All posts tagged: quilotoa

Quilotoa Loop Pt 4: Lago Quilotoa

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The bus from Posada de Tigua to Zumbahua picked us up on the side of the mountain road (remember to flag down) and was only $1. We would have had to wait for a connecting bus to Quilotoa, but our newly developed devil-may-care attitude had us seeking another private driver. Our new driver was very humble, so much so that he turned down our offer of letting one of his 3 family members sit with us. Instead they sat crammed in the front row of seats in his truck. We pulled up to the gate, paid our four dollars to go to the caldera and our driver drove us right to the entrance. He charged us $6 for his services, then off he went. The trek to Laguna Quilotoa is very windy and there is so much dirt and loose particles, that you will get something in your eye if you are no wearing glasses. We were fully prepared for this as Tena suffered through the previous night with an eye ailment. I was equipped …

Quilotoa Loop Pt 3: Chugchilan to Tigua

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The final leg of our route is pure ascent to Laguna Quilotoa. Bekah and I felt pretty accomplished and decided to skip this leg and take a bus to Tigua instead. El vaquero claimed the bus left the town square at 2, a townsman claimed it was more like 3:30 and a girl in a shop said there was no bus. Not wanting to be in the middle of town with our gear, we decided to take a private driver who charged us $5 each to ride in his black Mazda truck with a plastic tarp over the bed of his truck to protect any additional travelers he scoped up along the way. Alas, we were off. Unbeknownst to myself, I gave Bekah the only seat with a working seatbelt. I was glad I did because we both feared for our lives and had she not had a seatbelt, she would have demanded to be let off that death-ride. We constantly switched between lanes of a mountain highway, probably spending 40% of our travel on …

Quilotoa Loop Pt 2: Inisinlivi to Chugchilan

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Our Hostal volunteers started with us on our journey from Isinlivi to Chugchilan. We went separate ways after 30 minutes or so of hiking. They were great company and inspired us to one day take a month off and work Llullu Llama. Starting our on Hostal would be our happily ever after. So now about the hike. Just like day one, the first leg of the hike is downhill. There are so many breathtaking sights on this trail, we recommend you do not skip it. We constantly stood in amazement at the beauty nature produced. Aphrodite herself would have been in awe. The hike takes between 4-6 hours and the details Llullu Llama provide are perfect because they let you know exactly when you are about to ascend. Bekah and I took refuge before our great climb at a log bridge with one handrail. We waded in the water, ate a snack and watched local kids, from ages 2 to 8 walk across the bridge. Now it was our turn. I filmed our walk and …

Quilotoa Loop Pt 1.5: Hostal Llullu Llama

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Llullu Llama was phenomenal and exactly what we needed after our miscalculated hike. We took a quick tour of the grounds, then crashed on a couch in the common area, only to be greeted by two Frenchmen, a Dutchman, and a game of cards that they did not now the name of. They Frenchmen stated it was to be called “slip”. The premise is to have the lowest value of cards. You start off with 7 cards, you can only draw one, you may only discard one card, unless you have a pair, triplet, quadruplet, or straight suite of cards. Before your next withdrawal, you call ‘slip’ and if you have the lowest value, you acquire no points. We drank, had discussions about bread and cheese (with the French there is no winning) then went to dinner, where we had copious amounts of food and the discussions continued. It was great talking about football, especially with the French who have so many rising talents. Dinner was sublime, the best food we had while in Ecuador. …

Quilotoa Loop Pt 1: Latacunga to Sigchos to Insinlivi

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1 of 5 posts from our 4 day trip around the Quilotoa Loop. Only have video of Day 1 so watch for updates when we figure out how to embed them! We departed the comfort of our first airbnb early. Caught a very kind taxi who took us to an ATM on the way to the Terminal Quitumbe.  There are no ATMs on the loop and all hostels are cash only. The ATMs were fairly easy to use but on busy streets so use some caution.  We would say the same for taxis. It was explained to us on our first day that most taxis are safe but there are varying levels of official.  For the most legitimate look for taxis with green stickers with their ID number and a red “seguro” sticker. Then before you get in,  confirm they will use their meter,  check for the safety cameras in the back as well as a comforting yet concerning red panic button.  If anything feels uncomfortable, you can always wave them off. We did not …