Finally some hiking
Trip Start
Jan 17, 2005
1
3
56
Trip End
Oct 10, 2005
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Oltavalo, Ecuador
Monday, January 24, 2005
Saturday was a hike with Mo and her friends at Laguna Cuicocha. The lake is a caldera that apparently blew about 2,000 years ago. A couple of islands in the center made the place reminicent of a small, lush, grassy Crater Lake. The lake is also at the base of Cerro Cotacachi (4,944 m), as an added bonus. Mo did her best to get us lost, which seems hard to do since the trail essentially circles the lake. After a bit of bushwacking, we made back on course. Also noteworthy on this hike was that our group included myself and 4 women, perhaps the first and last time I will ever enjoy such a lopsided ratio on a hike. Or for any activity.
I spent the night at a local hostel in the hills surrounding Otavalo with some folks from the hostel. One of the most relaxing places I have ever been - hopefully I'll find more of these as my travels continue. Lots of hammocks for lounging. And listening to the nearby farms tend to their tasks such as making some pigs really uncomfortable. Sunday was another hike, this time around Laguna Mojande, near the hostel. Highlights included more pàramo scenery (the rolling grassland climate zone that seems to be the norm here above around 3,500 m) and a 10 km cab ride from the hostel to the hike up a pothole-filled cobblestone road. I was very excited to discuss with the taxista the 4 sentences I knew in Spanish. Yo estoy estudiar espanol en Quito. Yo soy de estados unidos. Otovalo esta muy bonito, etc. The lowlight of the day included one of my friends from the hostel getting violently ill on the bus ride back to Quito. The 5 others in the group who ate essentially the same foods as he were spared...
