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  • TravelerEcuador
    3
    1
    Day 43

    otavalo

    July 9, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The day after our party in Quito, we said goodbye to Elea and hopped a bus to Otavalo. Otavalo is a city known for its wonderful handicraft market, as well as it's Crater lake, which houses 4 active volcano peaks! These were the highlights of our trip and when we adrived at 3:00 pm, we were excited to get going, however we needed food first. Ecuador loves pizza, so we decided to get some from a place with a wood oven! Unfortunately it was almost unbearable to sit in the resturaunt, as the ovens chiminey was blocked. In the end we got undercooked, soggy pizza that was a bit disappointing. Abandoning our original plan to check in at the hostel before going to the market, we just headed straight over since it was due to close in an hour... There I found gifts for important people, and some for me :). We then lugged all of our treasure over to the main road where we waites 40 minutes for a bus... We finally made it to what google said was our hostel to be greeted by darkness and not much else. we were close to giving up when finally the hostel owner explained that this run doqn, center of town building was just the reception, and the real hostel was a collection of rooms and cottages about 8 mins away.. we were so hungry however, so we asked them to hold our bags while we went into the small town square to get dinner , which was wondeeful as there was a celebration for Saint Juan happening with fireworks and a band.. it was awesome.. finally we made our way to the hostel with the help of the owner, and we were greeted by 8 dogs, 2 kittens, 1 alpaca, and cows, chickens etc. We got our room and chilled out for a bit, before going to bed to prep for tommorow :)Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    1
    Day 41

    Quito

    July 7, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    this weekend we took a trip to Otavalo, with a 2 night stop in the capitol of quito on the way. Quito was what we expected of a. big city. got in very late the first night and uber eats’d McDonalds. what a comfort we take for granted at home 🤣. After we went to sleep and woke up bright and early the next morning to go ride the TeleferiQo, a 2000 m gondola ride from the outskits of quito to one of the highest points in the surrounding areas... What a veiw! The altitude was a whopping 14000ft, so we of course we're all somewhat suffering in some way, despite this though, we enjoyed the beautiful veiw of quito (which is huge) and got to swing at the highest point. There's a 40 km trail from the TeleferiQo, which we would have loved to hike, but unfortunately didn't have time. After we walked around and did some shopping, getting any imported or rare goods we couldn't get in our small city of Guaranda, and went home for a nap before going to party. After the nap Elea and I met up with Kamila at a cute little cafe/ restaurant with a beautiful veiw of the city... We enjoyed a beer, but with the price per bottle being set at $4 per beer, we opted to instead go back to our hostel and indulge in the bottle of Rum we had brought with us, initially thinking it was tequila... Embaressing to be corrected by another hostel goer... Regardless, alcohol in our system, and new friends made we split the cost of a taxi to the party district where we initially tried to go to a gay bar, but were turned away for lack of ID from a member of our party. We ended up at another club which didn't charge anuthing. And thankfully because of our rum, we didn't need to pay for any drinks. This is where it starts to get fuzzy for me, but I remember it was a great time, despite having a hard time getting home 😳Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    1
    Day 35

    last 2 weeks photo dump

    July 1, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    ok, to sum up my last two weeks, the paro raged on for 18 days total, finishing 2 days ago. during which we walked 10 hrs total to see a really beutiful waterfall, partied hardy once the paro ended, and today, we went to see the sunset at 11000 feet :) overall a good but exhausting two weeksRead more

  • TravelerEcuador
    3
    Day 22

    Paro Nacional de Ecuador

    June 18, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    The past five days have been tumultuous across ecuador, with nation wide strikes and protests by indugenous politican group CONAIE and other unaffiliated groups. The conflict had even reached the small village of Atandahua, where all cars and modes of transport have been blocked off, meaning no trucks to deliver fresh water and gas for the stove. this of course isnt an issue, weve been boiling water and using the traditional outdoor fire stove! food is not somthing we miss, as we live right in a farming community, veggies, pork, eggs, cheese are all accessible from good neighbors, and if we really need a beer or somthing, its only a 1hr walk into the town of Guanujo, where some shops remain open against the demands of the Paro. Im living through history and its really incredible… im not in any danger, as the problems of the people arent blamed on us gringos :) we help watch kids while parents help with the road blockade, and we are safe. its a beutiful thing to see so many people cooperate under one goal, and I admire the morale and dedication of the protestors.Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    1
    Day 15

    Baños dia 3

    June 11, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Woke up early this morning to see Lujan to the bus station, then promptly went back to bed until 10. breakfast was Chorizo, potatos, and piña juice!
    after breakfast, we were interveiwed by some English students from Ambato about our travels in Ecuador. as a gift they gave us a handmade statue from their schools art program. Our plan today was to rent ATVs and see the Pailon de Diablo, or, the waterfall of the devil, the largest in Ecuadors Ruta de los Cascadas. after about 30 minutes of bartering we got an ATV fo 2:30 h for only $50. It took a moment to get used to the controls, I almost ran over some pedestrians on the sidewalk, but I soon realized it was just like the moped I rode at uni. we made our way to what we THOUGHT was the ruta de las cascadas, but was infact a foot path down to the river which the ATV was not meant to access… after some help from a local we got the ATV out of the ditch and rode it back to the main rode where we eventually found the parking for the Pailon de diablo. we made the 30 minuite hike down to the waterfall, drank some “‘medicinal Snake Liquor” and finally made it to the waterfall. you know how you see other people who have made a mistake and think “i wont make that same mistake”? well, we saw about 100 people walking up the path totally soaked and figured we’d be different. flashforward, we were DRENCHED! I had to take my pants off because they were so wet (I <3 boxers). we made the long hike back, and got into our ATV and made it back to the city, however, ended up being 20 mins late and having to pay another $10 because of a funeral procession :0. after, we rushed to find out where to book Katja for Bridge jumping, which is exactly how it sounds but with a bungee cord, scary as hell there was no way Id be doing that. then we got some EXCELLENT indian food and went clubbing, getting back at 2:30 am, id rate the day 10/10! very fun!Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    Day 14

    Baños: Dia 2

    June 10, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    today was a busy one! wake up, get breakfast and head over to the tourism agency, where we reserved our space in a 1/2 day rafting tour on a river with class one to six rapids (big). after an hour long busride to the take off point, and another half hour safety talk, we were off! huge rapids but no body in our raft fell off or capsized!! when we finished, lunch was included (muy rico)(that means delicious). after which we took the bus back, and rested up for a while while we waited for a tattoo artist to get into town to tattoo us, since it was Lujans last day :,(. anyways, at about 7 the artist was ready for us and we all got tattoos that were meaningful to us. our plans to go clubbing afterwards were busted by the final tattoo being finished around 12:30 am. :(. regardless, we got a nice enough dinner at one of the only restaurants that were still open, finishing our day with goodbyes to Lujan who would leave for Colombia at 6:30 am the next day. an overall very rewarding day!Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    121
    Day 13

    Baños dia uno

    June 9, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    this morning me, katja and Lujan woke up at 4:00 am, hopped in a taxi by 4:45 and were on our way to baños via bus at 5:15 am. 2 hour ride to our bus change in riobamba, where we got a hearty breakfast of fried chicken and papas (potatoes). we made friends with a street dog who we named Pizza Hut, and then hopped on the bus to Baños, another 2 hour ride, this time we got to watch a movie: into the wild! after the movie we arrived in Baños, checked into out Hostel, grabbed a beer and went Ziplining/climbing. after we went to the spa, where we got a steam bath, and me and Katja got a massage. it was wonderful. after katja and lujan took a nap while I looked for a cheap phone charger (unsuccessful the charger didnt work :( ) we spent a bit at the rooftop bar, and met some other americans! then we got dinner at a burger place (delicious) and planned on taking a quick 30 min nap before headinh out to the most popular bar here in baños, unfortunately, this was unsuccessful, as we all fell asleep for the night. maybe tomorrow?!Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    Day 12

    Parade for Santo Pedro

    June 8, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    with our recycled candleholders, and trashbags at our side, all of us at el terreno made our way into Guanujo for the parade de saint pedro. A celebration of light where people all carry candles. our theme was Going Green, so we picked up trash along the route. after participating in a dance battle we were set free and given free reign over the party. I ate some fried rice with an empanada con azucre. they also served a drink made up of sugar, cinnamon, oranges, pinaple and parajo azul (a local liquor which tastes a bit like black liquorish and smells like bananas) which is served in recycled 1-2 L bottles for around $2. I was so tired after dancing. we arrived back at the casa communal at midnight, ready to get on the road to ecuadors Adventure sports capital Baños at 5:30 the next day! more to come from bañosRead more

  • TravelerEcuador
    1
    3
    Day 9

    una fiesta del communidad

    June 5, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    it was the first anniversary of El Terreno, the voulenteering organization I work with, we hosted a huge party for the whole community where we exhibited what we did and how it impacts the community. I was incharge of the camp fire, and the fireworks (maybe they think im a pyro). everything went super well, and everyone had a great time!!Read more

  • TravelerEcuador
    1
    1
    Day 8

    Guanujo for laundry

    June 4, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    a trip to guanujo for laundrey. for 24 items of clothes; $2.50 theres a beutiful river on the way. and a
    bannana salesperson with maybe a billion bananas. I got Mexican food for dinner, saw a beutiful sunset, and the final photo is of a mural that says “nature belongs to everyone” in spanish, a local andean dialect. and Kitchwa, the local indigenous languageRead more

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