Ecuador 2022: Quilotoa

 Ecuador 2022

Quilotoa

The next day we headed out of Quito and our first stop was the volcanic lake of Quilotoa. We also drove through the Cotopaxi National Park.

The driving was occasionally, and mercifully, broken up by quick stops to take in views or shopping opportunities. The highlight of the day though was Quilotoa! Quilotoa crater lake is one of Ecuador’s best kept secrets. Tourists who are willing to set foot just a little off of the beaten tourist path are rewarded by views that will literally take your breath away....because it's high up in the Andes at nearly 13,000 feet. Quilotoa is a large volcanic crater with a mesmerizing emerald green lake in a typical indigenous community. 

Altitude affects everyone differently.

You can hike down to the lakeshore at the bottom of the crater, but it's important to remember that you'll have to hike back up as well. 

At the bottom we just looked around - no activities. It was chilly and we were on a schedule. 

When it was time to head up, Mike and Megan hiked it out. Nel and I decided to ride up on donkeys! I thought it would be a fun experience, but it wasn't as much fun as I had imagined as the donkey really struggled with my mass on his back and the guide didn't seem to be doing too much better if I'm being honest.

I swear I almost killed this poor little dude!

We all made it back to the top and I gave a huge tip to my ride. The area at the rim is mostly some small shops selling local artisan items and a few little places to eat.

I made a new friend.

One of the little stops we made on the day was this odd location that was just full of ice cream shops on the side of the highway. I have no idea why they were there - seemed completely random.

Look at the poster.

Ecuador 2022: Quito

 Ecuador 2022

Quito

In May of 2022, Branelle and I spent a few weeks in Ecuador.  We were joined by my friend and colleague Mike and his girlfriend at the time, now wife, Megan. In all my travels, I'd spent almost no time in South America and Nel had never been. We decided to try something else on this trip we'd never done - travel with a tour group!

Nel and I arrived a day ahead of Mike and Megan so we just headed out to do a little exploring before the tour group assembled. Just north of Quito is a small town crossed by the equatorial line and the tourist spot there is called Ciudad Mitad del Mundo - Middle of the World City. It was a beautiful day and a fun stop with lots of interesting cultural things to see and do and plenty of tourist centered activities as well.

After spending a few hours there and enjoying lunch (not Guinea Pig though - Nel wouldn't share it with me), we headed to one of the highest aerial lifts in the world - TeleferiQo. 

At the top you're at about 13,000 feet - above the clouds - and I was feeling it. I was in the worst shape of my life on this trip, and it made me rethink some things when we got back.

Altitude aside, this was another nice stop. The views are incredible and we just enjoyed some snacks and a little walking around before heading back down. Quito is already the highest capital city in the world at 9,350 feet, but that difference in a little bit of extra air helped when we got back to town.

On day 2 we found our traveling companions and the rest of our tour and started the organized part of the trip...which covered just about the rest of it. 

In the morning, we took a walking and driving tour of the city. This involved checking out some local markets and squares, etc. Our guide bought us some 'interesting' things to try. A bag of fruit that could feed 12 would cost like a dollar, which was as different as the fruit itself.

It was at this time that we became acquainted with our new home away from home for the next few weeks - our little Mitsubishi bus. I'm usually a self-drive guy, and avoid tours if possible, but I have to admit that I'm not sure I would recommend driving yourself around Ecuador. Our bus wasn't comfortable, but we also didn't have to worry about anything ourselves. 

 

The rest of the day was filled with taking in what Quito had to offer, which was a lot. We were escorted to a chocolate factory for an education and tasting and we toured the usual city-type places like cathedrals and squares. 

The rest of the day and evening we spent on our own. We hit some markets and had dinner and walked around a bit. We managed to find an homage to our friend Stephanie back in the states....probably.