Summit Trekking Ecuador - Page 2

Mojanda Lakes & ascent of Fuya Fuya (4.263 m)

Acclimatization began on the first day of our trek, but today we were planning our first ascent to the summit of Fuya Fuya (4,263 m). A bumpy cobbled road took us up to the 3 Mojanda Lagoons. The treeless vegetation is characterized by grasses, lichens and mosses, typical for this altitude. Despite the pleasant temperatures, long pants were advisable, as the grasses really cut into the skin. From the lagoons we walked for a long time through the grassy landscape, first moderate, then steeper and steeper. I had to borrow a hat, as the sun's rays are not entirely harmless at this altitude. The last few meters had to be climbed on the rocks. But then we were rewarded with a fantastic panorama of the surrounding mountains and some deep blue mountain lakes. We stayed on the summit for a while, nobody had any problems with the altitude, but some of us had to go into the bushes several times because we couldn't stand the drinking water or the salad from the previous day. The water here is not always of drinking quality. That's why our guide usually bought a few 5-liter bottles of water for our daily needs.

After that we walked downhill to the lagoons, again on the narrow path through the grass. Again I slipped and found myself a few meters deeper in the grass. As a Lowland Indian, you underestimate the incline of a slope. That shouldn't happen to us on the next mountains, no more grass to catch us. When we reached the bottom, we had a long drive to Quito on the Panamericana. This busy road network stretches across both American continents from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Quito itself is a 50 km (north-south) long monster of a city. Surrounded by the mountains of the Andes, the smog lingers in the valley. Loud and full of vehicles, this former Inca city welcomed us. There are hardly any buildings left from the Incas themselves. They were flattened by the Spanish after they refused to surrender the city. Arriving in Quito, we checked into our hotel and went out for dinner.

Quito & Mitad del Mundo

In the morning we took the minibus up to the viewpoint El Panecillo, where the 41-meter-high statue of the Virgin of Quito (Virgen del Panecillo) is the landmark of the city. From here you can see the huge city surrounded by high volcanoes. Next to the statue, Christmas preparations were already underway, a huge illuminated crib was to be set up here. We could have walked into the city center from here, but our guide told us not to because it was too dangerous. The crime rate has risen sharply here, with drug gangs terrorizing the country. This happens more near the coast, but even in cities like Quito, street crime (especially robberies) has increased considerably. A few days later, the driver of our minibus was attacked on the way home. According to our guide, he got off lightly, but the bus could no longer be used.

Our guide took us on a wonderful tour of the old town. As we made our way to the Plaza Grande, the main palm-lined square, we were immersed in the hustle and bustle of shouting merchants, shoeshine boys, and tourists. Police officers were directing traffic because the traffic lights were out due to the power outage. But even off the road, there was a heavy presence of police and security forces. Many beggars lined the streets and church entrances. We visited the Basilica del Voto Nacional, the largest neo-Gothic church in the Americas. Here we were able to climb the stairs to the towers for a great view of the city. Most people in Ecuador are Roman Catholic, so there are some beautiful churches to admire, just like in Spain and Italy. We visited the church of San Francisco (Iglesia de San Francisco).

The equator is only about 25 kilometers north of Quito, and that is exactly where the Mitad del Mundo monument was erected. This is where our minibus took us. We had lunch next to it and wondered why the equator monument had an O engraved on it and not a W with the bronze ball pointing west. Before we despaired, our guide enlightened us: West means Oeste in Spanish. With our minds made up, we took a very interesting tour of the Inti Nan Museum. In addition to information about the animals of the Amazon and the way of life of the early native population here, there were some very interesting experiments to see, which proved that we are at latitude 0° 0' 0''. After a very successful day, we drove back to our hotel. Now it was time for dinner and to relax with a Pilsner 🙂.