Rainy Simiatug | chossclimbers.com

Go back to Ecuador.
Go back to More Cojitambo.

Cuy.

From Cojitambo, we drove back to Cuenca where we’d spend a night in a hotel since our original plan included a Covid test for the Galapagos leg of the trip; a requirement that was lifted a couple of days before our trip began. In the morning, Felipe picked us up and we spent a day driving towards the remote indigenous village of Simiatug. This started with a long, eastward drop from the high Andes towards the coast. By the time we started climbing back up into the mountains, rain had arrived.

.

Simiatug.

We spent a night in a nice hostel and woke up to drizzle. Nevertheless, we drove to the trailhead above the village where our prearranged local “guide” and his horse were waiting for us. The guide, Manuel, has been Felipe’s contact when it comes to dealing with the local community. The formations looked socked in and, after a bit of back and forth, we decided to wait things out by visiting the village itself. Now this place is quite a bit off the tourist path (it’s also one of the poorest areas of Ecuador) and the local, indigenous people have mixed feelings when it comes to outsiders. Consequently, the camera stayed in its case for most of the time. We did visit a weaver shop run by an old, Swiss lady who’s lived there for over three decades. Back to the trailhead where we loaded up the horse with our climbing and camping gear and set off up into the hills. Drizzly condition turned into full on rain as we slowly gained elevation and so we bailed.

Photos

Shirley and Felipe strolling the streets of Old Town Cuenca (July 2021).

Cuenca (July 2021).

Flower market in Cuenca (July 2021).

Cuenca – gotta say, a pretty looking and a seemingly livable city (July 2021).

Only question is guinea or roasted – Shirley and Felipe considering lunch options (July 2021).

Looks delish (July 2021).

Not like chicken (July 2021).

View out of our hotel window (July 2021).

Dropping down towards the coast on our drive from Cuenca to Simiatug the following day (July 2021).

Multiple cloud layers rolling in from the Pacific (July 2021).

Pork skin snacks at a toll plaza on a highway (July 2021).

A fruit stand somewhere in the coastal lowlands (July 2021).

A weird looking waterpark along the drive (July 2021).

Roadtrip randomness (July 2021).

I think we might have a leak somewhere (July 2021).

Guaranda in the Andes (July 2021).

Guaranda (July 2021).

Guaranda. Food shopping in anticipation of our upcoming two nights in the backcountry (July 2021).

Indigenous women in Guaranda (July 2021).

Guaranda (July 2021).

Hostal La Minga in Salinas. Our jumping off point for Simiatug (July 2021).

View out of our window. Weather is looking terrific (July 2021).

Shirley chilling in the common area (July 2021).

Trying the traditional pájaro azul liquor (July 2021).

In the morning, outside of our hostel in Salinas (July 2021).

On the drive to Simiatug (July 2021).

Shirley and Cocha Colorada. The formations are socked in the clouds (July 2021).

A wolf (July 2021).

Shirley checking out the community hut at Cocha Colorada (July 2021).

Killing time in the village of Simiatug; checking out a weavers’ workshop (July 2021).

Felipe and Manuel posing with a piece of tapestry that the villagers wove just for Felipe (July 2021).

Back at Cocha Colorada lagoon. The towers of Simiatug are sort of visible (July 2021).

Felipe and Manuel (July 2021).

Let’s give it a go. Packing up (July 2021).

Shirley starting the approach (July 2021).

The horse carrying our gear on the approach (July 2021).

Interesting looking flora (July 2021).

The hard working pony (July 2021).

Weather got worse (July 2021).

And so we pulled the plug (July 2021).

Checking out some fresh but small rock debris on the road (July 2021).

Go to Quilotoa Lake.
Go back to Ecuador.