Drive to Cuenca

It was an early start this morning.  Breakfast was at 7am ready for a 7.30am departure for Cuenca.

The scenery was stunning as we climbed through the mountains, especially when we passed the spectacular Tungurahua Volcano.   Unfortunately, it was too hazy to get decent photos.  The land all around is obviously very fertile - every square metre was given over to growing something.  There were also lots of milk and egg production facilities.

After a couple of hours, we stopped for toilets.  Soon afterwards, we got stuck at a police check for over an hour.  We've no idea what it was for!

We drove through rural areas where many people were wearing traditional dress.  We also saw lots of guinea pigs on rotisseries.  Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of them. 

After a lunch stop, we drove on through a very bare, dry landscape.  The mountain sides were completely devoid of trees.  Deforestation is a huge problem in Ecuador, with the main drivers being shifting agriculture, oil industry expansion, and mining. Since the 1970s, the oil industry has cleared over 1.6 million acres of rainforest for roads, infrastructure, and colonisation. The loss of forests significantly impacts the environment, including causing soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and water scarcity. It also affects the livelihoods of local communities that depend on forests for their survival, including indigenous peoples.

It was a very long, slow driving day, particularly after the sun went down.  We finally arrived at our hotel (Hotel las Americas) at 8pm.  Some of the group were going out for dinner, but we got settled in and had an early night.Read more