A Tale of Two Cities: Quito & Latacunga, Ecuador

Greetings from Ecuador!

Our trip continues as we are now in Baños, Ecuador- a quaint city right in the middle of the mountains, on the edges of the Avenue of Volcanoes.  Baños is a touristy city filled with hostels.  Just about every block there is at least one hostel offering "cheap rooms, internet, hot water" etc.  A lot of the translations are quite hilarious, too.  You think they would verify that everything is spelled correctly, but my guess is they just don't care.

After finishing Cotopaxi we spent an extra day in Quito visiting "Old Town" and recuperating from the climb (my face is still wind-burned).  Unfortunately the weather wasn't the greatest... cold and rainy so we decided to get out of there on Saturday, June 25.  We left in the afternoon for a small town called Latacunga and spent two nights there so that we could see Lake Quilotoa which we had heard was a must-see and has some great hiking.

Quito is an awesome city.  I really enjoyed my time there.  It's the second-highest capital city in the world next to La Paz, Bolivia, and it's cold.  Everyone I've been talking to has been quite surprised to hear that considering that it's pretty much directly on the equator.  I guess being at 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) makes all the difference.  The only thing that really reminds you that you're on the equator is the strength of the sun.  On a sunny day, although it may not be hot, the sun is definitely powerful.  Very easy to get burned walking just a few blocks.  Don't worry dad, I've been wearing sunscreen everyday.

We stayed at a great hostel located right in the middle of "Gringolandia" (as it's known by the locals) or La Mariscal neighborhood.  The neighborhood was like "Little USA" in Ecuador.  Firstly, tons of tourists. Met some German travelers, French, Mexican, Argentine, Texan, British, you name it.  They were all over the place.  Secondly, there are countless restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. for tourists.  In the mood for Indian food?  They have it.  Chinese?  Sea food?  Barbeque?  Hookah bar?  Pretty much anything and everything.  Unfortunately the prices were pretty high for most places.  Thirdly, they use the US Dollar.  Never thought I would have been exchanging my Colombian Pesos for US Dollars at the border.  However, the value is much lower here- taxis cost between $2 and $5 to take you across town, and lunch in el centro was somewhere around $3.  Another difference is that the Sacagawea coin is used more frequently than the $1 bill.  Also they flip-flop using either US coins or Ecuadorian coins which confused me a bit at first.  The best part of it all was that Quiteños are typically very friendly people, even with foreigners- something you really don't find in every South American city.

We arrived in Quito on Friday, June 17 and spent the day walking around La Mariscal and getting to know the area.  Saturday we had heard was the best day to visit the Otavalo Market in the city of Otavalo, located just one and a half hours away from Quito.  We took a bus in the morning and spent the day wandering around the giant market.  There are many indigenous people in Otavalo, most of which make their living from the huge market that is open everyday, but peak days are Saturdays where a major portion of the town is closed off for the various market stalls- it apparently occupies one third of the city on peak days.  The most popular items at the market are made from alpaca.  Sweaters, pants, gloves, hats, you name it.  Also a site quite saturated with foreigners.

Sunday the 19th we intended to make our way to Old Town but unfortunately the day welcomed us with rain and cold, so we slept in and decided to take a break and do some planning for the rest of our time in Quito.  On Monday, we went to the Middle of the World.  The Middle of the World City is located about 30 minutes oustide of Quito and is quite the tourist destination.  Again one of those sites where it was surprising to see the number of foreigners.  A huge monument stands in the center of the town, pointing in all four directions, and there is a large yellow line drawn to separate north from south throughout the entire city.  Pretty cool to be able to say I went to the middle of the world, needless to say, and got to stand in two different hemispheres at the same time.  On our way back from the monument we flagged down a bus, thinking it was public transportation, but turned out to be a school bus.  The driver was very friendly and gave us a ride all the way back to La Mariscal without any charge!  He told us all about Quito and gave some good advice on things to do while we were in town.

Tuesday was spent acclimating ourselves for the Cotopaxi climb on Wednesday, so we took the teleferico up near the volcano Pichincha and walked about 1,000 meters towards the peak.  Unfortunately neither of us had not known what to expect and therefore were not dressed properly for the conditions.  It was freezing cold and at one point it began to hail on us, so we decided to call it quits and head down, running.  Add it to the cold weather and hail sure can sting, even if it's pea-size.

Wednesday through Thursday was spent on Cotopaxi, as you'll see in the last post.

Friday, June 24 was to be the day we would leave Quito but we changed plans to stay and attempt another summit, Chimborazo, with our friend Ricardo who we met on Cotopaxi, if possible.  Ricardo unfortunately told us that the climb was even more expensive than Cotopaxi, and a lot more technically difficult.  This one would require lots of climbing and a whole slew of equipment was needed.  Therefore we decided to spend our Friday getting to know another part of the city before we would leave.  We headed to "Old Town" on Calle La Ronda to check out some old churches and the awesome colonial architecture of the area.

Saturday we decided to head to a smaller town outside of Quito called Latacunga so that we could make our way to Lake Quilotoa the next day.  Quilotoa is a "caldera" lake just an hour and a half outside of Latacunga.  A caldera is an area of land that has collapsed due to volcanic eruptions.  The last eruption of Quilotoa happened sometime in the 13th century.  Lake Quilotoa is up to 250 meters deep at its deepest point and about 9 kilometers in diameter.  The lake is decieving; on Sunday Adi and I went kayaking and it felt strange once we reached the center- all of the sides appeared to be so close, yet no matter how quickly we paddled it felt as if we weren't getting any closer.  The water is an eerie blue-green color, apparently caused by dissolved materials over the past thousands of years.  After climbing back up to the "peak" we were lucky enough to catch a ride with a friendly Ecuadorian and some friends we met all the way back to Latacunga.

This morning (Monday) we made our way to Banos, where we are currently.  Looking forward to either some white water rafting, mountain biking, zip-lining, or hiking tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.  Hope everyone is doing well and had a great weekend.

Otavalo Market- this picture really doesn't do it justice considering how giant it is

This can give you a better idea, although it only shows about 1/3 of the market 

(taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/79501194@N00/235211891/)

Mitad del Mundo Monument

The ride back in an empty school bus

Public park in Quito

A view of Quito from the teleferico

Hiking up to Pichincha

Pichincha Volcano

Hail storm that quickly moved in on us

La Virgen de Quito- El Panecillo

Simón Bolívar- not quite as popular as in Venezuela, but still a national hero

Indigenous amulets in a museum in Old Town

Plaza in front of La Compañía de Jesús

La Compañía de Jesús

In the plaza

Zumbahua- entry town to Lake Quilotoa

El Lago Quilotoa

Chillin'.

Saludos,
Travis

Climbing Cotopaxi

Hola compañeros!

Hope the first real days of summer are treating everyone well.  We've found ourselves very much enjoying our time here in Quito, so we've decided that we may just stay a few extra days.  Before arriving here I had read about Mt. Cotopaxi- one of the active stratovolcanoes in Ecuador and it's just an hour and a half away from Quito.  Most of the information I had read told me that climbing to the summit was challenging, but technically not too difficult, so I became immediately intrigued.  I've done a lot of research on the volcano, and every source seems to be saying something different.  Some say it's the highest active volcano in the world, others say the second, others the third.  Nevertheless it's the second-highest peak in Ecuador at 5,897 meters or 19,374 feet, and a national monument.  The shape of the volcano is a nearly symmetrical cone, and it apparently can be seen from the Quito skyline.  Unfortunately I haven't yet been able to see it as most days here are fairly cloudy.  Click HERE for more info.

After looking into several climbing tour options I was a bit discouraged to find it was expensive to find a guide, gear, and everything else we would need.  However on Monday we stopped in a shop off the street to ask about the Cotopaxi tour and prices.  The sales rep offered us a price that was nearly impossible to turn down, especially compared to those I found online.

Gladiz (sales rep) told us we needed to be acclimated in order to even consider the climb, and that a few days in Quito wasn't enough, so she recommended we take the teleferico up toward Pichincha (stratovolcano overlooking Quito) and hike up as far as we can in order to test out the altitude.  We did so on Tuesday, but unfortunately didn't make it to the peak due to a hail storm that moved in fast.  After hiking for a bit we stopped to talk with Gladiz and told her everything felt okay and we felt prepared for Cotopaxi.  We booked the tour then and there and were told we had to meet the guide the next day, Wednesday, at 9 AM.

Finally 9 AM Wednesday rolled around and we were packed and ready to go.  Unfortunately Adi had been feeling a bit under the weather and went to the doctor to get permission to do the climb.  About an hour and a few pills later, she was ready and we were enroute to Cotopaxi.  Patricio, our guide, picked us up in his janky Mitsubishi truck from the 90's and we drove about 2 hours before arriving at the base of the volcano.  From where he parked the car we had to hike up 300 meters, which felt a lot longer at that altitude, to the refuge which sits at 4,800 meters.  The refuge was a welcoming cabin that sleeps up to 80 people and has an incredible view of the national park surrounding the volcano.  We arrived in the early afternoon and were nearly forced to drink tea and water for the next few hours.  There were 11 other travelers total in the refuge also preparing to make the trek.  Adi and I of course were the youngest, and she was the only girl attempting to summit the peak.

The afternoon passed quickly.  At 5:30 PM dinner was served.  It consisted of a delicious chicken and rosemary soup followed by a hefty portion of chicken breast with mushrooms, steamed carrots, and mashed potatoes.  All was accompanied, of course, with more tea, water, and a dried-out yellow cake topped with strawberry yogurt for dessert.  Delicious.  6:00 PM: dinner was finished, another cup of tea, a few trips to the bathroom (seriously, lots of tea and water, but at least I was hydrated), and off to bed.  We were to wake up sometime around midnight to prepare ourselves and head towards the summit.

Unfortunately I didn't sleep a wink.  Tossed and turned all night, waiting to finally fall asleep, but instead 11:30 PM arrived before I was even feeling tired.  We got up, got dressed- 5 layers of shirts and jackets on top and 3 layers of pants, hats, gloves, etc. and packed everything up.  "Ate breakfast", I guess you can say, at midnight which consisted of a few cups of tea, yogurt with granola, and toast.  Once everything was ready we turned on our headlamps and headed out into the cold, dark night.  The wind was blowing like crazy and it was snowing.  I was surprisingly excited to see the snow- it's been months since I've seen/experienced it.

The first few hundred meters of the hike would be through the volcanic rock and sand before we arrived to the glacier.  Temperature was bearable, but the wind and snow were definitely going to be a challenge to endure.  After a good 45 minutes of trudging through the snow/ice/rock mixture, we arrived at the base of the glacier.  The Cotopaxi Glacier is one of the only equitorial glaciers in the world and happens to play a pretty important role in the livelihood of the surrounding areas.  Meltwaters of the glacier provide freshwater for the people and for industrial reasons, and furthermore it provides a source of energy for the huge city of Quito.  Click HERE for some more info.

At the base of the glacier we stopped to fasten our crampons to our hiking boots.  Crampons are attached to the bottom of the hiking boot to improve traction in snow and ice.  They are about one inch in depth and proved to be very helpful.  We proceeded on the glacier for another half hour or so before reaching more loose snow which made the trekking even more difficult.  Finally we were forced to stop again and tie ourselves together with climbing rope that would attach to the harnesses.  At this point the wind was blowing even harder and the snow was turning to sleet and slapping hard against my face.  Every piece of clothing and gear I had was slowly becoming coated in ice.

After about 30 minutes of walking with the rope Adi's back started to bother her and she decided to turn back in order to avoid any possibility of injury.  Luckily at this point we had passed a guide with one climber who wanted to turn back as well.  They began the trek back to the refuge at about 5,100 meters and Patricio and I carried on.  At this point we were pretty far behind the rest of the climbers so we had a lot of catching up to do.  Patricio insisted we continue with a hefty pace, and after another hour or so we had passed two of the groups and nearly caught up to the first one.

The rest of the climb we continued to endure the brutal gusts of wind and sleet.  There were three points in which we had to scale a vertical wall of ice and snow- Patricio ahead as I followed.  By 5 AM we were nearing the summit, still trekking through the pitch dark, the sleet and wind only getting worse.  Finally we passed the first group and took the lead with about 45 minutes left to the top.  At this point the sun was starting to come up and we only had one steep pass left before we would arrive at the summit.  The last five minutes were pretty incredible- right as we approached the final slope the clouds started to part and it began to get bright out.  When we arrived on top I could immediately feel the heat from the sun.  Such a rewarding moment to make it to the top and be able to see the spectacular view of the "Avenue of Volcanoes".  Unfortunately I was only able to snap a few pictures due to the wind which was even worse at the summit, and the clouds moved in and out so quickly that the view went in and out of sight every few seconds.

Needless to say, this was quite the experience.  I've never accomplished anything so challenging and rewarding.  Very happy I had the opportunity to climb Cotopaxi and very much looking forward to other climbing opportunities that may present themselves over the rest of the trip.

At the entrance to the national park

Mount Cotopaxi

Preparing for the first portion of the hike up to the refuge

The refuge at 4,810 meters

View from the refuge

Awesome sunset Wednesday night

Start of the hike- preparing the packs and harnesses- around midnight

La cumbre- the summit of Cotopaxi

Success!

One of the best sunrises I've ever seen

Pretty cool ice formations behind me- not too visible in this photo- on the way down

Patricio and I after arriving back at the refuge- coated in about a half inch of ice

Patricio, Adi, and myself

Saludos,
Travis

Medellín & Salento, Colombia

Greetings amigos,

Hope this post finds you all in good spirits.  This past Thursday, June 16 Adi and I arrived in Quito, Ecuador and  are currently staying in the Mariscal neighborhood, otherwise known as "Gringolandia" to the locals; it is the tourist center of Quito for most travelers, full of restaurants, bars, clubs, etc.

On Wednesday, June 8 we left Bogotá to head to Medellín and spend just under a week there.  Medellín is the second largest city in Colombia, next to Bogotá.  If Bogotá is the New York of South America, Medellín is comparable to Chicago.  It has more than 3.5 million people and every street is packed with people walking, biking, in taxis, etc.  The city has a metro transit line that will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go within el centro.

We stayed in a great hostel called Palm Tree where we connected with people from all over the place- ironically enough I met a guy named Chris who also happens to be from Chanhassen, MN.  He is actually an old friend of my neighbor.  On Thursday we walked to el centro and made our way to a few parks; El Parque de Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Park) where it's recommended that you take off your shoes and walk around in the sand, as well as the Plaza de Cisneros and Plaza Mayor.

Medellín during the 1980s was known as the most dangerous city in the world due to the crime with the Medellín drug cartel and since then, the city has been working to improve its image.  Now it is said to be safer than both Washington D.C. and New Orleans.  The urban planning here is excellent- the metro which also connects to the teleferico has greatly improved the transportation of the city's population.  The architecture is another thing I really enjoyed- the buildings are very modern and together they create a beautiful skyline.

Friday we went to an area called El Poblado, which is full of restaurants and bars and spent the day wandering around there.  In the evening we had the barbeque at the hostel and went out later with some of the other guests.  Saturday we went to the Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden).  The park was full of people- there is no entry fee so everyone tends to hang out in the huge grassy fields and enjoy the weekend afternoons.  Medellín is known for being the city of eternal spring, and it sure lives up to its name.  The weather is a consistent 70-80 degrees and pretty much always sunny.

Sunday we took a side trip from the city to a pueblo called Guatapé to see El Peñón de Guatapé- a 200 meter-high rock surrounded by a man-made lake/resevoir in the middle of the mountains.  The history of Guatape is fascinating.  In 1988 a hydroelectric dam was constructed on a river flowing through the area to provide energy to the surrounding cities, and now Guatapé and the dam provide 30% of Colombia's electricity.  When the dam was constructed the old town of Peñol was submerged and currently sits at the bottom of massive Lake Guatapé, which is one of the biggest in the country.  All of this resulted in a new city being constructed just 2 minutes away from the rock.  Tourism has brought the town to where it is today- a fun, safe, and happy place to relax and spend the day.  The rock was first climbed in 1954 and instantly became an attraction for tourists in the area.  Before its discovery it was worshipped by the indigenous tribes of the area.  Soon after its discovery a German scientist discovered a new species of plant on the top which led to many controversial discussions about where the rock originated.  There are myths that speak of  the rock being a meteor that fell from the sky hundreds of years ago and supposedly more than half of the rock is buried beneath the ground.  The whole day was a great experience, and it was somewhat rewarding to make it to the top after 644 rigid stairs, and even more difficult at such an altitude above sea level.

Monday, June 13 was our last day in Medellín before we would head to coffee country.  We spent the day getting to know the metro and took the teleferico up to La Biblioteca de España which sits high in the mountains among a poorer neighborhood of the city, but has a beautiful view.  In the evening we took a bus to Armenia, about 8 hours from Medellín, and immediately caught a bus to Salento.

After resting for a while in La Casona de Lili (hostel in Salento) we headed out to Cocora to hike among the wax palms and up to Acaima, a hummingbird sanctuary run by an older couple who live quite seclusively in the middle of the forest.  We met some German travelers on our way back to the city and had dinner and a few beers with them in the "downtown" area.  Wednesday we walked about an hour to a coffee finca in the middle of the mountains where we toured the farm and were brought through the entire process from harvesting the bean to brewing the coffee.  It's amazing how complex the process is, and how different Colombian coffee is from that of the rest of the world.

Great experiences in both places.  I thoroughly enjoyed Medellín and was happy we were able to stop in "El Eje Cafetero" or coffee country to witness and experience the entire production of coffee in a country that is known for it.  Colombia is a beautiful country and we had some really unforgettable experiences there.  Thanks to the Bleier family for being such great hosts while in Bogotá, and everyone else that we've met along the way!

Below are some pictures from Medellín and Salento, enjoy!

Plaza de Cisneros

Parque de Pies Discalzos

Plaza Mayor- examples of some of the awesome architecture in downtown

Medellin Botanical Garden

El Peñón de Guatapé

View from the top

El pueblo de Guatapé

Went kayaking on the lake after seeing the rock

La Biblioteca de España

View from the library

Wax Palms in Cocora

Hummingbird sanctuary in Acaima

Not-yet-ripe coffee beans

Ripe coffee beans from an Arabic coffee plant- Step 1: harvesting the bean

Step 2: remove the skins

Step 3: let the beans dry

Step 4: Roast the beans

Step 5: Grind the coffee beans

Step 6: Brew the coffee

Saludos,

Travis