The 1st Days in Ecuador

¡Hola!

Llegué a Quito ayer. Quito es una ciudad moderna y muy impresionante. Es rodeada de montanas y volcanes altos. Sin embargo, esta muy nublado en este momento y no puedo disfrutar la vista mucho.

No me voy a quedar en Quito mucho tiempo ahora. Mañana, voy a salir temprano para visitar las islas Galapagos.

Aqui estan las ultimas fotos de Colombia y las nuevas de Ecuador.

Guy

“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” - Unknown

27 novembre 2010, Ipiales, Colombia

Today, I got to Ipiales in bus. It's about 5km from the border with Ecuador. I visited the town on foot this afternoon. It feels so different from Pasto, poorer and rougher possibly. I also feel like I'm looked at differently, in a more negative way. I'm told they are lots of robbers around the hotel and to be very careful. I think I'm also in the spot for hookers. And they seem to make fun of me every time I pass by. I'm a gringo muy solo this Saturday night. Luckily, there was hot water in the shower and there is a French movie on cable TV.

28 novembre 2010, Tulcán, Ecuador (5km)

I got up early to visit the sanctuary and also decided to cross into Ecuador today. I calculated that a few hours to visit would be sufficient, and that, since I had nothing else to do for the rest of the day, I might as well get on the road, even for a short distance. Ipiales doesn't have much and I found it depressing.

However, Ecuador didn't want to to let me in. At least, not before 17h00. Once every 10 yrs, Ecuador closes all its borders and counts its habitants. Well, today was that day. I got to the border before 10h30 but had to patiently wait until 17h00 to be allowed in. By the time everything was in order, it was almost 18h00 and dark. I took the "buseta" to Tulcan, the 1st town in Ecuador, ~16km from the border. This town is known for its cemetery which I plan to visit tomorrow.

29 november 2010, Otavalo, Ecuador (64km)

Gunter and I went to visit the cemetery in Tulcan this morning. This cemetery is famous for its sculptures in cedar trees. Gunter is a young man from Germany that I met yesterday while waiting for the border to re-open.

I then got on the road ~10h30 when it was hotter and not ideal for climbing hills at >3000m. I finished the day in the back of a pickup truck that stopped when it saw me walking the top of a hill. I then took a bus for the last 25km from Ibarra to Otavalo in late afternoon. Ibarra is relatively large and uninteresting city while Otavalo is a marvelous little place which is famous for its textiles and crafts, and where natives still speak Quichua at home. Otavalo is also surrounded by beautiful mountains, lakes and small friendly villages. I liked Otavalo and its people as soon as I got off the bus.

I was planning to rest tomorrow but my neighbours in the room beside convinced me to sign up for a tour tomorrow. I'm not actually sure what we're going to visit.

30 novembre 2010, Otavalo

The tour was actually a climbing excursion to El Cerro Fuya Fuya, a 2-peak mountain at 4300m. My 1st incursion at >4000m altitude. Breathing took some getting used to but there was a mix of people in the group and the pace was quite reasonable. The view from the top was mostly clear and unbelievable.

I also visited the town and its market in later afternoon. A fun day.

Tomorrow, I'm leaving fro Quito by bus. I'd like to stay here but I'm getting short on time.

1er decembre 2010, Quito, Ecuador

Llegué a Quito temprano esta tarde. Después de almorzar, fui a una agencia de viaje para arreglar las detalles de mi próximo viaje.

Estuve un poco triste de dejar Otavalo. Posiblemente, voy a regresar mas tarde. En pequeñas ciudades, necesito poco tiempo para sentirme confortable y seguro. Hay 1.5M habitantes en Quito. Hay mucho trafico y smog también. Voy a necesitar algunos días para conocerla.

Sin embargo, estoy muy excitado sobre el proximo tramo del viaje.