Mar. 18-20 - Too tall for a mule, too heavy for a llama

After leaving Baños we headed to the town of Tigua on the Quilotoa loop (the Quilotoa loop is a popular circuit through the mountains that allows you to visit many different small indigenous communities and provides unparalled hikes through mountains, canyons and volcanic lakes. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in the Ecuadorian Andes). Tigua is less of a town and more of a collection of houses on the side of the road ... population 14. When we got off the bus we found the only place to stay in town was closed for a month, and the next place to stay was 6km away (the closest one for about 50km). The girl on the side of the road with whom we were talking offered to get her father to drive us down to the next hacienda. When he came down, it turned out he was Alfredo Toaquiza, the famous Tigua artist who has had shows all over the world and is imitated by artists throughout Ecuador (Tigua art is painted on sheep skin and portrays images of the Tigua culture). After dropping us off at Posada de Tigua, we assured him we would stop by his gallery the next day.

We happened to get the last room available in the hacienda. The Posada de Tigua, like most places along the Quilotoa Loop is an ecolodge. Before it turned into an ecolodge, this 125 year old farm was a dairy farm that no longer was profitable after the dollarization of the Ecuadorian economy (the price of one gallon of milk dropped by more than 80%). In order to keep the farm open, the family has converted it into an ecolodge. All the meals consist of food from the farm and they have created a lovely homey feel within the old farmhouse, complete with a large dinning room table aroudn which all the guests eat and mingle during meal times.

In the morning we had the most amazing breakfast (I’ve never had food as good as they provided at this hacienda) and then started on our way to Laguna Quilotoa. As bus service on the Quilotoa loop is limited, we were forced to start off on foot until we found a bus or car that would give us a lift. An hour and a half later we managed to find a bus (the third vehicle to pass us on the road) that took us to Zumbahua where we caught a cambioneta to the lake.

The Laguna Quilotoa is a volcanic lake that formed inside the rim of a volcano’s crater. Since there is no water entering or leaving the lake it creates a beautiful blue colour surrounded by jagged cliffs (don’t drink the water since it is full of dangerous minerals). There is a trail from the rim to the bottom and another that goes around the rim. We opted to go down to the lake. The hike down was fantastic but rather steep, so I opted to take a mule back to the top. This proved rather difficult as I was a little too tall for the mule and my feet kept dragging on the ground. At one point my guide asked me to get off the mule to let it rest. The ride up was rather interesting as the mule kept walking to the edge of the cliff before it turned around ... so close that I was actually hanging over the edge ... and the only thing I had to hold onto was the mane of the animal.

After getting off the mules, we started our walk back to Zumbahua. This walk followed the road as it wandered through farms, small towns and eventually around ravines. It was a magnificent walk that was enjoyed by all. Once back in Zumbahua we caught a bus back to our hacienda, but I got off early in Tigua to visit the art gallery.

It turned out that the gallery was closed, so I walked around town to see if Alfredo was around to open it up for me. In the whole town I could only find one person, who told me to go to the house next door to visit another artist. This house happened to belong to Julio Toaquiza, the father of Alfredo and the person who started the Tigua art form. After talking to him for a while I bought a painting and started walking back to the hacienda. Luckily I happened upon two of the family members who drove by and gave me a lift. They informed me that before dinner I would be able to try and ride a llama.

The hotel owns a few llamas ... some for protecting the sheep, and others for guests to ride. They put a blanket on some llamas and I climbed on the back of one and went for a ride, only to find out that the llama kept buckling and falling down. We thought this was because they were tired, but it turns out it was because I was too heavy. I had to walk back beside my llama. I was so tall that riding it was more like walking with a llama between my legs.


The next morning we left early in hopes of making it to Saquisilí, a town just north of Latatunga. (Interesting fact, Cotopaxi’s eruptions wiped out Latacunga completely, three different times over 150 years, and the town kept rebuilding itself at the same spot. You would think that after the second time they would move the town a little bit.) Saquisilí market is one of the most important in Ecuador from an economic standpoint. While you walk the streets you can tell how important it is as the market is everywhere you look. There are six main markets (one of which is only for potatoes) and the streets are filled with other shops. After we had our fill of the markets, we headed off to Quito for the afternoon and evening.