Quito: Days 5 & 6, Ecuadorian Countryside and Quilotoa Lagoon

Laguna Quilotoa: A former volcano, now a beautiful lagoon, Quilotoa is about 2-3 hours outside of the city, depending on traffic. My new friend Juan and I left late Saturday night to spend the night in Latacunga, allowing us to have Quilotoa more or less to ourselves early the following morning. We left the highways behind us in the night time, and in the morning found ourselves in the rural countryside, surrounded by stunning views of mountains and volcanoes, and MANY of them. We drove past rural-dwelling Ecuadorians farming, walking animals, and riding to work in the backs of trucks, taking selfies and looking at us. Ate a tasty egg breakfast in a small town nearby. Jumped up from the table when we heard drums and trumpets, the sounds of an impromptu song and dance celebration on the street. Briefly joined the local church service.

The drive there was half the fun. Juan said the farmland makes the landscape look like it has been painted. The thoughts and sights here are only two parts of the experience. There is vast life lying at the base of Ecuador's jagged, steaming volcanoes and snowy mountains: The fresh cool smell of grass, rock, and farmland; wide smiles shaded by stiff wool hats, the strange sound of Quechua, the language before the Spaniards came that is still spoken in the country; small houses tucked into mountain valleys, evidence of Ecuador's wonderful project to provide the homeless building materials for houses. It is a wonderful place!

Steaming Cotopaxi, an active volanco:

About 2-3 hours drive outside of the city, the view of Laguna Quilotoa is simply a gift from nature. There's no need to climb anything to get to it; it's a 5 minute walk from a small town. Far off in the distance, you'll see the north and south peaks of Mount Illiniza.

To kayak in the lagoon however, you must descend steep hills for about 20-30 minutes. And you know what that means! Climbing back up too! But don't miss the chance to watch the Illiniza peaks disappear, the lagoon grow larger and larger, and stand in the depths of this beautiful former volcano.

The climb does look intimidating from the middle of the lagoon:

With each step I took on the way down, I anticipated the difficulty of its reverse. My expectations were overblown. I think as long as you're in decent shape (and have acclimated to the altitude), it's about an hour's steep climb up a winding, somewhat paved path, but no more difficult than working out at a moderate to high intensity for an hour. However, we did see some huffers and puffers struggling. No fear, these beauties are here to help!

But with your spirit invigorated, greetings from locals scattered along the way, and of course, the VIEW when you take a break and turn around, it's more pleasure than pain. And maybe you'll get lucky and get a farewell kiss from a llama!

Tips: Go Early! It gets cloudy in the afternoon. The earlier the better. We were hiking down by 9, kayaking by 9:30, and back up before noon.

Map: We stayed in a small hotel near Latacunga, and ate breakfast in Zumbagua. Quilotoa was a little over an hour from Latacunga. Also on the map below: Mount Chimborazo, which thanks to the height added by the great width near the ecuator, is the highest point on Earth!