The majestic peak of Chimborazo.

Whilst staying in Guaranda we decided to do a day trip to Mount Chimborazo, only some 50 kilometres away. Whilst it had been thought to be extinct, new studies show that it is actually active, having erupted at least seven times during the last 10 000 years; nothing on record however. The mountain was once considered the highest on the planet but was dethroned by the Himalayan and Peruvian peaks. According to the Earth’s geometry, however, the summit of Chimborazo is considered to be the farthest from the Earth’s centre.  This huge mountain is the highest point in Ecuador and has the highest peak near the equator at 6268 metres.

Wondering at the gateway to the Amazon

Soon enough we were off to Baños de Agua Santa, or Baños, as it’s more commonly known. The area around the small town has to be the jewel in Ecuador’s jewel-encrusted crown! This tourist-happy town is the gateway to the Amazon. The town itself isn’t a bomb of excitement, and in peak season it can feel garish and overcrowded with backpackers and tour operators trying to lure you into the den of mountain-biking, rafting, hiking, bungee jumping and partying. Having said that, nobody leaves without some great stories and a big whopping smile across their face! Luckily for us, it was low season, and we were able to hang out and do our thing. You can sometimes see the nearby Volcan Tungurahua erupting.  Saw it erupting in 1999, no such luck this time!

We’d been to or through Macas a couple of times over the years, and this time we would pass through on our way to a  remote part of Ecuador’s Amazon basin, to see Alex’s Uncle Jorge. It’s also known as the “Emerald of the East”, due to its location just east of the Andes mountains.  Few tourists actually make it to the town with so few tourist trappings, but it’s raw, it’s real and it’s worth a look-see. We ate some decent food and went on some lovely walks with Jorje, from where we could see the perfect snow-covered cone of Volcan Sangay (5230 metres).  It’s Ecuador’s seventh’ highest mountain and one of the world’s most active.  It can be glimpsed on a clear day … We saw it in all of its glory.  Lady Luck was on our side!

It was now time to get off the beaten track.  We had seen and done so much in Ecuador over our various trips over the years but had never been to the south-eastern part of the Oriente (Ecuador’s Amazon, where the Andes meet the lowland areas of rainforest in the Amazonian basin). We looked at a map and said, “Right, where to”? For all of Ecuador’s beauty and fascinating places to see, the government does an appalling job at promoting tourism, and information, especially on places not oft visited is scarce.  But we were determined!  Ummmm, Zamora?  We were able to scrounge some information from the internet: “The bus ride here is itself worthwhile, with the road snaking down from the sierra past numerous waterfalls, giving occasional views onto miles of densely forested hills.” SOLD

As soon as we crossed the border I felt totally at home.  It’s usually like this when I set foot on the country that has become my second residence, and which I have visited countless times since 1999. You know that, sigh, I’m back kinda feeling! I was meant to be with Alex, I was meant to be here. This was just always all meant to be!  Macara is the border town on the Ecuadorian side, and it has always  held a special place in my heart.  Why?  Because when I backpacked South America in 1999, it was the place I crossed the border from Peru into Ecuador;  the locals were so helpful, friendly and generous that I have never, ever forgotten.  It was one of those travellers’ minties moments that I have always carried around in my heart.  Little was I to know that only weeks later I would meet my soul mate and love of my life!

Alex vs ‘Sexy Woman’

Our aim was to get to Ecuador by Christmas time, but we were running out of time. So, having already done Peru a couple of times, we decided to make our way directly to Cuzco. Home and base to the infamous Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, yes it’s touristy, but it never disappoints. We got in nice and early, as ridiculously early.  We dumped our stuff in a cheap and cheerful hostel and then made our way to Saksayhuaman (known as Sexy Woman on the gringo tourist trail). A two-kilometre uphill climb from (the already high 3300 metre high) Cuzco, the sprawling Inca site is truly impressive and offers to arrest views over Cuzco, especially at dawn when we arrived. Whilst Cuzco is gorgeous, the government has totally jumped on the tourist bandwagon and charges an arm and a leg for everything! Not if you get there early and evade the opening times though!