Lakes and Markets and Little Towns With Strange Names...

"Its only 10 kilometeres from the lake to the next little village of Chugchilan." 

"Yeah, that's not bad at all. Lets do it."

Best idea ever. After Valentin and I arrived in the little town of Quilitoa, we descended to the edge of the beautiful lake, the huge center of a volcano.

We spent the night with a local family in their hostel. They served us delicious local food, and I nearly froze to death at such an altitude. I wore three layers of clothes and five alpaca fleece blankets - and I was still freezing. 

I was happy when the sun came up, leading us on a journey to the next village.

We walked for just over two hours - first, along the beautiful, green crater lake and then, down mountains and canyons, and climbing back up. 

At 4,000 meters, it is 100x harder to walk 10 kilometers, yet it was well worth it.

We walked along little sandy trails scattered with tiny flowers of every color -  purple and yellow and red and blue. 

Looking across the Andes mountains, I couldn't breathe (literally and hypothetically;)) the air was so thin, my head started to hurt. But it was worth it - seeing the farms of sheep and cows and traditonal people, and the endless valleys and pointed peaks in the distance.

After about seven kilometers, we made it to a tiny, silent town. Every so often we would see people wearing skirts, shawls, and top hats. Nearly every one smiled and said hello as if we were friends. Every smile made me fall in love a little more.


We continued for awhile more, out of the town, down the steepest trails, and up again. I was glad when we arrived in the simple pueblo of Chugchilan.

Once there, we found a hostel. $15 a night with two meals...and an adorable child. :)

We ate a typical meal of soup, rice, salad, and meat, and then I rented a horse and guide for $15 for four hours. It was absolutely incredible!!

My horse was probably one of the best one I have ridden outside of the states - he actually liked to move a little bit.

For the first hour, I got to experience some classic Ecuador - while the guide led, I rode behind a group of horses and donkeys, chasing them to different farms. Occasionally they would try to run off in a random direction, and my guide would jump off his horse and run to try to catch them. He was so thankful that I knew how to ride and handle the horses while he caught the strays.

When all the horses were safety at their homes, we rode up, up the mountains. We could see scattered houses in the distance, and the clouds rolled in and out  among the mountains.

It was so breathtaking, like so many things in this country. Again I found myself pulling myself down to earth - this is real, and it was created for us to enjoy. I am so privileged to get to enjoy it.

We continued along the cliffs for hours. Soon, the clouds completely consumed us. We dismounted the horses and walked through the cloud forest jungle, and the guide explained various types of plants and their uses. Every one had a strong smell.

After the plant explanation - and walking through mud and misty rain, we again began to decend the mountain. The guide stopped every few minutes to talk to the local people in a language I could not understand, even though the guide tried to teach me a few words.

We continued for hours, along fields and places, all of which were well explained.

Soon, we arrived back at the village. The sun set, we spent time with travelers over  yet another traditional meal, and slept early for a 3 am morning.
3 a.m. We get up and head to the road where we wait until nearly 4:00. Then, a bus rumbles down the cobble stone streets. We climb on, and are taken for the bumpiest, most annoying music ride for three hours. 
But once there, we were rewarded with a  unique Ecuadorian experience - an entire town made into a huge market. 

They sold everything. 
From fruits and veggies... 

...to meat (heads and feet included,) and fresh fish...




...and homemade pastas...

...to shoes and doors and guinea pigs and cows and sheep and more chickens than I have ever seen in my life.







Everywhere we walked, every block in the entire town had something else to offer. Everywhere, the people wore traditional hats and dress. They carried loads on their backs - corn, chickens, and children.




I would keep posting photos forever, but I am afraid that I don't have enough space or time to show all the incredible things I captured. (And it's amazing - there are even more things that I didn't have a chance to take a photo of!)




After the market, my new friends and I headed back to Latacunga, where we picked up out luggage we had left, and I said goodbye, heading back to Quito for a few more days in the beautiful city.
The way back was so challenging - one bus, then a trole bus, then another one. It is surprisingly difficult navigating in a 40 km city! But, thank God for four beautiful people on the buses that spent endless time trying to help me figure it out. Even they weren't sure! They were all angels and I made it, and had some great Spanish conversations in the mean time - and only spent $2.75 to go three hours. Travel win.
Today, I spent $15 and bought tons and tons of random fruits. I decided that I had been in random countries long enough without trying all the fruit. All I can say, is WOW. They may look (really really) weird, but there are some absolutely incredible fruits down here. USA, you are missing out. :)