Quilotoa Loop
Sunday, January 28th, 2007We spent the last few days traipsing around Ecuadorian mountains. It was, however, somewhat difficult to traipse since we had to wear so many clothes. Who knew it gets so cold 4000 meters above sea level? Leaving Quito, we headed for Latacunga where it rained all day, but we didn’t mind because we got a hotel room with a TV for the first time in months and months and watched the second Harry Potter movie in Spanish. From there, we bused it to Zambahua, planning to take in a Saturday market and bus around what our travel guidebook called the “Quilotoa Loop.” We soon realized that this “loop” may or may not be the creation of Lonely Planet in tandem with hostels in Chugchilán (a town halfway around the loop). I mean, how can a loop exist apart from the context of some weird travellers’ discourse? However, whether or not this “loop” was “socially (re)constructed” or not, it was constructed for a reason (you know, like gender and race). And unlike gender and race and all other socially constructed spectral entities, the Quilotoa loop is gorgeous, so neither of us can see a downside to its existence. If we had more time, we would spend several more days traipsing around the constructed terrain, but alas we’re beginning to realize that our trip is over in less than two months (unless we change the date of our ticket home).
Apart from creating the lovely Quilotoa Loop, however, our guidebook proved practically useless when attempting to get around the thing. The book warned us that the only way to get around said loop was by getting up at 3 or 4am every morning and catching the only bus to the next town on the circuit. Thus, we felt very hardcore when deciding to attempt the journey. But, as it turns out, there were buses every hour or so all day long… so… there you go. Also, several towns are within walking distance (14 km or so) from each other. If we had known that, we may have attempted a tantalizingly beautiful hike to Chugchilán, leaving our ten books and pounds of coffee behind at the loop’s beginning. (I know, I know, why are we carrying around ten books and two pounds of coffee on our backs? We’re literary coffee snobs I suppose… even after this trip, no one will ever confuse us with real travellers who only need a pair of underwear, duct tape, and a toothpick to get by.) As it turns out, however, we made it to the highlight of the loop, Lake Quilotoa, breathed in some crisp mountain air, wandered around a market where pigs heads were sold, rode almost bareback on two horses up the sides of a volcanic crater, and truly enjoyed ourselves.
Now we’re in Baños, Ecuador, which looks like a small town in the Alps, complete with a Bavarian-looking cathedral and mountains in all directions.
-Las Dos
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