Sunday, February 16
I woke this morning with no plans. However,
one thing has been lurking in mind since my last visit to Quito. Months ago I rode
the TeleferiQo, a touristy tram, to the top of Quito’s neighboring dormant
volcano, Rucu Pichincha, with my friends. We rode horses along a ridge trail,
but due to time constraints and my friends’ preferences, we rode for only an
hour. It was marvelous to gallop through the high, golden, grassy, foggy Páramo
and peer down at the sprawling valley city a thousand meters below. Ever since
that day, I had wanted to return and complete the entire two-hour loop. So,
that’s what I did today!
On the way out the door of the hostel, I
stopped to ask for directions from the travel agency. The other guy in the
hall, and Argentine named Martin, overheard my question. “Are you going to
TeleferiQo?” he asked me. “Me too!” So we adventured together, and we galloped
almost to the top of Rucu Pichincha, right through the clouds.
 |
| Here we go! |
 |
| My friend for the day, Martin, walking up the path while our horses took a break. |
 |
| Chuciragua, the mountain-climber's flower of the Andes. |
 |
| Oh, lovely Paramo! |
 |
| Close-up cushion plant, the kind that can be 800 years old. |
 |
| The one bird. |
 |
| Into the cloud! |
 |
| Go Martin! (I didn't make it up the last scramble to the top, but I think I conquered my fear of heights fairly well.) |
 |
| The fog moved in as we got closer to the summit. |
 |
| Dinamita, my horse, had a nursing foal who drank ravenously between outings. |
 |
| TeleferiQo, from the top... |
 |
| ... and the bottom! |