Quito Day Two: Cotopaxi Park

After a very tiring but successful First day,  Day Two started early since I had to be at the Hilton Hotel in Quito by 8:15 AM. Same drill as yesterday, wake up, breakfast and then taxi. I was at the Hilton right on time and a much smaller bus was waiting for me for pick up. The group was much smaller today and there was a French student among them which made me happy since I now have someone to talk to for a change...
The drive to Cotopaxi park took about 2 hours with some stops along the way. Our altitude went from 10,000 ft in Quito to 13,000 ft where we stopped for a short hike. The hike was more or less flat, but at 13,000 ft there is no easy hike especially on my second day at high altitude!! None the less, I was one of two people to opt for doing the entire loop of the trail, most others went back to the bus after just a short walk. It was windy and cold, but I toughed it out and survived the entire loop. At times I felt light headed but by slowing down and taking deep breaths I managed to continue on. Here is a sampling from the pictures I took today;

A view of Quito from an overlook on the road

With llamas

Cotopaxi volcano at 19,000 ft (always white)

Hold on to your hat: the wind was howling at 13,000 ft

A nice view on the Cotopaxi and the lagoon below

A small stream at 13,000 ft feeds the lagoon. Most plants in the Andes are medicinal plants

Second most climbed peak in the work: the Cotopaxi 

A rose farm outside of Quito. Roses are becoming a money making product of Ecuador and are sold as far away as Russia.

Roses ready for shipping. It was fascinating following the roses from the green houses to the shipping boxes. 

Downtown Quito near the Hilton Colon hotel.

The stopover in Quito is nearing its end but it was worth every penny. I have learned so much about Ecuador and Quito in particular. This is still a third world country in my book but making huge steps towards progress on all fronts. Tourism is booming here and that helps the people earn a living. Most Ecuadorians are very friendly and helpful when they understand. Now off to Lima Peru tomorrow !!!

Facts about Quito and Ecuador:
-Quito mean "center of the land" ; qui=center and to=land
- many cities along the equator end with "qui" for "center"
- Quito is the second highest capital in the world after La Paz Bolivia
- The US dollar is the main currency, no need to exchange money!!!
- Their political system is rather unstable: 5 presidents in 7 years!!!! They have two political parties; the Conservative party and the Liberal party ( US style)!!!
- There are many Indian tribes living in the Amazon basin in their "primitive" life style, including a tribe known as "the shrink heads"!!!
- the name Ecuador was given by the French who were first to identify the equator and they used the high mountains around Quito to do so.
- the Condor is the Ecuadorian national bird and at last count there are 50 of them left in the wild and efforts are being made to save them from extinction...
- there are various climates in Ecuador, from the beaches to the mountains and then the amazon jungle. Just around Quito there is a difference from place to place; where we went yesterday was very dry and today where we went was lush green!!! The mountains play a huge role in that as they block the winds....