Otavalo, Peguche and the Fiesta of San Vincente

From Otavalo and the Cascade de Peguche

Famous for its Saturday market, the largest indigenous market in the country, Otavalo is a market town and the center of indigenous craft making in Ecuador. It lies in a lush valley, about two hours north of Quito by bus, surrounded by small weaving villages. Peguche is one such village near a forest preserve with a waterfall as its centerpiece. Although there is much more to see and do in the area, we had decided to keep our trip simple: a short hike in the morning, followed by a visit to the market for some shopping.

We got up early to take a 7:00 bus to Peguche. As it was early, we walked down the hill to the taxi stand and caught a cab to the Terminal Terrestre. Our driver decided to take the scenic route to the station, milking the meter. Annoyed, we protested and eventually paid the normal price. We got on the bus and after a scenic, two-hour ride through the country, we were dropped off on the Pana (Pan-American Highway) at the cobble stone entrance to the village of Peguche, just north of Otavalo.

We had a hand-drawn map of the area and were told it would take about 40 minutes to reach our destination. Immediately we noticed a change from Quito: everyone in the street wished us “buenas dias.” Following our directions, we walked through the village, listening to the clang and clatter of machine driven looms housed in cement block sheds roofed in corrugated steel. At one such shed, we stopped to take a look inside. Inside of the shed, dripping with wool fiber, two masked men each worked a loom. Thus was laid to rest my perhaps ridiculous suspicion that Ecuadorian textiles were actually made in a huge factory somewhere in Asia.

A short walk up the hill from the weaving sheds led us to the entrance to the forest preserve. We were a bit surprised to have arrived as no more than 20 minutes had gone by since we got off the bus. This experience, coupled with what we had already heard hiking in the mountains, led us the conclusion that Ecuadorians will often grossly overestimate the amount of time it takes to walk between two points on a map.

After donating a small sum at the forest preserve office, we started up the well-maintained trail. The eucalyptus forest was enchanting in the early morning light and mist, as the distant thundering of the waterfall invited us to continue deeper into the woods. A short while later, we came to the absolutely stunning Cascade de Peguche. Crossing a short foot bridge in front of the cascade, we were blasted by a thick mist erupting from the foot of the fall. By the time we turned around to circle back to the village, the preserve had filled with groups of school children who would wave crazily whenever I would take out my camera and giggle and laugh whenever we would pass them on the trail.

From the forest preserve, we hitchhiked into Otavalo. This was especially fun, as we got a tour of the town standing in the bed of a pickup. Plus, the driver was kind enough to take us right into the market, another act of selfless kindness that left us feeling amazed.

We started off at the fruit and vegetable market, which was much the same as the market in Saquisilí. The main difference is that in Otavalo on Saturday, not only are the squares filled with vendors’ stalls, but a large section of the center city is closed to traffic and the streets are also filled with things to buy. Not only are there stalls everywhere, but vendors walk the streets hawking toothbrushes, sponges, and other sundries. After eating fritada in a small cafe for lunch, we headed for the textile market, where we planned on spending the rest of the day.

The Otavalo textile market is famous and for good reason. The selection of goods here cannot be overstated. There are woven and knitted goods of every kind and color. Sweaters, ponchos, hats, mittens, sock, as well as table cloths, tapestries, rugs, shawls and scarves overflow from the stalls. There are also leather goods, beaded jewelry and yarn (alpaca wool $1.00 per skien) in every color imaginable. All the goods are made of wool (alpaca, llama or lamb) cotton or synthetic. Mary and I have begun to suspect that many of the “alpaca” wares are in fact made from synthetic fiber, having burnt small test samples from a number of items we purchased. Still, they may blends, but this I find unlikely.

I also found haggling to be quite fun. Typically, I would offer about 40% of the asking price and would settle near 55% of the asking price. I knew when we we getting close, as they would except my price plus one dollar, asking me, “what is one dollar more? Not much.” They would laugh when I would say in the same pleading tone of voice, “But what is one dollar less? Not much either.” Their laughter I took to be a recognition that haggling was a game, the rules of which I was beginning to understand. I am pretty sure that with practice, I could get better.

After several hours in the market, it began to thunder, which quickly closed things down. We ducked into a bakery with our wares and ate a snack as the rain began to fall. Packing everything into a backpack, we walked to the bus station for the ride back to Quito.

The bus was hot and crowded and as we got closer to Quito, we continued taking on more people, until the row was filled with standing passengers. At one stop, a group of field workers entered the bus. There was a small girl sleeping in the seat next to her father, across from where I sat. The toll collector told the father that he would have to either pay the fare for his daughter, as she was taking up a seat, or hold her in his lap, which would wake her up. The field workers immediately protested to the toll collector, telling him to go away and leave the sleeping girl alone. Even though they had paid their fare and had a right to the seat, they would rather forfeit it than see the girl awoken. There is something really wonderful about being surrounded by such good people.

Back in Quito, we took a cab back to our house. We were surprised to see across the ravine a fiesta in full swing, complete with a Ferris wheel and other rides. After dropping off our things, Mary and I walked up the hill to the bridge and crossed into the barrio of San Vincente de la Casas. We were told that the fiesta was in celebration of San Vincente, the patron saint of the barrio. Young, masked men and people of all ages, all in traditional dress, were dancing to traditional music. There was a hot alcohol sale, if you supplied your own bottle, and lots of fritada and choclo con mote to eat. There was also a bamboo tower of fireworks. Mary and I ran back down the hill for a bottle and to tell Eve what was going on. When we returned, the tower of fireworks was in full swing, shooting sparks and billowing smoke into the crowd of onlookers. This was followed by more dancing and then a procession of the statue of San Vincente himself through the village back to his shrine. Eventually, the band began to parade through the street followed by the dancers. Finally, it began to rain quite hard, which ended the fiesta and so our evening in San Vincente de las Casas.

As it was raining during the fiesta, I unfortunately do not have any photos to share with you. However, if you would like to see a slide show of photos from my trip to Otavalo and Peguche, just go to my Picasa Web Album.

The Equator

As you surly know, Equator is named after the face that it lies on the Equator. So last Thursday, we decided to visit Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (lit. Middle of the World), which is about 45 minute bus ride north of Quito. Mitad del Mundo is famous because the equator passes right through the middle of the town.

We met our group at 8:30 and, after a nice walk through the city, we picked up a bus at Avenida América that would take us to our destination. It had been cold and rainy in Quito, but as we got closer to the equator, the climate became hot and dry.

Before visiting the equator itself, we wanted to see the Pululahua crater, a volcanic circus about five kilometers from the town. In contrast to the surrounding desert, the inside of the crater is relatively wet, the result of a local micro-climate. Pululahua used to contain a crater lake. Today, the lake is long gone, but the flat and fertile soil of the former lake bottom, coupled with the warm, wet weather typical inside the crater, left an area perfect for agriculture. As a consequence, the entire bottom of the crater is blanketed in small farms, which we were told, grow some of the best grapes and potatoes in Ecuador. We were also told that Pululahua possessed a special “cleansing energy” carried by the wind blowing up from out of the crater.

From here we traveled to the equator itself, or rather to the Museo Inti-Ñan. The museum, so they claim, lies squarely on the equator (GPS calculations have shown that the Mitad del Mundo Equatorial Line Monument does not) and has exhibits about Ecuadorian ethnography as well as experiments relating to the sun and the equator itself. The later, especially those demonstrating the Coriolis effect, were little more than slight of hand. To me this was disappointing and made me question the veracity of everything I had seen and heard at the museum that day. Still, the stories told were interesting: the Ecuadorians we spoke too all viewed the equator, much like Pululahua, as imbued with an “energy” all its own. And it was fun straddling the equator and taking photos with Eve, each of us standing in our respective hemispheres.

Los Ilinizas

From Los Ilinizas

Los Ilinizas are two separate peaks, formed from a single, now-extinct volcano. Iliniza Sur (5248m, 17,217 feet), the higher of the two, is glaciated whereas Iliniza Norte (5126m, 16,818 feet) is not, and for this reason it became our climbing goal for this weekend.

Author’s note: As the two summits are less than a mile apart and not that different in terms of elevation or prominence, I have trouble understanding why the one is so much snowier than the other. I guess it could be “rain shadowing” but I find this unlikely...

We packed our backpacks Saturday morning and left for the pueblo of El Chaupi, about two hours south of Quito, and the last stop before the Reserva Ecológica Los Ilinizas. We took a cab to the Terminal Terrestre and were dropped of right in front of the bus to Machachi. After buying some Chifles (fried banana chips) from a vendor who had hopped on the bus, we were off. When we arrived in Machachi, we told the bus driver that we wanted to continue to El Chaupi. After all the other passengers had gotten off the bus, the driver took us quickly through the town square, pointing to a bus that was leaving. Honking his horn, he swerved in front of that bus, blocking it in. Thanking him, we hopped off and immediately got on the second bus bound for El Chaupi.

In El Chaupi, we walked to a hostal where we were told we could hire a 4x4 to take us to the trail head. At the hostal, we ate an excellent three course meal while it rained and hailed. Given the wet weather, we decided that it would be better to pay $5 to stay in the refugio instead of tent camping in the rain. After lunch, the weather had calmed, so we loaded out bags into the 4x4 and drove off up the road. After paying the $5 park entry fee and an uneventful ride up a rutted dirt road, we arrived at the trail head, known as La Virgen.

We started up the trail at a little after two in the afternoon. We soon left the subalpine forest to gain the páramo, an apline environment of grass, wildflowers and lowlying scrub. We continued hiking and at 4200m (13,780 feet), like clockwork, Mary began to feel the effects of altitude. As our pace slowed we were soon committed to making the refugio, as we could not make it back to El Chaupi before nightfall. The drizzle had stopped and we continued climbing, taking in occasinoal views of Volcan Cotopaxi through passing windows in the clouds. At 15,000 feet, Mary and I stopped for a celebratory photograph. Though feeling nauseous, Mary was now higher than anyplace in the United States, outside of Alaska.

As night was coming fast and there was a bit of fog, we decided that I should go alone to find the refugio and drop off my bag. This way, we would not risk stumbling around in the dark and I could climb back down to take Mary’s bag. Fortunately, we were not more than ten minutes from the refugio and so I was able to quickly get back to Mary and Eve. I put on Mary’s backpack and, taking her by the hand, led her the rest of the way up the mountain.

We were greeted in the refugio by four Ecuadorian climbers. Mary and Eve, both exausted, climbed into their sleeping bags while I made soup. Eve found that she did not have much appetite at 4765m (15, 633 feet) and so only ate one bowl. Mary, still feeling nauseated, could hardly eat a thing. I finished the soup, did the dishes and then crawled into my own sleeping bag for the night. And the night proved long. No doubt due to the altitdue, sleep prooved illusive. I would doze off, stop breathing enough, and wake up feeling shaky and nauseous with a pounding headache. I would sit up, hyperventilate until my headache started to go away and then drift off to sleep again, only to repeat the process minutes later. This was coupled with being extremely thirsty, so much so that I would wake up needing to drink from my water bottle. Eve kept waking up as well so we could suffer together. At some point, the Ecuadorians awoke to climb Iliniza Sur. Though loud, this event barely registered with me.

Just before sunrise, I got up. I did not feel terribly well, but I was incredibly thirsty and had finished my water in the night. I pulled on my boots, took some Advil, and on shakey legs began to go about the buisness of brewing some tea. I headed outside to collect water and was greated by perfectly blue skies and views of the surrounding volcanos and the lush green valley below. Still feeling ill, but excited by the fantastic scenery, I ran back inside, put the water on to boil and grabbed my camera. I hiked up to the saddle between Iliniza Sur and Norte, snapping a few pictures on the way. Alone on the mountain, high above it all, I enjoyed a beautiful view of the world all to myself. This, I remembered, is why I love to climb.

Back in the refugio I drank a liter of tea and forced myself to eat some granola bars. My favorite flavor was a Kellogs All-Bran bar, as it had nearly no taste at all. I immediately put on more water and brewed up some hot, half-strength Gatorade. I knew I needed to eat and drink, but having no appetite at all, wanted everything I consumed to be a flavorless as possible. Feeling even better, I went back outside to take some more photos.

When I returned, I roused Mary and Eve with hot tea and Gatorade. Mary was feeling much better, but Eve was still feeling sick. Despite this, everyone was in a good mood.

Given the outstanding weather, and feeling better myself, I decided to climb Iliniza Norte solo. Mary hiked with me up to the saddle, while Eve watched from the refugio. I quickly climbed to ridge to the Paso de le Muerte, which despite its name was noting more than a steep traverse on soft snow. I climbed to an altitude of 5082m (16,673 feet), but could not find a route up the summit pyramid. I contunied to search, but it soon got foggy and so I decided that I should head back down to the refugio, having prommised Eve I would not take any unnessecary risks. Though I had failed to reach the summit I had succeeded in climbing above 5000m (~16,000 feet) for the first time.

Back at the refugio Mary and Eve had packed our bags. We left at around noon, hiking quickly down to the road to El Chaupi, where we arrived at around 2:45. We hitched a ride into town in the back of a pickup filled with a bunch of kids and, thanking the driver, ran to catch the bus back to Machachi. In Machachi, we caught a bus to Quito, from were we took a cab back to the house.

If you would like to see a slide show of photos from my trip to Los Ilinizas, just go to my Picasa Web Album.

Weekend in Mindo

From Mindo

Mindo is a small town about two hours northwest of Quito famous for its waterfalls, flowers and birds. More than 400 species of birds have been identified in Mindo and in 2006, it was voted Audobon's birdwatching capitol of the world.

For our stay in Mindo, we were fortunate enough to meet through a mutual friend Edgar and Manuela, who own a house in Mindo and generously agreed to let us stay with them for the weekend. This not only gave us an insiders guide into this otherwise touristy destination, but also forced us to speak Spanish all weekend long.

We met Edgar and Manuela at a trolley station in Quito for the ride to the North Station and a connecting bus to Mindo. After crossing the equator, we descended from the Sierra into the lush cloudforests that flank the western slopes of Pichincha. As we descended, the weather turned wetter and warmer and the vegetation took a remarkable turn for the tropical. After a short delay due to a landslide onto the highway, we arrived in Mindo at lunchtime.

Following a lunch at a local restaurant, we hired a pickup and headed out of town to the local fishing hole. Eve, Mary and I each caught talapia in small, stocked ponds using simple bamboo rods with heavy test tied crudely to the end. After about an hour of fishing, it began to rain, so we took the two biggest fish and sought refuge under a canopy at the outdoor bar, while drinking beer and waiting for our ride. There was an abundance of colorful hummingbirds at feeders and I counted at least seven different species from where I sat. Eventually the rain stopped and the pickup came and we all headed back to Mindo. That evening, Edgar, a chef by trade, transformed our meager catch into a mouthwatering feast, complete with rice and a salad.

The next day, Sunday, we got up early to hike to the cascadas (waterfalls). We wanted to beat the afternoon rains, so after breakfast, left the house at around 8:00 am. After a walk through town, we hitchhiked up the mountain from where it was a short walk to the entrance to the park.

Cultural Note: Nearly all the land in and around Mindo is privately held and for this entrance fees must be paid if you want to explore anything off road, which would include the river and waterfalls.

After paying the entrance fee, we headed down a steep path, through a cloudforest of ancient trees, sweeping vines, over-sized ferns and banana trees, into the river valley below. The river was quite beautiful, full of rocks and overhung with lush vegetation. There were numerous small waterfalls streaming down the steep sides of the valley and evidence of recent landslides was plentiful. Eventually, we made our way to a developed area, where small pools for bathing had been constructed from concrete. There was also a 9 meter (30 feet) high diving platform above a narrow and deep section of the river, as well as a tobagan (water slide) down the steep side of the valley wall, into the swift current below. Ultimately, Eve was the only one courageous enough to dive into the river, Mary and I preferring the slide instead. We spent a good deal of time swimming here before heading back up the trail to the entrance. We all noticed that after spending so much time at over 3,000m (10,000 ft) at our house in Quito, the hike here, up steep terrain but at the relatively pedestrian 1300m (4200 ft), felt relatively easy.

It soon began to rain, so we caught a ride back down the mountain and into town. We bought groceries for dinner, which again, thanks to Edgar, was excellent.

The next day, we split ways. Mary went to the Mariposaria (Butterfly House), Eve worked in the internet cafe, and I headed with Manuela to see some more hummingbirds and then to the centre de rescate (animal shelter). The centre is not normally open to the public, but Manuela (who is a bit of a naturalist) knew the owners, so we could get in. Housed there are numerous species of exotic birds, monkeys, snapping turtles, dogs and other Ecuadorian mammals previously unknown to me, that have been rescued from pet owners around the country. Many of the animals are eventually re-released into the wild, but some, having grown too accustomed to humans, and held until suitable homes can be found, usually in zoos. Though the birds were incredibly beautiful and entertaining, repeating "hola" whenever we would walk away, I found the howler monkeys the most intriguing.

We all met back up at the house, at lunch, and then headed for the bus back to Quito. After an equally beautiful ride, we arrived, perfectly on time at 4:00 at the North Station. We took the trolley back into town and said our good-byes to Edgar and Manuela. Thus ended a wonderful trip to the magical town of Mindo.

If you would like to see a slide show of photos from my trip to Mindo, just go to my Picasa Web Album.

Mercado Indigene de Saquasilí

From Mercado Indigene de Saquisilí

Yesterday, we visited the pueblo of Saquisilí, located about two hours south of Quito. We went there to explore their indiginous markets, that are reputed to be less "touristy" than those in Otavalo.

We got up early and met our group at 7:00am in front of the Spanish school. We boarded the bus and left at about 7:15. On our way, we traveled through southern Quito and then down the highway, past Cotapaxi National Park, arriving at around 9:00 outside the village.


Our first stop was the large animal market. There, one can buy pigs, llamas, cows, sheep and goats. Although I saw no horses for sale, there were horses around and I assume that they can be purchased here too. I'm not sure what they cost in the U.S. but, in Ecuador, a large sow runs about $220.


Next we headed for the food market. Here one can find vegetables and fruit of all varieties, as well as fresh fish, chickens and "cuyes" (guinea pigs). The variety of fruit is simply astounding. There are at least five different kinds of banans, multiple types of limes, oranges and grapefriut, two or three types of plums, dates and many fruits I had never seen before.


After sampling some of the local fare, we headed off to the textile market. Here there were sweaters, hats, gloves, mittens, shawls, table clothes, runners, blankets and panchos in a rainbow of colors. Most were woven from local wool or cotton. Eve bought a muticolored woven table cloth for $12 and a large 100% wool blanket for $13. We are beginning to wonder if we won't simply leave our clothes here upon our return in order to make room in our suitcases for more of these luxurious and beautiful items.


We then headed off to a small tortillaria which served, of course, tortillas. Tortillas in Ecuador have little in common with their Mexican or Spanish cousins. They are a patty of corn flour and queso fresco (a sort of sour mozarella), about the size of a quater-pound hamburger, all fried in oil. With a little hot sauce, they are delicious. We finished our snack with pinapple slices, which likewise were mouthwateringly good.


On our way to our last stop, the ceramics market, we strayed into another fruit and vegetable market. Even after an entire morning, I was still still amazed by the sheer number and variety of things to eat that I had never seen before. The selection of fruit here cannot be overstated. As for the ceramics market, unfortunately, we arrived a little late and most of ther ceramics had been packed away. Still, we saw a few and also got to see many more fruits, cheeses, meats and vegetables.


The last things worth mentioning is the Quechua women in traditional dress. I don't have too many photos to show what it is like, as the Quechua do not take kindly to foreigners photographing them like articles in a display case. Suffice it to say for now that the hats, scarves, skirts and necklaces are all very beautiful and extremely colorful.


If you would like to see a slide show of photos from my trip to the market, just go to my Picasa Web Album.

Ruco Pichincha

From Ruco Pichincha

Yesterday, Eve, Mary and I set out to climb Pichincha, the volcano that walls in Quito to the west. We intended on climbing Guagua ("wawa") Pichincha, which is the highest summit on the massif.

We left for the taxi stand at around 7:00 and rode to the "Teleférico" that would take us up to an altitude of 4,000m. Initally, we were a little alarmed when the taxi driver told us that the Teleférico was closed on Sundays until 10:00 am. This was in contradiction with our guide book, which gave the opening time as 8:00. We arrived at the base of the Teleférico and the taxi drove away. We were the only people around, except for a guard. After perhaps fifteen minutes a family from Quito arrived. This calmed our fears considerably. One by one, the employees began to arrive and, when asked, informed us that the Teleférico did indeed open at 8:00.

Cultural lesson 1: The phrase "abierto a las ocho" means that the employees show up and start opening things up at eight, not that they will be ready for business then. As such we did not get on the Teleférico until about 8:45.

We arrived at the top of the Teleférico at about 8:50 and set off on our chosen route to Guagua. After climbing for about an hour, and feeling the effects of the altitude, it was time to leave the trail and head for the first pass. The going was tough and we were moving quite slowly. Eventually, we met a group of Ecuadoreans and when we asked if there was an easier way to the pass, they informed us that there was not, that the route we intended to follow would take us at least two days, and that we would need a guide. (This I still find hard to believe as the route is only 11km and gains only about 700m.)

Cultural lesson 2: Ecuadoreans seem extremely prudent. They are constantly warning us of danger lurking everywhere.

Not wanting to tempt fate, we decided to heed their warning nonetheless and instead climb Ruco Pichincha, another summit on the same massif with a clearly defined trail and lots of traffic.

We bushwacked back up onto the trail and took a break. Mary decided that she was feeling ill from the exertion at more than 4200m (14,000ft) and so decided to sit out the rest of the climb.

Eve and I continued up the trail and along the way, we fell in with a Swede named Simon, who had likewise left the remainder of his party behind. At around 2:00, following many rest stops, we made it to the summit, which my GPS showed to be at an altitude of 4707m (15,443ft). After a brief lunch and some pointers from two Canadians, with whom we shared the view, we started back down the mountain. The going was quick and things began to fog up as we approached the terminus of the Teleférico. There was met Mary and said good-bye to Simon, before taking the tram back to Quito.

All-in-all a good day out and a personal altitude record for the three of us.

To see a slide show of photos of our climb, check out my Picasa Web Album.

Update (4/4/2009): Despite what the IGM maps say, everyone here says "Ruco" and not "Rucu." So in deference to the local population, I have changed the spelling throughout the blog.

South America Recap

Well we have been in South America for awhile now and quite a lot has happened. Briefly, we arrived in Lima, where we stayed with Joel Angulo, in Callao. After a few days, we took the bus to Quito, via Piura, Peru and Loja, Equitor. We stayed at a hostel for a few nights and began taking Spanish lessons at the Pichincha Spanish School. Recently, we moved into a house on the western edge of Quito, up on the volcano at an altitude of 3074m (10,085 ft).

A bit more about the "casa" in Quito... It is two stories, has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry and a terrace. Everything in the house is brand new, from the kitchen sink to the beds and linens. There is a bus that passes every few minutes to go into town ($0.25) and the "barrio" of Las Casas is quiet and safe. It is still hard for me to believe that we are getting all of this for only $320 per month. To see it from space, click here.