Know the Place: The rest of my Ecuador trip: the Quilotoa Loop and Baños

The scene from the bus in the Quilotoa Loop.

The problem about only recording your trip in a travel journal is that it takes a damn long time to write everything by hand, and you may not have finished your thoughts by the time you get back to your regular life. And then you’re out of time to write it down then.

Lake Quilotoa

So I didn’t have time to note much after I left the jungle. As I headed back to the U.S., I rushed it all with a quick rundown so I wouldn’t forget what happened, but there’s so much I wish I had expanded on (the beauty of the Quilotoa…the kids who live there…my odd hitch-hiked trip from Quilotoa to Baños…karaoke that last night in Baños...joking with the bus drivers from Baños back to Quito). You’ll notice the dates correspond with my Trip Flashback for Ecuador.

Anyway, Ecuador is wonderful!

ANOTHER OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL

The Place: Quito, Baños, Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador

The Date: Feb. 21-25, 2008

Journal Date: Feb. 25, 2008

“Thurs, 21 – Left jungle and went to Quito. Arrived at midnight. Hostel didn’t have cheap dorm for me. I started to look for another hostel. Made it about 30 feet and came back. “Tengo miedo,” I said. (“I’m scared.”) (NON-JOURNAL MEMORY: In my defense, Quito is not the safest of places. A fellow traveler on the jungle tour had her camera stolen in broad daylight. Some guys on a motorcycle grabbed her camera strap and drove off, dragging her several feet before they managed to wrangle the camera)

Fri, 22 –I decided to head to the Q Loop. I needed change, though. But NO ONE would change a $100 bill and it was all I had! My bus was leaving soon and if I missed it I’d be SOL with Q Loop. After two banks rejected me, I burst into tears. I couldn’t even tell the guard what I wanted. When I tearfully asked the cashier for change, she made this clear: she’d change one $100 bill only. Made it to Chugchilan and had a boring night. (NJM: A tip for potential travelers: don't bring large bills.)

Sat, 23 – Beautiful pickup truck ride through bumpy Andes mountain roads. Went down to Quilotoa Lake and had exhausting climb back up. Opted not to pay for horses, even if it was a “bastante” distance remaining. Began hiking part of the crater and ran into some Andes kids who asked for “regalitos.” I even went into their shabby house to see what life was like, though the girl squeezed me for money all the way. I finally left, annoyed with it all, but when I turned both kids were waving. Can’t blame them for trying. Hostel man who I left my bag with tried to charge me a buck over agreed-upon amount. I angrily said no and he shook my hand. Ecuadorians confuse me. At top of lake begin chatting with driver of private tour for a bunch of older English people. I somehow stayed with them for the next 3-4 hours. … they bought me delicious ice cream in Salcedo and dropped me off about 15 minutes from Baños. Had dinner seated from a random friendly man and daughter and went to the baths, where a very young boy (teens) hit on me.

Sun, 24 – Had a short whitewater rafting trip, then cerviche and a fun bike ride with Greg, though he made me feel lame for relying on Lonely Planet so much. He left and I settled in for a quiet night. Looked for a bar/restaurante in which to write in my journal. Instead passed a karaoke bar. There went the quiet night. Sung “La Isla Bonita” and “Genio Atrapado” (“Trapped Genie”, AKA “Genie in a Bottle”). Went salsa dancing with William, an Ecuadorian who kept touching my hair and face and walked me home, but he never had a chance. Maybe his name wasn’t really William. (My journal entry from that night, 2/24: "In a bar. With karaoke. Later.")

Mon, 25 – Back to Quito to fly out. I only planned for the 4 hours the ride was to take. Began freaking out when mudslides appeared to cause delays. Asked the 2 drivers and ayudante about it and mentioned I liked standing at the front. Ayudante gave up his seat and I had a blast for the next 3+ hours chatting up the 3 men. Even got sarcastic in Spanish. What a way to go.” (NJM: The drivers and the ayudante were lovely. My Spanish is limited, but still we joked about all sorts of stuff, like me freaking out over whether I'd make it to Quito in time to catch my afternoon flight, and how they've had sex in the little bed behind the driver's seat where they take turns sleeping on overnight trips. Ah, raunchy drivers, I'll miss YOU most of all.)

What You Should Know: Transport isn't easy in the Quilotoa Loop. The milk truck and daily bus weren't running when I was there because of the recent rains. I teamed up with two other travelers and paid for a pickup truck to take us from Chugchilan to Lake Quilotoa, and then hitched a ride with a group of older British tourists. Otherwise I risked being stuck in Chugchilan for another day...and it was kinda boring.

More Quilotoa Loop.

The Peace Corp attempts to get people to use the bathroom (Quilotoa Loop).

Kids in the Quilotoa Loop, by Chugchilan.

Yes, more Q Loop. What can I say, it's pretty.

Sheep blocking the road for our pickup truck.

Lake Quilotoa

A girl bringing a horse down to bring up one of the many out-of-shape tourists who hiked down to the edge of Lake Quilotoa. They offered me a horse (saying the distance back was quite "bastante," or "enough") but I'm too cheap. And I wanted to do it myself.

A family who lives near a trail around the crater lake. The girl in red kept asking for "regalitos" and I gave her change and the rest of my loaf of bread. But after awhile I got annoyed and left. No hard feelings on her part.