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.
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