Day Three … exploring beyond Quito

Today we had a slower start to the day, with an 8.00 am pick up from our hotel which meant we didn’t need to get up until 7.00! A sleep in! If only we could have both been asleep but alas we were both wide awake early. Que sera sera … we would just have to cope with less sleep than we had hoped.

So up and dressed we headed out to the dining area for breakfast which is included in our accommodation. And what a spread it was … table service of freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee for me, meats and cheeses, granola, Greek yoghurt, a basket of a bread assortment, a plate of mixed fruits (cantaloupe, watermelon, papaya and a new fruit for us to try … the ground cherry or Physalis), eggs made to order served with bacon and an empanada. So much beautiful food … we took the bread basket back to our room for dinner tonight!

Then off to meet Mauricio and Emma for our adventure to the south where we would get away from the city to explore some smaller localities, visit a volcano, a lake, eat lunch and visit a local market.

Emma once again drove us expertly out of the city through winding and steep roads, through the traffic (thankfully today was Saturday so less traffic) and we headed along the road known as the Avenue of Volcanoes, so named by a German volcanologist (Alexander von Humboldt) in 1802 because the road stretches between two ridges of the Andes and is made up of over 84 volcanoes … 10 of which are active.

We had so much to look at as we drove with both of us snapping photos out of the windows … of life in general, mountain ranges, army training camps, houses of different styles and even levels of completion.

Our first destination was to visit Harika Tradicion Mashca in San Felipe (some 93 kms south). Here we learnt about the traditional way that the locals used to make the mashca flour which is made out of roasted barley. Our guide was the grandson of the woman who used to run the business (she is 78). He and his brother decided that they didn’t want the traditional ways to be lost when their grandmother passed away. So they now run workshops to demonstrate the process.

So we watched him prepare the barley, first by lighting a fire, then placing the barley on the metal plate and then moving it constantly with a big wooden ladle. He handed the ladle off to Ian who continued to stir (under the supervision of Emma). He then took the barley (now a golden colour) and passed it through a sieve to remove any debris before putting it into a grinding stone where he ground it into a fine powder. With Mauricio translating for us, we were able to understand the process that had been used for years prior to electric mills.

We ended our visit with a warm drink made from the powder, milk and orange leaves (Ian enjoyed it … me not so much) and a banana and walnut bread made with the mashca flour (which I enjoyed and Ian didn’t)! A visit to the primitive but clean banos before we left to head to our next destination … Cotopaxi National Park.

Cotopaxi is an active volcano just 50km south of the city of Quito. It is the second highest volcano in Ecuador at 5,897 m. It has had 87 known eruptions, the most recent in 2022. It is reported to have produced 8,000 earthquake events since 2022 (that’s about 1,600 per month!). The volcano is located in the National Park bearing the same name.

The National Park was created to protect and preserve the area around the volcano which is made up of different ecosystems and is strongly connected to the indigenous culture of the region. The park covers an area of 33,000 hectares and includes a high altitude plateau with an elevation of 3000 - 4000 metres.

We were not going to be climbing Cotopaxi but instead we head to Laguna Limpiopunga where we took a hike circumnavigating the lake. The hike was only 2.5km long and relatively flat but with the high altitude (our highest point was 3,884 metres according to Mauricio’s altimeter) it was slow going and the chest felt incredibly tight. But boy was it worth it! The views across the lake, the native flora, the bird life, lizards, wild mustangs and glimpses of Cotopaxi were worth every step.

We were foiled by the weather today and at no point were we able to see Cotopaxi in its full glory. Instead the cone of the volcano which is capped by ice was shrouded in cloud. Occasionally the cloud would lift and we would stare at the mountain hoping that we would be treated with views of the volcano … but alas we were not so lucky. But hey, that’s the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of travel. Sometimes you just don’t get to see everything the way you had hoped.

Leaving the National Park we headed to our lunch spot for the day … Mirador de Los Volcanoes … a restaurant with a view of the volcano! Alas, Cotopaxi did not come to play! So we instead ate a delicious meal of grilled meat (beef for Ian and lamb for me) accompanied by local potatoes, salad, and other things that were unique to our meals. We enjoyed our meals and the opportunity to talk with Emma and Mauricio about life, guiding and travel.

With full bellies we jumped back in the car and headed to Machachi, a small town/city with a population of around 25,000. Here we stopped at the Mercado Central de Machachi … the local market. Here Mauricio and Emma showed us around, stopping at the stalls to point out unusual fruits and vegetables and to buy some things which we later got to try. We tried some different fruits like … Pepino Melon, Naranjilla, Granadilla (like a passionfruit), local blueberries, lychees, and a tamarillo (bush tomato) which made Ian’s eyes water! We also ate some freshly cooked Cheese and Corn tortillas … which were amazing!

And then we headed for home … well, back to our little nook at Mama Cuchera. It was such a great day. A mixed bag of experiences but it allowed us to get a glimpse of more of Ecuador. Emma and Mauricio have been fantastic.