Quilotoa

From Ecuador

Check out more photos here.

I arrived at Quilotoa around 2pm. I found a place to stay. Interesting that when I asked about hot water they said sure. When I checked the water, there was none. I was assured that it would be turned on. This little problem was ongoing my entire stay. Note to self - ¨not only is hot water important but water all the time is important¨. It was really cold and I never did take a shower. I was lucky to have water to flush the toilet.

However, it was a beautiful place. It was really cloudy and I thought I wouldn´t have any views. I was wrong. I did have great views with the cloud coming over the rim of the crater and moving down. The elevation there was about 4000m. I decended about 4oom to the lake. It was a steep path and I knew I would be huffing and puffing upon my return. The lake is 250m deep and filled with cold water and sulfer. There are no fish and it is not possible to drink the water.

I did huff and puff on my way back up but I made it. Through one rather narrow section of the path I had to share the path with a guy and his horse. It was pretty scary but nothing bad came of it.

The next day I planned to hike to Chugchilian. A young kid said he would guide me for $10 dollars. He said it would be a three hour hike and we could return by bus. Luckily I checked with the owner of the hotel I was staying at. He said it was a six hour hike and the only returning bus returned at 4am. I instead walked around the rim of the crater. It was a beautiful walk with lots of flowers. Some like lupin I recognized. I was also able to see part of Volcano EcuCotopaxi in the distance.

When I returned from the hike a truck dropping off three travelers was in front of my hotel. He offered to take me to Zumbahua which was where I was heading for $5. However, I could take the bus for $1. I negociated him down to $3. It was certainly an experience riding in the back of one of those things - dirty, bumpy but good viewsw. We went a back way so we could take one of the drivers kids to the hospital. They were full of info and told me all about the fiesta in Zumbahua.