After the very wet day we got brilliant sunshine in the morning and were able to see the hacienda we had stayed in and its wonderful surroundings.We cycled amongst the most beautiful mountain views, passed indigenous villages, grazing alpacas and children walking miles to school. The day much easier than the previous one.
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| Carrying fire wood and all precious possetions |
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| A happy Blanca |
We arrived in Quilotoa with enough time to go for a walk in mist and to chat to a local artist who told us the stories behind his paintings - the legend of princess Toa who fell in love with a condor and flew with him above the Quilotoa lake. He also told us his own story, married at 14, six children and full of hope for the current president's policies in relation to indigenous people.
The following morning we walked right to the bottom of the crater to the lake. The photos don't do it justice, it's absolutely incredible. When you think that such quiet peaceful place was an erupting volcano once it makes you think of life extremes' . We went mad taking photos. So you have to look at some.
Walking up was an adventure in itself. They are building a path to make it easier to get to the bottom of the crater and health and safety is , what shall we say? Not a priority. To get the big stones that make the sides of the path, they just throw them down the side of the crater, pretty hairy if you are going up seeing these big things like enormous projectiles coming towards you! What stops them getting all the way to the bottom are those nifty wooden barriers - very clever. What was great was seeing women working on the path alongside men and ever so stylish too with their velvet skirts, gold jewellery and hard hats.
After a last look at the Laguna off we went to Chuigchillan .
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| Barrier stopping the stones rolling down the side of the crater |
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