Scenic Landscape Tapestry

Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador
And Brennan continues the blog (with some added insight from Grandpa)...
The breakfast menu was the same as yesterday but the added "special" was that we got a peek at the peak -- Cotopaxi finally showed itself! Brennan played with the puppies until we left for Laguna Quilotoa. Today's driver was Franklin who also doubles as one of the chefs. He was the one who created that wonderful cake.
We were kinda crammed in the back seat of a small extended cab pick-up and by the end of the day, it really felt cramped! 
The tour was estimated to be a three-hour drive that took us back in the North Entrance of Cotopaxi NP and out the South.  The South entrance is only a few kilometers from the Pan American Highway and is the main entrance to the park. It serves as the park headquarters and is made up of several buildings.
Cotopaxi was showing itself nicely and we got a few good snapshots of the towering volcano as we drove through the park. While we were passing the Volcano, we went through a cloud or two which was pretty awesome because it went from total invisibility to blue skies and it just went back and forth between the two.  
This was a long day of driving so Alex had time to explain many aspects of Ecuador. We learned that oil was the largest economic driver followed by banana exports, agriculture, fishing and tourism, kind of in that order. He further explained that oil production had almost totally shifted to Chinese control. The wealth in the country was controlled by a dozen or so families. For example, if you bought a Chevrolet, one family controlled the market on that make of car.
Back to being a tourist, after leaving the park we got on the Pan American Highway. We were heading straight south on this six-lane highway, down the middle of a wide valley. 
We exited at Pujili exit. This is a town known for dancing, particularly the sun and moon dance which happens when the sun is at its highest point, which for the Ecuadorians is their New Year. There are statues throughout the town depicting these dancers.
From Pujili we began the steep climb back up into the Andes on mountainous switchbacks until we got to the small village of Tigua where they are known for their carved and painted masks and paintings. The paintings mainly depict the tapestry-type landscapes surrounding the village, the volcanos, the Laguna Quilotoa and images of the locals in their daily life. G&G got a mask of a cuy (guinea pig) and one of the paintings. The central focus of their painting is Cotopaxi and Laguna Quilotoa. 
The steep mountain sides were a tapestry of small fields of various crops. If the hillsides had not been tilled, sheep or cattle grazed, usually under the watchful eye of shepherdess in local attire -- brimmed hat, shawl, skirt and colorful stockings.  
Much of the rural houses were single or two roomed, windows often without cover, chickens in the yard and a cow or two tethered. Up close, this lower standard of living showed that Ecuador is still a second world country, at best. Alex actually said it was still a "Banana Republic".
With all of that said, this was some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen. It was just a lot prettier looking across the mountainsides rather than up close and personal.
The next stop was at a small local park at the Canyon de Rio Toachi. It may not be the Grand Canyon but was spectacular in its own right. 
The rest of the drive to Laguna Quilotoa was at an elevation that turned the mountainous terrain to nothing but high grasses.
As you approached Quilotoa, the first thing that jumped out is the new and active construction. Alex told us that this is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Ecuador. The construction seemed to be dominated by hostels, restaurants, and gift shops. 
After parking, it was only a couple block walk to the lookout over the most spectacular emerald green crater lake. 
From the thirty eight hundred meters, the steep descent is nearly four hundred meters to the shoreline. It appeared that most of the tourists walked down but rode a mule back up. The mules were led by local people in their traditional dress. We enjoyed our lunches on a large rock overlooking the lake. We did have a begging dog join us for lunch, but after ignoring her for ten minutes, she left looking for other victims.
The term "it's a small world" took on a new meaning. Brennan recognized and we said hello  to two kids and their mother from his Snowshoe, WV ski team. They were riding up on mules and we were headed down. There was no way those mules were going to stop and chat. The last words from the mother were, "we'll see you this winter"!
The ascent back up was a challenge because of the altitude and steepness, but we made it after several rest stops.
As we got in the car to leave, the blue skies turned black and we drove a short distance through a hail storm, with rain most of the way. We pretty much deadheaded back to Hacienda los Mortinos.  Except for a few 'hop out of the car' pictures.
The highlight of the return was learning at about 4:45 that Cotapoxi's south gate closes at 4:00! If we couldn't make it through, it would mean an hour plus detour to the north gate. 
Thank God for Franklin! Franklin knew one of the park rangers at the south gate and after about 10 minutes in the headquarters building, he came out with a big smile and we were through!
It was raining and the car windows were fogged up so there was no sightseeing, but we were at the Hacienda at 6:00 rather than 7:30. 
We played Scrabble until dinner, Brennan was the winner. We are pretty sure the meat we had for dinner was corned beef in a mushroom gravy, actually quite good. However, Alex, knowing Brennan was very opposed to eating Guinean pig, told him that what was on his plate was guinea pig. Brennan was pretty sure it wasn't, but not 100% sure!
The bad news was that Alex told us he would be leaving that night, along with Carlos and his Uncle Pablo. These were the only ones with at least a working knowledge of English. For that reason, we worked out our bill, which was quite complicated with: room, tours, meals and drinks. After about 30 minutes, it all worked out with what we had figured ourselves. 
Another long but great day!

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2025-02-17

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