Riobamba (San Pedro de Riobamba)

My Lonely Planet guidebook describes Riobamba as “…an old-fashioned, traditional city that both bores and delights travelers.”

My experience here has been both delightful and disappointing.  It has been delightful in all of the city parks and the joy that they bring to the people of Rio.  This has been obvious from my sitting and people watching.  Many times, while I am sitting and relaxing, I have been joined by a local person who begins talking with me first in Spanish and then English.  The people are curious about why I am in Ecuador and what I have been doing while I have been here.

It also seems that there is a market/mercado every few blocks.  I have had many enjoyable and tasty meals at these markets for the princely sum of one to two dollars.

My disappointments may seem trivial to some but I really wanted to visit the Museum of Natural Sciences to see their archaeological displays.  I also wanted to visit the Rio Central Bank Museum to see the gold collection they are supposed to have on display.  In my time here I was only able to visit the interiors of two churches, neither of them being the cathedral or the basilica.

I stayed at Hostal Oasis which is about a four block walk to the center of Rio.  I was assured that I could walk safely in this town day or night.  I have.  The travelers here gather on the patio to relate their days’ activities.  This exchange of information is invaluable to me in planning my next activities and places to go and see.

Rio sits almost in the shadow of the Volcan Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador.  Ecuadorians claim this to be the highest peak in the world, if you measure from the center of the earth, because of the earth’s equatorial bulge.

Parque Maldonado is the center of the city.  It is home to Santa Barbara Cathedral and the Alcaldia or City Hall.  The marble at the base of the statue honoring Pedro Vicente Maldonado is polished shiny by the rears of the many children sliding down over the years.  One man told me how he had, as a child, slid down the same marble as his children were now doing.

Parque La Libertad is the park nearest to the hostal.  The Sacred Heart Basilica is across the street from this park.  The basilica is supposed to be the only round church in Ecuador.  I cannot say as I have never seen the interior of the church.  The park always seems empty except for the few children who may be playing soccer/football or marbles.

Parque Sucre is another park which always seems to be teeming with activity.  The Neptune fountain and university are the highlights of the park area.  Teatro Leon looks as if it may have been the place to go in its day.

In my many wanderings around the city, I discovered the bullring, the train station and Parque 21 de Abril.  April 21 is the city’s date of independence.

As I have said, Mercado La Merced, Plaza de la Concepcion and Plaza Simon Bolivar are home to markets either daily or weekly.  Plaza de la Concepcion is home to the Saturday tourist market.  On other days the plaza sees little activity.

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu, an Irish writer, wrote, “No one likes a straight road but the man who pays for it, or who, when he travels, is brute enough to wish to get to his journey’s end.”

Ambato (San Juan de Ambato) and Banos (Banos de Agua Santa)

September 23 marked my two-year anniversary of travel.

Ambato was my first stop south from Quito.  The guidebooks and wiki did not offer a lot a hope for fun and exciting things to do here.  Thus, with low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by what I did see in Ambato.

Ambato as a city was founded in 1698.  Almost all traces of its colonial past were erased by an earthquake in 1949.  Everything you see today has been rebuilt since that event.

I stayed at a hostal near the downtown center of the city.  I was less than excited about my accommodations.  It is only fair to add that I was told by a lady, as I exited my taxi from the bus station, that the area was dangerous and that I should not be there.

I now attribute that comment to maybe a lack of tourism in Ambato.  At no time did I feel in any personal danger as I walked around the downtown area for two days.

I found three parks which were in close proximity to each other.  Park Cevallos, Parque Juan Montalvo and Independence Park were all nicely treed and being used by the local people.

Parque Juan Montalvo was probably the most distinctive and could be considered the central park of the city.  It was here that the cathedral was located.  The alcaldia and the Juan Montalvo Museum were also located around this park.

From Ambato I headed to Banos, the adventure capital of Ecuador.  It is here that they offer rafting, mountain biking, zip lining, bungee jumping and other such activities.  Me, I was more interested in seeing the many waterfalls in the area.

Just to show that I have an adventure side of me as well, I dared to stay at a hostel named Erupcion Hostel B&B, yes that is the Spanish word for “eruption”.  The hostel is located right in the heart of Banos.  At this time, breakfast is included in the price and it is a very tasty breakfast.

Park Palomino Flores is the central park in the city.  It is also here that the clock towered alcaldia is located.  There is also a waterfall, Cascada de la Virgen, located within three blocks of the downtown area.

I opted for a bus tour of the waterfalls, rather than the mountain bikes which were the other option.  I was impressed.  We saw El Agoyan, Manto de la Novia (bridal veil), and Pailon del Diablo (devil’s face) all within the eighteen km (11 mi) bus ride from Banos.  The visit to Pailon del Diablo would have been worth the trip by itself.

I had been hoping to get a clear photo of Tungurahua volcano to show you.  It is an active volcano and it was belching its steam while I was taking this photo.

Susan Ornbratt, the Canadian author, wrote, “…the longer she had lived away, the more she realized that nowhere became home…though everywhere had.”

A Return to Parque Nacional Cotopaxi

As luck would have it, and I am indeed lucky, I won a free night at Secret Garden Cotopaxi in a Pub Quiz which was held at Secret Garden Quito.  You say that I had just been there?  You are correct but would you refuse a return trip to a paradise?

When I was there a week ago my knee was still tender from my slipping at St Agustin and I had been using a cane to aid in my getting around.  That is the price I pay for seeking out all of the sights that I can see as I travel.  This time, I have been walking around Quito without my cane, I would not face the same restrictions on my activities.

The day that I arrived at Cotopaxi we were experiencing less than ideal weather.  The people who had intended to climb the volcano to the glacier that day reported that they had encountered knee-deep snow and more was falling.  They were unable to reach the Refugio Jose Rivas resting point which is at 4,864 m, 15,953 ft.

On the next day, the hikers reported that they had reached the refuge but could go no higher because of conditions.  A short while after they had returned, the weather began clearing and I signed up to hike up the volcano the next day.

My patience was rewarded with an absolutely beautiful day and I was able to hike to the glacier which is at over 5,000 m, or more than 16,500 ft.  My hike ended at a crevasse in the face of the glacier.

The climb up and down the volcano is done on a lahar field.  This makes for a very soft and cushioned descent for the knees but not the easiest ascent on which to make good progress up the volcano.

I felt exhilarated that I had completed the hike to the glacier and consider this one of the many highlights of my travels.  Notice that I didn’t say a trip of a lifetime because I would probably be a cat with nine lives by this time.  LOL

Lailah Gifty Akita, the German professor and writer, wrote, “Everywhere you travel to, be fully there.”

Quito (San Francisco de Quito) and Cotopaxi (Park Nacional Cotopaxi)

I have been lazing the last two weeks between Quito and Cotopaxi.  My knee is fully rehabilitated from my little slipping incident at St Agustin, Colombia.  I will return to Cotopaxi to enjoy some the trails and hiking of which people spoke so highly while I was there. The views from the hostel area in Cotopaxi were stunning.  These photos were taken one clear morning.

I cannot speak highly enough of Secret Garden Hostel in both Quito and Cotopaxi.  The staff, cleanliness, accommodations and food have been very good at both locations.  It is a pleasure to stay here.  The patio of the hostel, on the roof above the fourth floor, and at an elevation of 2,827 m, 9,225 ft, provides a panoramic view of the city of Quito from the Basilica and cable car to statue of the Winged Virgin on El Panecillo and beyond.

The Plaza Grande or Plaza of the Independence is a large treed and friendly place in the center of the Old Town.  Here you will find the Cathedral, Alcaldia and the Presidential Palace.  Quito was one of the first two cities to be named Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1978, along with Krakow, Poland.  I was able to visit the interior of the Presidential Palace by showing a copy of my passport information page at a booth which then issued me an entry ticket with a scheduled time about fifteen minutes after I first showed up at the booth.  As a foreigner in Ecuador, this procedure certainly is more welcoming than that which a citizen in the USA faces when trying to visit the Capitol or White House in Washington, DC.

No visit to Quito is complete without a visit to the Mitad del Mundo or Middle of the World, the equator, near Quito.  There is the monument erected at the line determined by a French Geodesic Mission in 1736 and the line determined by GPS about a hundred meters away.

One of the most stunning churches which I have ever seen is located in Quito.  It is the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus.This  church, built by the Jesuits, is said to contain seventy tons of decorative gold.  I felt like I should wear my sunglasses while viewing the interior of the church.

One of the nicest exhibitions of pre-Colombian ceramics on my journey is also located in Quito.  There were pieces that were unique to me on display.  I was truly impressed by this museum.  Casa Del Alabado is a must see, in my opinion, for anyone interested in ceramic work which date back as far as thousands of years.

The Museo Nacional (Banco Central) houses another interesting collection of gold and ceramics.  Photography is prohibited in this museum, except for the lobby area.

Gerry Abbey, the Pennsylvania author, wrote, “I’d learned so much from traveling to familiar places that I figured I’d learn twice as much by going to a place I knew nothing about.”

Ibarra (San Miguel de Ibarra) and Otavalo

The city of Ibarra is located about two hours south of the border with Colombia.  I cleared out of Colombia (the third in line when I got there) with a couple of days to spare.  I cleared into Ecuador (fifth in line when I got there) after a short walk across the bridge over the river that separates the two countries.  I cleared into Ecuador with no onward ticket to anywhere and no check of my yellow fever certificate.  I was given an initial ninety days to be in Ecuador.  There was no checking of my backpack or any other sort of inspection. There were money changers on both ends of the bridge.  They were offering a fair rate of exchange and I changed the last of my COP into US$, the legal currency in Ecuador.  It seems strange to have US money in my pocket again.

Less than fifty meters to the colectivos, from the immigration office, which would take me to the bus terminal in Tulcan for my bus to Ibarra.  Hassle free and efficient would be my description of the crossing.

There were some specific attractions for me in Ibarra.  I knew that there was an archaeological site and a museum here in Ibarra.  The guidebooks also describe large, leafy plazas in the center of the city.  It ended up that there were two museums and one small site which was not the easiest to find.  The archaeological site, called Inca Huisa, is located in Caranqui, a district about three km east of the city center.  I could not access the site but I could see and take photos through and over fences and barricades.

Nearby they are constructing a “Temple of the Sun” which will be the home for the Incan and Cultura Caranqui ceramics and other pieces currently on display in the theater building near the center of the city. This museum is called Museo Arqueologico y Etnografico Atahualpa.  Unlike the other museum in the city, Museo de Arqueologia Regional de la Sierra Norte Ibarra, there were no restrictions on photography of the items on display.

There is also a Mirador San Miguel Arcangel which offers stunning views of Laguna de Yahuarcocha, the mountains/volcanoes surrounding the city as well as the city itself.

The main square is Parque Pedro Moncayo.  It is home to the Cathedral, Alcaldia and the clock tower.

A second square located just one block away is Parque La Merced.  This parque is home to the former military barracks/headquarters of the army.

A third square is Parque Boyaca.  This square is home to Santa Domingo church and a monument honoring Simon Bolivar and those who died in the war of independence.

There was no shortage of other churches and their associated squares.

I went to Otavalo for the “giant Saturday market” along with the other “hordes of foreigners” to get in on the deals.  At least that is the way that my guidebook described it.  Maybe the fifth Saturday of any month is the exception but I did not see hordes of foreigners in attendance.  I did however see a beautiful square not far from the center of the action.  Again, it had the traditional layout with the church and city hall located along a side of the square.

Alberto Caeiro, the Portuguese poet, wrote,

“I’m in no hurry:  the sun and moon aren’t, either.

Nobody goes faster than the legs they have.

If where I want to go is far away, I’m not there in an instant.”