There was one part worth noting: The Quilotoa Loop
If you're going to Ecuador and backpacking, this is the route for you.
James:
The Quilotoa Loop is a little off the beaten path. Some choose to hike the whole loop,
while others take buses or hitch rides with locals. We chose to start by bus from Latacunga. The road curves around switchbacks up
and down the edges of mountain sides for what felt like an eternity. The views are incredible for nearly the
entire ride.
We hopped off the bus at Chugchilan in search of the Black Sheep Inn. After realizing that
the town of Chugchilan was not very large, we strolled around and decided that it
wasn't worth the price. We booked
a room at Mama Hilda's for nearly 1/6th the price of Black Sheep Inn, and the
cost included breakfast and dinner (both of which were really good). It was cold that night, but there were
plenty of blankets to stay warm under.
After breakfast, we ended up getting a ride from a local up
to the top of the Quilotoa Crater.
What a view! The crater
descends a little over 900 feet (280-meters) to a beautiful lake. Once a massive volcano, it has remained
dormant for a long time. We forgot to reserve mules to ride back to the top before heading down, but it ended up being
alright as there was a lady stationed at the bottom who literally yelled up the
crater for people to send down mules for us. I ended up hiking out and got to the top just before the mules arrived with April and the others we met during the hike.
We hopped back into the pickup truck to continue around the
loop to Posada de Tigua - a bed and breakfast / farm.
The family who runs this place was extremely friendly and
giving. The second we walked in we
were given a bowl of amazing quinoa soup.
After settling into a room, we spent the rest of the day walking around
the grounds taking in the scenery, watching children round up the sheep and bring them back from the
pastures, watched llamas and the family dogs and cats play with each other.
I
learned how to milk cows and then, for some reason... I drank that milk immediately after milking it! In retrospect, that was quite a dumb decision but luckily I didn't get any crazy sickness. They actually use the milk to make all
sorts of foods, such as fresh cheese, cream, yogurt, butter and caramel.
The next day we caught a ride up the 2-kilometer driveway
from Posada de Tigua out to the
main road and waited until a bus came, which we eventually took back to
Latacunga. It was a great two day adventure full of good food, wild rides, and amazing views.
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