Sunday: Since the strike was still causing problems with the transportation, we could not venture far from the city so we decided to go to Mitad del Mundo for an afternoon on a local bus. We got on the wrong bus first and didn't know where to get off. We were about to get off at a local market when a Spanish lady, no English, warned us that this was not a good place. She then managed to tell us where to get off to catch the bus we wanted. Ellen had an interesting conversation with a man on the bus. He did a lot of talking and she did a lot of nodding in agreement. Every one was smiling and enjoying the whole episode. As a rule we found the people very helpful and friendly.
Arriving at Mitad del Mundo we walked around and visited the exhibits in the main building with the globe on the top of it. This is quite a large area here with lots of restaurants and some entertainment going on most of the time.
We took the usual pictures with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern Hemisphere. We sat for awhile and listened to a group play typical Andean music. There was a little girl dancing to the music. She had picked up these bell shaped yellow flowers that had fallen off a tree in the square. She had put one on each finger and was doing a little dance.
The weather was cold and rainy but we were glad we had come. We caught a bus back to Quito and got off at the same area we had gotten on. Then we caught a taxi back to the house.
During this last week we finally got to see the work of Oswaldo Guayasamin
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Have found a few dramatic images on the internet but none of the ones in the main salon at the gallery in Quito. Go to this page to see some of his work "Guayasamin"
Go here to see a few paintings of Eduardo Kingman another famous Ecuadorean painter.
Things were still unsettled politically and wanting to make the best use of our time left in Ecuador, we arranged to do a couple of day trips through the Angermeyers travel agency. The first day we went to Papallacta which is popular for its hot springs. We were picked up at our house at 8 o"clock in the morning. We were the only tourist on the trip with a guide and a driver. On the way up into the mountains we stopped at a place where we got a great view of Quito down in the valley.
You can also get a good view of Volcan Pichincha.
We drove up into a reserve in the paramo and with our guide Pablo got out of the van and walked down the mountain for a way. The driver drove on down the mountain and waited for us. Another fantastic day of scenery. There is a big fish farm up in the hills which we were told was sponsored by the Japanese. We ate our lunch near a security building for the pipe line that passes through this area.
On the way back to Quito we stopped at the hot springs. The area was well organized with change rooms. We went into the pools, first the hot and then the cool. There were only a few people there and the water felt wonderful. We like to do things on our own but sometimes it pays to have a guide. On our own we would not have gone into the nature reserve that the guide showed us.
The next day we went to Cotapaxi which is about a two hour drive from Quito. It is the highest active volcano in the world.
Today we had a different guide, Jorje, and the same driver. On the drive to the mountain we stopped in a town where there was a magnificent bronze statue of Rumanhui, a famous Indian hero, by the artist Guayasamin.
We also stopped at a street stand where they were selling the tipico food. There are many vendors on the streets selling tipico foods. The main item is pork. The pig is roasted in an oven with the head on and these are displayed on the street this way. The pork is served on some kind of a corn tortilla with varied vegetables. We would like to have tried some but the risk of food borne nasties is too great. When you only have a month you don't want to spend it adjusting your gut to the environment. Seemed to be many fine looking bakeries also.
We entered the park and begin our journey up the mountain. Part way up the mountain there is a huge valley with wild horses and a small lake where we stopped and took a few pictures. Jorge had a pair of binoculars and showed us where we were headed to the refugio. We could just barely see it way up the mountain
After a steep climb up a winding road we reached a flat area where the van could go no further. From there it was a climb to the refugio on foot. There were two vehicles stopped there. One car had brought a couple up who were getting ready to bicycle down the mountain. The other man had brought his nephew and his son up to climb up to the refugio and was waiting for them. I was hesitant about going but Jorje encouraged me and we started up.
With much huffing and puffing and many stops just to get a deep breath I managed to walk the last 300 meters (approx.) to the refugio which is at 4800 meters.
It was very difficult and quite cold. Jorge kept encouraging me or I never would have made it.
On the way up we came to another man sitting on the mountain. He had started out with his son but had given up. But when we came along he decided to give it another try. He kept lying down every time he stopped. If I had done that I was afraid I could not get up again. The other man was Ecuadorian but had lived in the states for many years. He was very proud of himself when he made it. Although the altitude did not bother Jorge as much as it did me he was still struggling a bit.
I had to stop about every ten steps and then every few steps as we neared the top to get a deep breath and to slow my heart rate down. We were walking in about six inches of sand like material and then in snow as we got closer to the refugio, which made it even more difficult.
At the refugio it reminded me of the Himalayas. The snow and the vastness of the terrain. I love being up high like that. The innkeeper even looked very much like the Nepali people. This is where the climbers stay the night before they try to reach the top of Cotopaxi. It looks like a rugged climb up through an ice field. It can be very dangerous as there are crevasses. The other man wanted to buy us a drink and we sat and rested and talked in the refugio. Then I sat outside and just enjoyed the atmosphere for awhile and then started back down where Ellen was waiting. It was not easy going down either in the deep sand.
A final tidbit: On our last day we went downtown to the Banquo del Pinchincha to change some money . Ellen got in line and I went to sit in the lobby and wait for her. This was on the second floor of one of the major banks in Ecuador. There were lots of armed guards around. A lady came and sat beside me, very friendly but speaking Spanish. She got up and another woman sat down. All of a sudden she started pointing at my back and making faces. I reached around to see what was going on and got my hands all covered with mustard. I knew at once it was a scam but didn't realize who had done it. Then a man came over and offered to give me some toilet paper to clean the mustard off my clothes. Just happened to have a role of toilet paper in his pocket. He put the paper over on a table where I would have to get up and walk over to get it. I picked up my knapsack and Ellen,s coat and walked over to the table. Then the second woman came over and offered to help me by holding my things while I cleaned up. Then I realized these were the people who had done this to me. Luckily I had read about these scams. While you are cleaning the mustard off they take off with your things.
They were all well dressed and fit in with everyone else. I could not believe this was happening to me at first. If I could have spoken Spanish I would have told one of the guards. They disappeared pretty fast once they realized I was on to them. Anyway they did not get anything from me.
Other then the Galapagos tour the trip was very cheap. Transportation, hotels and food are quite good and so reasonably priced. There are many fine restaurants in Quito. A really good meal at a beautiful place for maybe eight or nine dollars. (American) Everything is priced in American dollars.
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