This was an arduous journey. In
Quito we took a bus to Latacunga And then we took another bus to Sigchos.
There, we took a pick up cab to Chugchilan.
The road is still under construction and it took us a while to reach our
destination.
We got a simple but spotless room
in a family owned hostel. We tried to
book it in advance, by e-mail, but the hotel was unresponsive. Later on we got
why, this is a very isolated area and the Internet signal is almost
non-existent around here. Until the very recently completion of a paved road
from Chugchilan to Quilotoa, this was one of the most remote areas in Ecuador.
And it’s certainly one of the most impoverished places as well.
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| Quichua lady |
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| El Vaquero Hostal |
Breakfast and dinner are included
in the $25 rate – what a steal. Food is
homemade, made from scratch and they use local products. Everything tastes
fresh and good.
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| Llappingachos |
The drawback is the cold
temperature At night and in the early morning it gets freezing. Rooms don’t
have heating.
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| 10,500 ft Altitude |
At first I wasn’t very excited
about the Highlands. The freezing temperatures and altitude sickness (altitude 3,200 mt or 10,500 ft) were a big
no-no. I am familiar with altitude sickness, I got sick before in Peru and
Bolivia. And it wasn’t pleasant.
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| Mountain cow |
On our first day we asked about
short hikes around the hostel area to get used to the altitude. We were told
about a trail that leads to a cheese factory in a village in the mountains
above. No map and vague instructions. The short hike turned out to be an eight
hours steep and painful one – on top of that I got a severe sunburn.
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| Gusumbinialto village Church |
After you climb the steep and
long path from the main road in Chugchilan to the mountains, there is a
crossroad a few meters away from a green bench and next to a green waste bin.
You have to turn right. The other way goes to a cloud forest. This took us a
while to understand because in our hostel they told us about a green house.
There is no such thing to be seen around here.
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| Donkey staked on the hillsides |
Then you have to walk for a while
until you arrive to the center of the village. And then you’ll go up on a hill.
Passing the tiny church, the cheese factory will be on the right side.
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| Small cheese factory using Swiss technology |
When we finally arrived around
noon, the factory was already closed.
We asked around but no one seemed
to know the schedule. If there is one.
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| Quichua women washing clothes |
Thankfully we bought a couple of
packed cheese sandwiches at our hostel. And we always carry some KIND bars in
every trip.
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| Hillsides at 12,500 ft |
The way down at first seemed
easier than it was. It took us long hours to get back.
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| Quichua people |
When we finally arrived I was
feeling under the weather. A warm soup,
hot tea and a good night’s sleep made me feel like new in the next day.
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| Donkey carrying wood |
What to bring: Dress in layers.
Long sleeved shirts to protect your skin. Sunscreen. Take with you plenty of water and some cereal
bars or fruits.
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