After the Galapagos, I spent the next several weeks in the sierra. Mom and I had a few last outings and I met up with some Fulbright friends a few times.
Otavalo, about two hours north of Quito, is one of Ecuador's top tourist attractions. For hundreds of years, people from more than 70 surrounding villages have brought their products to sell in the artisan, produce and animal markets on Saturdays. Mom and I made the trip north to check out the artisan market that sells everything from paintings and jewelry to textiles. Mom bought a beautiful gold necklace, typical of the indigenous fashion in Ecuador, and a colorful weaving of birds. I bought a knitted winter hat and a scarf.
Mom and I also made the obligatory stop at the Mitad del Mundo, about 20 kilometers north of Quito, where a thick yellow line and large stone monument falsely divide the northern and southern hemispheres. The "equator" at the Mitad del Mundo was first demarcated in the 18th century. In 1936 a monument was built and then replaced by a grander one in 1979, which was enclosed by an expansive village of shops selling ice cream and all kinds of souvenir trinkets. Since then, modern GPS technology has revealed that the true equator lies some hundred meters north of this location. Now there is a little museum that is supposed to mark the geographical center of the earth, but when trying to find our way there, Mom and I were told by a shop owner armed with Google Maps satellite photos that that is not the true equator either. We took pictures straddling the false line for fun and got out of there.
Oswaldo Guayasamin (1919-1999), a native of Quito, is Ecuador's most renowned artist. Reproductions of his paintings are sold in just about every market and souvenir shop in Ecuador. In 1995, Guayasamin began construction on a project called the Capilla del Hombre, a secular chapel honoring humanity. The chapel was not completed until a few years after his death but is now a gallery of art dedicated to the suffering of humankind and to the Latin American identity. Many of the paintings are dedicated to Latin American countries that faced dictatorship or war in recent history. This painting was inscribed to Nicaragua in 1986.
That first weekend after Mom left, I went on a short trip with a fellow Fulbrighter. We went on a small trek, part-way up Cotopaxi, Ecuador's second highest peak (19, 347 feet), and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. In recent years, Cotopaxi has been relatively calm but in the past few centuries, Cotopaxi has destroyed entire towns. On this day, I pulled on my warmer layers and climbed upwards to the
refugio in the picture at 15,780 feet. Summiting requires an early morning start in the dark from the there. Instead, we enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate at the refuge and headed back down.
We spent the rest of the weekend in Baños with a million other people. The thermal pools were so crowded in the evening that there was no hope for trying them out, especially with any satisfaction. We hoped to beat the crowds by planning a dip for 7 a.m. While the pools had space for us in the early morning, they were still very crowded.
A popular attraction in the Baños area is the route downhill and eastward from Baños to Puyo called la Ruta de las Cáscadas, or the Waterfall Route. Bikes are available to rent all over Baños for the cruise. Starting off was mildly terrifying, pedaling on the main highway along with every other car, truck, and bus that wanted to go east. However, after emerging from the first tunnel unscathed, we gained a little confidence and enjoyed the rest of the ride. Of course nothing is uneventful here in Ecuador and about an hour or two into my ride the chain fell off the sprocket of my bike. Luckily this problem is relatively easy to fix, even for me, and I was able to make it the rest of the 18 kilometers to the Paillón del Diablo waterfall where we went on a 30 minute hike to get a closer look and then caught the next available truck back to Baños.
Oswaldo Guayasamin (1919-1999), a native of Quito, is Ecuador's most renowned artist. Reproductions of his paintings are sold in just about every market and souvenir shop in Ecuador. In 1995, Guayasamin began construction on a project called the Capilla del Hombre, a secular chapel honoring humanity. The chapel was not completed until a few years after his death but is now a gallery of art dedicated to the suffering of humankind and to the Latin American identity. Many of the paintings are dedicated to Latin American countries that faced dictatorship or war in recent history. This painting was inscribed to Nicaragua in 1986. 
I love all the couples clinging to each other in the pools at Banos. Good thing that water is murky.
ReplyDeleteMorel is right - looks like everyone was divided into clinging couples in that pool. Is it always that crowded? Glad you are such a mechanic and LOVE those shorts!
ReplyDelete