Colombia boarder crossing

Colombia crossing

 

After many small panic attacks over my plans I finally made a choice. Over the past three days I was regretting buying a flight from Quito to bogota. At first it seemed like an amazing idea. Skip the 30 hour bus ride and get an hour plane.

However, as I've mentioned before I really enjoy bus rides and seeing the countryside. When you look out of the window you get to see all of the small towns and not tourist stops. Life bustles by and landscapes you pass are pristine and gorgeous.

With much consideration I decided to not get on my flight, lose the money, and see southern Colombia. 

I have been in a bit of a leave but I can tell you now I am soooooo happy for this choice.

Packing our things we started as a group of 15 and headed to the bus station. Immediately I knew how annoying it was soon going to be to carry around a five foot rain stick everywhere. To get it in a taxi I have to stick it in through the seat and down. I acquired a very good technique for this quickly.  Andrew never stopped complaining about it and was insisting that he would break it before the trip was over. 

The bus ride was enjoyable with beautiful landscapes passing by. Ecuador is such a beautifully diverse country in such a small area. Every time the bus stopped people jump in and out of the bus selling things. I'm still not exactly sure how anyone can make money selling gum pieces all day. I love these people! They offer everything from gum, candy, drinks fresh fruit, chicken legs, and who knows what but I love the street food. 

To get to Colombia the bus drops you about a five minute ride from the border. We had to get a taxi. It was comical as a group of 15 gringos, backpacks in hand, and the boys smoking stand in the side of the road. This is even more so because some of the boys we were with were super tall. At the border you have to get stamped out, walk 100 yards through no mans land, and stamp into Colombia. Needless to say it is a cheap but long process to get from Quito into Colombia! But with that I entered Colombia and my 43rd country!

Otovalo

Otovalo

 

Every Saturday Otovalo turns its streets into a massive walking market. They sell everything from cows, to purses, to shoes, to guinea pigs.

 

Our first stop was to have a beautiful view of one if the lakes and volcanoes.

Next we stopped at the local animal market. This place was crazy. All around people sold animals in the dirt road and park.  

 

They sell it all. I mean every type of animal. Cows, pigs, guinea pigs, ducks, roosters, and cats. You name it. It was pretty bizarre to see half of the people walking around with some type of animal dangling from their body.

 

Guinea pig is a very common dish and speciality so there were bins of them for the picking.

 

The chick boxes were so fluffy and cute.

Next stop was a musicians houses. We learned about the different types of flutes in the surrounding country. Then we got to learn how to make our own flutes from scratch! I'm pretty proud of my flute that I made! I loved this stop so much and the family was unbelievably musically talented!

I thought it was a brilliant idea to buy a five foot rain stick. It's been about a week since I bought it and it's been through many taxis and bus rides. I slinky regret the decision but it'll be worth it if it makes it home!

 

Finally we made it to the main market. The streets were closed and covered with booths selling everything. I bought a poncho to use as a blanket and pillow on the bus!

I ate lunch with a Canadian at a stand that proudly displayed the pig they were serving.

 

The final stop of the trip was in the evening at the real equator. Here a guy taught me about different facts about the equator and the earth. Overall it was a very good day!

Quilotoa

Quilotoa

 

One thing that I inttended to do that I missed was Quilotoa. I decided to give it a miss since we were going up to the Amazon and the crater lake was more towards banos. After seeing more pictures I knew I had to see it! Jess, Kirsty, and I decided to get s taxi to take us since all the day tours were full. A two and a half hour drive away we found a taxi to take up there and back for 80 dollars. That's cheaper than the tour!

Once we arrived at the crater the taxi began to argue that it took longer and now he wanted 160. Yeah right! This trend seems to be happening more frequently. I have no problem paying a price but I do not like being taken advantage of just because they think I can afford it. It can get a bit frustrating. We argued for about ten minutes before getting out of the taxi and going to the crater.

 

Absolutely stunning!

 

The Craker lake is an old volcanos that exploded a long time ago and now is home to a perfect circle of blue and green vibrant waters. 

On the walk down to the bottom the dirt and sand collected in our shoes. Some people slipped and fell on the loose ground. About halfway down we ran into two llamas.

 

Obviously I had to take a selfie with them!

Kirsty was scared of them. I told her not to be because they are generally friends. I don't know if it was her lack of confidence around them or what but the one put his ears back and started to come after her. I could not stop laughing.

Near the very bottom there is a cliff that shoots straight down into the water. Sitting in the edge and looking over gave you extreme views of all blue and green.

 

I had to do my iconic pose on the edge of course!!!

Not only was the water beautiful but so were the rocks that made up the crater. The jagged edges and peaks the surrounded the water made the scene even more stunning.

Hiking back up to the top was going to be a struggle. Little did we know but we were at 4000 meters. Not extremely high but enough to take your breath away. We tried to get horses to take us back up. But right before they would get to us someone else would snag them up. The other two girls were really struggling. When we finally came upon two horses I told them to go and I would hike.

I think I needed some solitude and away from some of the negative energy. The hike up was rewarding. Every time I would look down I'd have great views. There were some points I took the straighter and more difficult route. It was actually really fun. I found a precipice that I sat in for about ten minutes just enjoying the view and seeing how amazing nature can be.

Close to the top the horses caught up, yeah I was actually faster than them, and the girls looked miserable. They said how uncomfortable they were. Glad I walked!! But first I had to take a selfie of me walking and them on the horses.

Our driver took us back down and we agreed to pay him 100. We didn't totally give in but weren't going to give him what he wanted. Back in town we met up with some more friends from mancora and the boys. We all went out in the new town of Foch to eat. While in Quito I had stayed at three different areas. This last one was clearly tourist and gringo centered. Many even referred to it as Gringolandia!

After dinner we went to pack for the next days adventures. I realized my shoes were at the other hostel across the city. I wanted to take a taxi but thought better of it. Quito has had so many stories of muggings. Multiple people have been held at knife point on this trip when they were alone or out late. One girl had been held up by a gun. I decided my boots were not worth it and I could possibly consider going early the next morning if I could get someone to come with me.