Quito is the highest capital in the world, located in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes at the elevation of 2850 m.a.s.l. The city with around two million inhabitants extends around 60 km from north to south and is squeezed between the mountains, and thus only 8 km wide. For this reason there is no space for broad streets in the city centre, which causes constant traffic jams at rush hours. The bus and articulated bus public transport is cheap and fairly efficient, and it seems packed at any time of the day. I arrived to Quito descending from the 4070 m pass and gasped at the view of the mighty snow-capped Cotopaxi volcano in the south for the first time. The perfectly shaped active volcano is one of the biggest attractions of the country. The parts of the city are caught between the surrounding slopes and are linked with extremely steep streets. The city has grown from the poor south to the wealthier north. The weather in Quito is changing constantly and is being humorously compared with the moods of a woman. The saying turned out to be true during my stay because the sun was hot in the morning and it was freezing cold at night. Quito is not exactly a bike friendly city, mainly for its steep streets, heavy traffic and several sections of cobblestone roads. Nevertheless, the drivers are following the traffic rules and actually stop at a red light, which makes cycling in Ecuador a bit less stressful than in Colombia.
Quito lies approximately thirty kilometres southern of the equator and the area had already been populated before the arrival of Europeans. The name Quitu means the middle of the world in the language of indigenous people, so they knew for centuries before the Western civilization that they live in the proximity to the equator. They were excellent astronomers for their age and had realized their extraordinary location on the planet from the position of the sun. Namely two times a year (at the time of both equinoxes) the sun is directly above the equator and all the objects have no shade for three minutes. The history of the western study of the equator dates back to 1736, when the French sent two expeditions – with the object to measure the circumference of the world – to two different locations on the planet, one to the arctic pole and the second to the area of today's Ecuador. Their measurements have proved that the Earth is spherical and flatter closer to the poles. At the time, a plaque was constructed to commemorate the event, and in 1936 the 10-m high monument was built with statutes of all scientists, who were part of the project. The complex is called Mitad del Mundo and is a very touristic place with souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants. The northern and southern hemisphere are divided by a bright yellow line, prefect for visitors to take the »standing on both poles« photos.
It is interesting that more recent measurements have shown that the French scientists from the 18th century had made a mistake and the equator is actually located 240m away from the Mitad del Mundo. There is a much smaller open museum, but as popular by tourists as the miscalculated one. It also includes the representation of the lives of the indigenous people from Amazonia. The most intriguing fact is the way they treated their killed enemies. They are famous for preserving the heads of their victims. In a special three week ritual, they remove the skin from the head and shrink it. They paint faces on the tiny shaped heads and wear them around the neck or on the top of the spears. Ecuador was involved in a war with Peru at the end of the century. The indigenous people defended their land and joined the official armed forces of Ecuador. The result was that the latest preserved heads occurred in the media as late as 1998 and had belonged to the Peruvian soldiers. However, being exactly on the equator has a particular effect and one can feel a special energy there. The Coriolis force affects the bodies on the equator and it is hard to walk in the straight line with closed eyes. The whole story about the center of the world is artificially made more important for tourism, but standing on both poles at the same time is a great experience, even though it's only a painted line on the ground.
The Quiteños recommended me to visit the museum of an Ecuadorian artist, whose works are today worth unimaginable sums of money. Oswaldo Guayasamin was the greatest Ecuadorian painter and I've visited his house in Quito, where he had lived for more than twenty years and it is now part of the museum complex. In his former house there aren't many of his works, but rather the works of art he had collected in the time of his life. They are mostly handcraft statues from the indigenous communities of Ecuador and the religious artefacts from the colonial age. The Chapel of Men is the name of the huge building next to it and it was built by the Guayasamin Foundation to exhibit his artwork. Guayasamin was mostly a painter and he tried to portray human suffering on the canvas. The artist depicted the injustices happening around the world, and in South America the native people had suffered the most after the arrival of Europeans. The prevailing theme of his paintings are heartbreaking true stories of the indigenous people from South America. Guayasamin was the master of illustrating all human emotions – but especially suffering and pain – through human hands. The essence of his most important works is captured in human hands with exaggerated size of fingers. His most famous paintings are motivated by the lives of people in various dictatorships around the world and in concentration camps during the World War II. To soften all the morbidity, a joyful video of Guayasamin is shown to the visitors. In the video he is painting a portrait of his friend, a guitarist from Spain. His energy and passion for painting are remarkable and the whole group chuckled at his jerky movements with the brush. In mere one hour and fifteen minutes he was finished with painting and had created a wonderful portrait of his musician friend with everything his music represented to him. Towards the end of his life, Guayasamin turned to more cheerful themes and expressed his love for his mother who was telling Guayasamin all her life that the job of an artist is useless. One of his favorite motifs was also his beloved city of Quito, and he created more than two hundred paintings of the Ecuadorian capital. Guayasamin's work resembles Picasso and is very touching because he could really express human emotions. I was glad that I visited his museum because I hadn't known this amazing Ecuadorian artist before.
Four days of sightseeing in Quito went by and my bike was finally repaired, so I cycled 60 km to the south, to the vicinity of the mighty Cotopaxi volcano. In the small village of Chasqui, I spent the night in a hostel and joined other people to do the trip to the volcano. Me, an Austrian girl and a Belgian couple shared the costs (70$) of the tour and our guide drove us to the entrance of the national park of Cotopaxi that opens at 8 am. The last massive eruption of the volcano occurred in 1877, but some minor activity was recorded as recently as in 2015. The journey began at the elevation of 3100 m and firstly our driver drove us to the parking place at 4500 m on the road that was gradually getting worse and I was glad I had left my bicycle at the hostel. We gasped at the first sight of the volcano and were trying to take the best pictures from the bumpy jeep, but the driver was kind enough to stop, so we could make photos of the redish volcanic rocks below the snow-capped summit that was hidden behind clouds. The driver explained that we can also observe wild horses, eating short bushes and grass on the plateau beneath the volcano, as we were ascending to the parking area. There we stepped out of the car and immediately put on every layer of clothes we had with, because it was windy and cold. Our first goal was the mountain lodge at the 4864 m, the base for expeditions to the summit. The road was nice zig-zag path of small stones and sand, but the wind was extremely strong and was mercilessly blowing drops of water onto us. We were completely wet and red-faced about an hour later, when we reached the Refugio of Jose Ribas. Unsurprisingly we treated ourselves with coca tea, even though nobody had really suffered from altitude sickness. We've seen many climbers in full summit equipment who had spent the night at the Refugio and climbed to the summit early in the morning to catch the sunrise on top. We drank the tea and headed to the glacier, but had only made it to the elevation of 5000 m. This time it was much easier because the wind wasn't so strong. A group photo later and we were on our way back to the jeep. The driver took us down to the lagoon and we walked around it for an hour, waiting for the clouds to disappear, in order to see the summit of the Cotopaxi, but in vain, because we could only see the glimpses of it for a couple of seconds. Nevertheless, the landscape was magnificent and we returned to the hostel satisfied with an amazing adventure.
The next day I was on the road again and had descended to the touristic village of Baños. There are numerous possibilities for adrenaline sports, hiking, one-day trips and relaxation in the thermal baths, which are naturally warm from the active Tungurahua volcano nearby. I entered one of the dozen tourist agencies in the centre and booked a cycling tour to the waterfalls. I sat on a bike with a suspension the next morning and started my easy waterfall tour. It felt like a normal day for me and the first thing I saw was a huge hydro plant while I was crossing an old bridge. There were several tunnels on the way, but I only had to drive through the first one. The cycling path, carved into the hill with incredible views of the canyon with the Pastazo river below, began soon after that, and I enjoyed cycling under tiny waterfalls. I could see the first big ones on the other side of the river. I passed a small adrenaline park with several ziplines and bridges across the valley. I couldn't skip the restaurant with an amazing view over the landscape, so I stopped for coffee. The main attraction of the day – the Pailón del Diablo waterfall – followed in the next town, and I heard that the second entrance is better than the first. I was ignoring the waves from the people working at the first entrance and locked my bike at the second. Several tiny shops were closed on the way to the entrance on Monday morning. I paid the entrance fee of two dollars at the small restaurant and my expectations were growing with every step because I could hear the loud sound of the water. A few of the last steps have been already wet and I could finally see the mighty waterfall from the first viewpoint. It seemed to me like a giant, powerful water jet and its loudness was remarkable. I carefully descended down the slippery stairs to have a better view of the amazing waterfall. I took some pictures and videos and noticed that some people are above me, almost at the top of the waterfall. There was a narrow and dark passage, leading all the way to the top. I squeezed through and almost had to crawl, but luckily I didn't have to touch the wet surface. I reached the second viewpoint and waited for local tourists to climb to the last balcony. The waterfall was super close and water from it was streaming down the staircase. A couple of stairs led behind the waterfall, but one had to pay the price of being completely wet. I wouldn't go behind it, if I hadn't had – as an experienced cyclist – my red rain poncho with me. It was quite an experience, but the water was pouring from me, so I quickly ran back to the dry viewpoint. Nevertheless, I had fun and went back down to the bridge, where I could take a photo of the whole waterfall. I returned to the rented bike and pedaled to the last waterfall. I parked and locked the bike again. The long path leading to the waterfall was made out of many wooden stairs. The view at the bottom was great, with the higher and the smaller waterfall with two natural pools. I took some photos, but it started to rain and I left the place. I cycled back a bit and took a drive back to Baños together with a Dutch couple.
There are several options if you want to dip yourself in hot water in Baños. The most traditional thermal baths, Termas De La Virgen, are located below the natural waterfall and are the number one choice among Ecuadorian tourists. I opted for them because they were very close to my hostel. Before entering, I had to buy an obligatory swim cap. I paid the four dollars entry fee, changed my clothes and put my valuables into the big blue plastic box. At first, I suspiciously walked around the murky brown water, but I knew that it's the natural color and that the place is regularly cleaned and water changed at least once a day. I took a shower and submerged myself in the most crowded pool with the pleasant warm water. It was full of families and loud kids, like any normal swimming pool. After a while, I carefully tried to step into the hottest pool that was closest to the waterfall. An old lady saw my sandals and scorned me. I took them off and dipped myself in the much warmer water again. The sign said that one shouldn't stay in this pool for longer than five minutes. I felt that it was good for my muscles, especially after I took a cold natural shower. I saw another pool with no one in it and guessed correctly that it's full of cold water. It was not as pleasant as the warm water, but probably the best thing for my body. I started to enjoy the process and repeated the steps three times. During that I could observe locals enjoying themselves in the water. The obviously foreign couple chuckled at me and I returned the smile. A good hour later I showered again and changed my clothes. I returned to the hostel feeling relaxed and completely dried myself. In the evening I strolled around the city centre among the numerous local and foreign tourists for the last time, because the next day I have already been on my way to Riobamba.
