Next up was the Quilitoa Loop - an unpaved road about 100km long starting and ending in the town of Latacunga. The road winds its way through some beautiful countryside, passing several small villages, with the main sight being the spectacular crater lake at Quilotoa.
We got to Latacunga and headed straight to the tiny village of Zumbahua, famous for it's Saturday markets. The market was crazy - I have never seen so many people crammed into one space.
There were food stalls, hat stalls, dress stalls, blanket stalls, people repairing clothes on the street - everything you can imagine was being sold. Even this stylish piece of headwear.
There were also stalls selling chicken meals - each one had a pile of chickens on the floor next to it. At one point, I went to step over a pile and they started moving!
This area is very remote - there are two buses a day (if the driver can be bothered) - so the best option is to hitch hike from place to place. We got a lift over to Quilotoa, crammed into the back of an old man's truck, with Chilean & Argentinian backpackers, and an Ecuadorian family. It was a bit of a squash... We jumped out at the rim of the crater and ran over to see what the lake was like. I already had high hopes but I was absolutely lost for words when I saw the lake. It is the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. The water shimmers an emerald green and the insides of the crater plunge dramatically into the water.
We hiked around for most of the day and went down to the water. After returning to the top, and demolishing some chiken on a stick that a woman was selling on the side of the road, we tried to hitch hike to the next town, Chugchilan.
Hitch hiking is quite easy in Ecuador, but the driver usually expects you to pay something for petrol. The road to Chugchilan, although only 24km, is in very bad condition. It winds through the mountains and has given way in some points. For this reason no one goes that way and anyone who agreed to take us wanted $25. No chance. We therefore headed to the road and waited for the bus, which we were told "may or may not be coming through the town in two hours". After waiting for 15 minutes playing Schere Stein Papier (rock paper scissors in German - yes, we were that bored), we struck gold. The park ranger agreed to take us in the back of his pickup - for free!
The road was so dusty that by the time we arrived in Chugchilan we were completely covered, but the ride was so much fun that no one cared. We found a room in some one's house but weren't allowed to enter until we had been dusted down by the woman who owned it! Chugchilan is a tiny village with about 200 people set next to a huge green canyon in the countryside.
We spent the next day walking around the countryside and then waiting until midday for the 10am bus. The time was passed eating ice cream and talking to a crazy old man wearing an Invincibles cap.
The bus finally came. The next destination was Saqsili, home to an apparently amazing indigenous market. You probably noticed I said 'apparently' - it was Sunday, the only day of the week that the market didn't happen! We ate some cakes, walked to the town square (which was under construction) and hopped on a bus back to Latacunga. What an awesome three days!
It was time to say goodbye to Vitus as he was heading off to the coast. We said our farewells, promised to stay in touch and I joined the back of a very long queue to get on a bus to Quito....
The centre of the town square in Zumbahua.
Just about to head down to the water.
The lake is surrounded by nice plants.
Ridiculous emerald waters...it's colder than it looks though!
Beautiful countryside around Chugchilan.
OK, another lake picture!
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