The first stop in our tour was Latacunga, we were very fortunate to arrive on the first day of the celebrations of the festival for the saint Mama Negrā. We came across a street parade on our way to the Hotel. There were many marching bands, all playing the same song, with dancers in between.

There were also men carrying dead pigs on their backs, with dead chickens and whiskey attached to them. Periodically, they would stop, and a man with a table would appear. People would then refill bottles and then distribute the alcohol to the dancers and the crowd watching. As Isabelle and I were watching, a man with a painted face ran up to us saying something in spanish about love and beauty, then he offered me a drink from a strangely shapped glass, it was ok, tasted like mulled wine. This all seemed to amuse the locals, they laughed at us for some time.

The next day, we went by bus and hired car to Quilotoa. Isabelle wanted to do this 5 mile hike around a lagoon which she heard was very beautiful. Beautiful! It sure was, but man, did we ever have to pay a price for the view. I really thought several times about jumping off the side just to end the pain. I thought we couldnīt possibly manage to go any further more than once, then another huge peak would appear around the corner....

Believe it or not, we walked around the very top of the mountains you can see. We were I think 3850m above sea level, and it was very difficult to breathe when we had to work hard, which was most of the time. This is the first of 2 panoramic shots, so bend your eyes if you can, to see the whole lagoon.

We managed the hellish hike in exactly 5 hours, including numerous stops to try and catch our breath and a very windy picnic lunch. When we started as you can see, it was a beautiful day, but 3 hours in, it clouded over, or should i say around. We were in the clouds, it was difficult to see the path at times and got very cold. Honestly the most physically demanding thing i have done in my life to date.

The day after our walk was thankfully mostly spent on buses. We travelled to Ambato only so we could catch a bus to Quizapincha which is famous for its leather works. Unfortunatly, Monday was the day most of the shops were closed because the owners were out buying more leather. Around 50 shops in total, and we visited at least 20 of them. Isa and I decided that cool leather jackets were a necesity. The measurements for the jackets were based on ecuadorians, and as a result, we found most of them ridiculously short in the arms. Still, we both managed to find matrix style jackets (3/4 length) to satisfy us. We travelled to Guranda after our shopping, just to see the views. But oh no, it rained, so there was nada to see.

We backtracked from Guranda to get to Riobamba, which was really only a stopping point on our way to Cuenca. Our hotel room was very drab, but only $5 and it had cable TV. Before it got too dark, we took a walk for a photo op. Then found cheap dinner at a hamburger bar - $1. I have exhausted most of my funds on the leather jacket.

In the morning we stayed in the hotel watching movies for a while, then took a taxi to the bus terminal. But something was very wrong. There was a strike on, and blockades had been set up all over the panamericana by the protesters. This ment that the only buses it was possible to take were going north, either to Santo Domingo or back to Quito. We ummed and ahhed for an hour before deciding to return to Quito.