Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Ecuador you Take my Breath Away
“When I was but thirteen or so, I went into a golden land, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Took me by the hand.” Walter J Turner.
This beautiful view of the Chimborazo volcano brought this poem that I had once studied long ago in my school days to mind. I kept thinking the words were “Chimborazo, Cotopaxi took my breath away” perhaps that was because I was at 10,200 ft above sea level and breathless for more reasons than the view. This hotel was the highest elevation that we stayed at though we would climb to 13000 plus feet on our way to Quito for a glimpse at another beautiful snow-covered volcano.
Hower for today, we departed from Riobamba and made our way back through cloud forests and winding roads on our way downwards towards the Amazon Rain Forest.
Clearly Edward Scissorhands visited Ecuador at some point if this topiary is evidence of that visit. It needed some maintenance but was an interesting blend of fantasy and real-life characters and evidently a park enjoyed by locals.
What are the odds? a car show on the side of the road with people milling around enjoying the cars and the local cuisine.
These cameos that came up as we made our way towards the rainforest kept the drive interesting.
One of the challenges on long drives in Ecuador more than any other country that I’ve visited is the availability of rest rooms along our drive. We stopped at many gas stations that had limited amenities. We got used to jumping off the coach, grabbing toilet paper of the roll our tour leader had in his hand as we made our way to the facilities.
Our first official stop of the day was the Devil’s Cauldron waterfall but this twin waterfall outside of Banos came first and since the sun was shining and we were doing well on time, we made a stop here. There was a cage that allowed people to cross from side of the mountain to the other as well as ziplines. For a whopping $2 we got to do a roundtrip over the top of the waterfalls.
Our tour leader emphasized how this was a special stop for our group but interestingly enough a friend of mine who made this trip a few weeks before me also stopped at this location. Their guide also gave them the same spiel about them being special, etc. etc. It’s a great stop they should just make it a part of the itinerary so everyone can enjoy it.
The Devil’s Cauldron was a just a few miles down the road. As we walked along the path, it was interesting to note that we were actually walking above the fall and for the first time I got to view the neck of the waterfall where the flowing water is forced through a constricted path before cascading down in a powerful rush.
Heading further down the path brought us to the point where we stood next to the powerful gush of water watching it arrow down below us into frothing pools.
People did climb all the way down to the bottom after crossing a swaying bridge, but I refrained because I was afraid of slipping on the wet steps leading to the bottom most viewing platform.
As we made our way back up towards the entrance, many of our group was busy watching the World Cup but those of not sport inclined tasted some of the fruit and food that was available in the little stalls near the parking lot. I got to relive some more childhood memories and had a glass of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.
As we continued heading towards our night stop by the Napo River we stopped at a tribal village and got to appreciate how the women in the community are bringing in revenue through crafts like pottery and weaving and got to experience some of the native food and drink.
I passed on the worm like creatures which were spitted and cooked in front of us though a lot of people enjoyed them along with the local liquor.
Then we were on the river and got into the motorized canoes that would take us to our resort. Apparently, it was a feast day and there was a flotilla of boats that accompanied us decked with flowers and music blasting.
While the entire trip was fantastic, this stop was the highlight of the entire visit outside of the visit to the center of the earth for me. This was an opportunity to totally unplug, relax, enjoy the beautiful ambiance, not to miss the massage in an open-air hut over the river to the accompaniment of birdsong.
For the active amongst us there were jungle hikes, visits to butterflies, animal sanctuaries and chocolate making.
And of course, an opportunity to be Amazon princess for the day. The women in the group that went on the jungle hike came back with woven crowns they shared with those of us who did not go out to the hike so we could pretend and enjoy their rewards.
We saw a lot of food stalls especially pigs being roasted whole all along the way. We even got to make a stop at a local food court to watch them cooking some of the local delicacies fresh. Many in our group tried some of the food, fruit, ice cream and local snacks. Our guide from time to time introduced us to some of the local delicacies.
The country is so poor that many of these are delicacies for the locals that they can enjoy once or even maybe twice a week depending on the earning power and yet we often felt most of these fruits and foods were so economical when compared to what we pay here in the United States.
Lunch and a nature hike to enjoy local flora and fauna on our way out of the Napo River basin and towards Quito and the center of the earth.
Cloud covered mountains, bright flowers, birdsong in the air, no wonder people keep coming back again and again. It really is nature unplugged.