Saturday, September 26, 2009

From Ecuador



We left you last at Popayan. We departed to the national park of Purace. A two hour bus ride over mountainous dirt roads eventually dropped us at a crossroads called La Cuza de Mina (the cross of the mine). This is a junction with the "main" road, with the smaller road leading up the volcano and eventually to a sulfur mine high on its slopes. We hoisted our packs and began the short climb up the road to the park entrance. We met the park ranger, his family, and their two dogs, Negro and Conga. We explained to the park ranger that we would like to camp for the night and then climb the volcano in the morning. He was very helpful and showed us where to set up camp and explained the eccentricities of trail. The wind was strong all night and neitherAnika nor I slept well. We had pitched our tent under a three walled shelter and the sounds of the tree branches scraping against the roof and wall gave the night a dark ominous feeling. We started out climb a little after 7am the next morning and soon were leaning against a stiff wind. Clouds came and went allowing us to more fully appreciate the vistas when they revealed themselves. Anika was a strong climber and found herself frequently waiting for me. We reached the edge of the crater after about three and one half hours. The wind was blowing about 45 miles per hour and the temperature was slightly below freezing, maybe 30F degrees. We were immersed in clouds that were blowing by us with great speed, coating all the volcanic rock in a thin layer of ice. We tried to peer over the crater rim, but could see little. We were a little over 15000 feet at the crater´s edges, a new high for both Anika and I. Without a view there was little reason to stay and we soon descended out of clouds and had a scenic leisurely hike back to Pilimbala, the ranger station. We broke camp and hiked the two kilometers out to the the main dirt road. After some time we were able to wave a bus down secure a ride back into Popayan, were we got a much needed nights rest.

The next morning we were off again, catching an early bus to the
Ecuadorian/Colombian border town of Ipiales. This took 7 hours on a cramped bus filled adults, children, a large rocking horse, and plenty of salsa music. A quick shared taxi ride brought us to Las Lajas, the site of a famous church which we planned to visit in the morning. Apparently the image of the virgin appeared on the rockface overlooking the river and a church was build over the river and directly abutting the rock face. I wanted to look for the virgin´s image in the rock, but today the image is painted directly onto the cliff and gilded with 24K gold leaf, so there can be no confusion as to whether it is there or not.

The next morning
we crossed the border into Ecuador. There were no hassles from border officials on either side. We got our stamps, walked across a bridge and were in Ecuador. I feel somewhat more comfortable in this country. By all accounts Colombia has become quite safe in recent years, but I still have been unable to shake some of my preconceptions. It had been such a violent place so recently, I feel this part of its history was not far enough in the past for my comfort.

We are currently in
Otavalo, a small town famous for it`s indigenous heritage and the Saturday market. We are camping on the picturesque grounds of a hostel situated on a hill above town. At 10,000 feet the hostel is about 1,000 feet above the town and the views are spectacular. It takes about an hour to walk down into town. I am taking a break from the market to write this entry and it has been fascinating. We started the morning at the animal market, were every manner of domesticated animal is displayed, inspected, and bought or sold. There were crates full of ducklings, baskets of chicks, bags of kittens, piles of piglets, boxes of puppies, and much more. Every so often one of the animals would get loose and go running around the market. One large pig reeked havoc on tables, fences, ankles and calves; avoiding numerous lasso attempts and eventually making a run for it across the Pan America Highway with a number of locals in pursuit.

We have met many other interesting travelers. Last night we had beers with a German/Swiss couple at our hostel. They have been traveling for over a year. Going from India up through Nepal, into Tibet and then Mongolia, across to Japan and then onto Hawaii, from there to San Francisco where they purchased a motorcycle with a side car. They have driven the bike down from California through
Central America; then strapping it onto the deck of a boat they brought it from Panama down to Colombia. They plan to ride southern end of the continent and then ride a cargo ship back to Europe. People that this have good stories and good energy, it's quite inspiring.

Otavalo is a gorgeous place and we hope to spend a number of days here, relaxing and planning our next move. The beaches of Ecuador might be in order. We'll see and let you know.

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