter-clockwise, and straight down a drain. Other than the tour my time spent in Quito was not exactly thrilling. I will spare you the details.
After a few days of reading and contemplation in Quito I had the start of a trip itinerary in mind, sort of. I took a bus up to Otavalo for the famous Saturday market. The entire town was a sea of booths selling paintings, masks, sweaters, hats, blankets, and everything else I did not intend to buy. I hate shopping, which makes me wonder why I went on the busiest day of the week. I do have to admit that the big event was quite a sight, and the donut shop in town saw a lot of business from me. Still, I left as soon as possible after milling around the busy streets a bit.
My next stop, after passing through Quito again, was the town of Latacunga. The city is known as the gateway to the Quilotoa Loop, a hiking hotspot in Ecuador. Before starting any hikes I chose to stay the night in Latacunga. That way I could explore the big enclosed market in town, and maybe find a good dinner option. I had read about a tasty regional dish, called chugchucara, and I figured I could find some for cheap in there. Thankfully I was successful. I found a booth with a roasted pig staring me in the face, and a sign reading "Chugchucara." I asked for some and the lady running the place handed me a delicious little pork chunk. It was pork perfection! I asked for the full dinner plate. The full chugchucara meal consists of chunks of pork, little greasy flecks of pork, fried pork skin, a pile of boiled and cooked corn kernels (called mote), fried plantains, and boiled potatoes. It was really good, though a bit of a pork overload.
The very next day I hopped on another bus to get to a good hiking base, the village of Chugchilán. I got there in the late afternoon and took a brief trek to an overlook of the nearby Cañon Toachi. The next morning I did a serious hike. I followed a steep road that provided spectacular views of the rolling hills and their patchwork of small farms. I was told that after a couple hours I would see the Bosque Nublado (cloud forest). Cloud forest is an environment I had been dying to explore, mostly due to its notoriety as a premier place for viewing wildlife. Well, when they said I could "see" the cloud forest they meant so in the literal sense. I reached a mirador (viewpoint) that overlooked a fluffy sea of clouds stretching off into the distance. That was the cloud forest. I saw it. Great, I guess... Do not get me wrong, it was a beautiful sight! Just not what I had in mind. I kept hiking, thinking that in a couple more hours I might actually experience the cloud forest firsthand. I followed a curvy road around tons more hills, confident that I was going the right way. It took forever, but eventually I turned a corner and noticed a thick mist in the air, and a lot more trees. CLOUD FOREST. I continued onward, in search of an entry point into the habitat itself. That part never really panned out. The drop off from the road was steep, and mostly bordered by barbed wire. I was in no mood to get injured or upset a local landowner. Even though I never really got to go into the cloud forest I can still say I felt the mist, saw the trees (and hummingbirds), and even found a frog under a rock in the road. I would grade my cloud forest experience as an incomplete, but at least I got a taste of it!
Those eight hours of hiking for cloud forest proved to be a lot for my legs to handle! My body was worn down, but in a good way. I returned to my hostel wanting more. That night, as I dominated some English high school kids in ping pong, I made the strange decision to take the 4AM bus to Quilotoa. That was where the main attraction (and more hiking) lay in wait. My only other choice was to go at 9AM, but pay $10 more. No way. I wanted the money, and I convinced myself I made my decision because I wanted an early start. Right…
The early wakeup was horrible (technically I never woke up because I never fell asleep). Outside it was frigid, windy, and of course the bus showed up later than advertised. I hopped on and hopped off in complete darkness and with frozen extremities. With my headlamp equipped I plodded down the road into little Quilotoa and looked for an entry point to the shore of the famous caldera lake (lake formed within a crater left behind by a massive volcanic eruption). I found a trail and hurriedly made my descent. I reached a nice lookout point near the bottom and perched myself there starting at 5:30AM. I figured the wait would not be too long since the sunrise happens at about 6AM every day of the year in equatorial locations. What I failed to account for was the fact that the sun would take longer to rise from my vantage point, due to the towering rim of the caldera. The sky was clear and starry as I waited in the cold. Slowly the stars faded and more and more light shown behind the jagged mountain remains. Obviously the sun popped up while I was down there. Though not until 6:30AM. I cannot remember a better sunrise in my life! The early rise and long wait were well worth it. The biggest reward was that as more light entered the sky I began to see more of the massive lake in front of me. When I first arrived the lake was shrouded in complete darkness. By the end it was practically sparkling from the rays of sunlight. That was a good morning.
Later in the day, after a direly needed bout of sleep, I hiked around the lake as well. I went as fast as I could, probably because I am crazy. I was in no mood for a 6-hour hike, which my guidebook claimed it would be. The views were nice all the way around, though a little repetitive. I did get a nice peek at a white-capped mountain that I believe was Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world.
Despite not having a clear plan going into it, this little side trip went well. Now I am looking forward to launching north to Colombia, my final destination. Not sure of my plans yet. Fortunately Colombia receives rave reviews from every traveler I meet. Should be fun!
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