Quilotoa, Ecuador

The Crater Lake of Quilotoa, Ecuador

The three of us arrived in the misty and atmospheric town of Quilotoa after a scenic journey through the verdant hills of the Ecuadorian Andes. Greeted by dogs we walked along the shimmering wet road to the nearest hotel. As we hadn't booked anywhere to stay we peered in to find the place deserted. After a short wait a squat and smiling lady in traditional dress wandered down and checked us in. The rooms were lovely and characterful, with wooden floors and an old cast iron wood burner. A local cafe served up hot chocolates which we savoured as the air outside was chilly and in the evening the three of us gathered around the wood burner in the huge hostel lounge. I relished having an evening to draw in my sketchbook and soaked in the wonderful cosy atmosphere which felt like being at home in the U.K. on a cold foggy night in November. 

Verdant Landscape of the Ecuadorian Andes 

A Donkey Hanging Out in Quliotoa, Ecuador

We hadn't had the greatest of sleeps. Feeling slightly chilly in our room we decided to light the woodburner only for it to fill the room with smoke. Worried about carbon monoxide poisoning Craig retrieved the half smoking log from the burner and took it downstairs (in his pants) to the large woodburner not realising that a local was sat in the dark on the sofa, what a shock he must have had! The morning was bright and so we made the most of it by hurrying out to the huge crater lake that we had come all this way to see. It was a mere few minutes walk up the road and up a little slope. The crater lake at 3 kilometres wide was huge and shimmered in the morning light. It seemed to glow an emerald green but was constantly changing colour depending on the sunlight and clouds above. The rich green hills framed the water and I could just about make out a little boat dock at the waters edge. We walked around part of the lake encountering locals with donkeys and tourists alike. As we walked the scene seemed in constant flux and clouds started to cover up all of the mornings clear blue sky. While Craig and Carl walked on I sat on a little piece of grass overlooking the sight, taking in as many colours as my brain could manage. The peace and tranquility was hypnotising. 

We stopped by the cafe for more hot chocolates and cheese toasties and then managed to run for the bus which had stopped just outside the town. Our fly by visit to the crater lake of Quliotoa had been well worth the journey, onwards to Quito!

 🎥 Ecuador video:

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Baños, Ecuador

Well, things didn't go exactly to plan on our first day in Ecuador. Without going into too much detail (I've already relived the events when writing in my personal journal and by recounting the tale on insurance documents) our camera, additional lens and money was stolen from my bag while on a bus. We were travelling from Mancora in Peru to Baños in Ecuador, the long journey involved three buses and a couple of stops and was knackering to say the least. At some point on the second bus while I caught a few winks my bag was dragged from under my seat and our camera, lens and money (nearly £1000 total value) was taken. The thief was clever enough to leave the purse and camera bag inside and placed a water bottle in the camera case to mimic the weight of the camera and bulk it out so I wouldn't notice, which I didn't until we arrived at our hostel several hours later. Upon realising that the camera was missing I felt a wave of emotion, my heart sank and of course tears welled up. I was just so angry at myself for letting it happen. Why didn't I padlock the zips on the bag? Why didn't I keep the bag on my lap instead of by my feet? How could I let this happen in broad daylight? Craig was brilliant and consoled me, reminding me that of course they are only material things and can be replaced. Thankfully the thief had left my credit card and passport inside the purse, surely realising that stealing these would provide too much hassle to profit from. We were passed from pillar to post in finding the correct place to file a report but eventually with the help of a local man able to translate we obtained a police report and the bus company were notified. In the evening Craig treated me to a lovely dinner to try and cheer me up, despite realising that we no longer had a camera to photograph our trip he was surprisingly positive and didn't for one second let the events bring him down. 

The following day was devoted to printing and organising insurance documents. We each spoke to our families which cheered me up as it always does while we are away and we ate pizza in our hotel room with a view to the hills of Baños and a distant waterfall. Our beloved friends Sarah and Lee surprised us by depositing £100 in my account to make up for some of the losses that we'd incurred which made me cry happy tears. It's in moments like that that you wish you could magic yourself home to give the people you love big hugs.

Flying High at The Swing At The End Of The World, Baños in Ecuador

Craig on The Swing At The End Of The World, Baños in Ecuador

The next day fed up of (my) moping we decided to catch a bus to the 'Swing At The End Of The World'. The bus wound its way up the narrow roads to the top of a hill and we paid the $1 entry fee. The swings are attached to a rickety looking tree house which is set just over a cliff edge, when swung out you hover over the edge and can see amazing scenic views. I was a little apprehensive at first, I could see people being swung erratically by the men employed to push you manually and the only thing holding you in was a tiny piece of rope. Despite the fears I decided to go for it and even managed to hold my arms out. It was scary but exhilarating and just what I needed to take my mind off everything. Craig went so high on his turn and loved it. We embraced the beautiful surroundings before returning to town where we were reunited with our buddy Carl for dinner. In the time since we'd last saw him in Lima he had flown to the Galapagos while we had trekked Santa Cruz, it was lovely to catch up.

La Casa Del Arbol, Baños in Ecuador

Together at The Tree House in Baños in Ecuador

We had planned to go cycling with Carl the next day but Craig woke up with a tummy bug and was feeling really poorly. Typically it was a beautiful sunny day outside and I couldn't help but think how our luck had been particularly bad since we entered Ecuador. We spent the day indoors while Craig tried to sleep it off. As we were now on a tight schedule we couldn't spend any more time in Baños which was a shame as it looked like just our sort of place, beautiful landscapes abound, fun outdoor activities and a characterful town. The following morning we met Carl and caught a coach onwards to Quilotoa, I spent the majority of the journey munching on colourful sweet taffy brought at a market stall. 

When I shared what had happened on social media at the time I got some very heartwarming responses and was surprised to hear so many stories of theft while travelling. It really helped me to feel like I wasn't alone. Have you experienced anything similar personally? 

A Few Words and A Little Advice;

When travelling on coaches and buses for long periods of time you can easily let your guard down, especially if like us you have been travelling for multiple months. Staying vigilant can be difficult when you're exhausted from several long journeys in a row. I'd suggest buying a small lock for your day bag to lock the zips together to make life harder for any thief. Also, never put your day bag in the overhead storage shelf on a bus. If possible keep your bag on your lap or on the floor but with the straps wrapped around your legs so it can't be sneakily dragged away. If you are wearing a jacket or trousers with pockets that can be zipped up then I'd suggest keeping your purse with passport and money on your person* and possibly your phone/iPod too. 

*since going through the insurance process I learned that all the cash that was stolen from me wouldn't be covered as it was not 'on my person'. I received a payment of £250 from my insurer for the camera and lenses and was the maximum amount that they could offer. Make sure you have excellent travellers insurance and read the small print thoroughly. If possible buy additional insurance for valuable items such as a camera as the £250 we received didn't go very far at all in buying a new DSLR. 

🎥 Ecuador video:

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Mancora, Peru

Palms at Dusk in Mancora, Peru

After a thrilling month in Peru our time was coming to an end. We decided to go to Mancora; a beach town in the north of Peru to relax for a couple of days after our demanding trek in the Andes. Unfortunately we weren't able to travel directly by coach, we had to break up the journey with a stop in Trujillo. We arrived in Trujillo in the morning after an overnight bus journey from Huaraz. We had to wait in the station for the ticket office to open, once it did we snagged the last two seats on a bus leaving in the evening for Mancora. We had a day to kill in a random town with our bags in tow. It was hot, as we were at low altitude again the heat was intense and it was a bright sunny day. We made our way to another station where our night bus would be leaving from and we were able to leave our bags there. We strolled into the town past a huge mosaic mural along a university wall snacking on some cinnamon buns that we had picked up along the way. The town was experiencing a power cut and so many of the shops and restaurants were either shut or relying on noisy generators for power. We got some breakfast in a nice looking cafe but without air conditioning and only a few futile fans we were boiling. The town was fairly quiet and we whiled away the hours by sitting in cafes and on the square's green reading and watching the world go by. When it was time we walked back to the bus station and boarded.

The coach arrived in Mancora in the early morning, it was still dark. We stopped in the sweaty and fly-ridden coach office for a while before deciding to take a tuk tuk to our accommodation. The drive was short and despite agreeing firmly on a price beforehand the driver still tried to overcharge us. We remained firm and simply walked away until he eventually drove off. Our room looked on to a central garden area with colourful hammocks swaying slightly in the breeze. We made use of the hammocks and only went into town for food, once for a vegan seitan sandwich and again for a very sloppy but delicious vegetarian burger at a place owned by an American. 

The next day I woke up to hundreds of insect bites all over my left side. Despite using my own personal mosquito net something had got to me and I'd had a reaction too so the bites were huge and very angry. Undeterred we wandered into town and to the fruit and vegetable market where we bought lots of salad vegetables to make our own fresh lunch and dinner. We strolled along the pretty beach and treated ourselves to a delicious milkshake at a milk bar overlooking the sand. 

Our last day was again pretty uneventful, our coach would be leaving in the late evening so we checked out and left our bags in storage while we relaxed at the hostel. The highlight of the day and probably our entire time in Mancora was dinner. We stopped at Green Eggs and Ham a restaurant right next to the milk bar that we went to the day before. We shared a Mexican omelette with beer battered fries and a Mexican salad topped off with a chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. The food was divine and we had the whole terrace overlooking palm trees and the beach to ourselves. We watched the sky turn blush pink at dusk and talked about our time in Peru and how fantastic it had been; from peaceful convents and epic canyons in Arequipa to the majestic Sacred Valley and Cusco. From awe inspiring Machu Picchu to the mysterious Nazca lines and relaxed oasis of Huacachina. Even the bustling capital of Lima was a joy thanks to our wonderful homestay hosts. It truly has been a fantastic place to travel and has reignited our love for South America after a difficult time in Bolivia. 

You may have noticed the lack of photographs in this post and apologies for that. I will go into detail in the next post but in summary our camera was stolen just after our time in Mancora and the photographs that we had taken were not yet backed up, therefore I only have a handful of  iPhone photographs of our time there.

🎥 Peru video:

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