Category: Travel Info

Huayna Picchu (Waynapicchu)

Huayna Picchu is a mountain peak that is seen behind many of the pictures of Machu Picchu. After reading reviews that it wasn’t that long or hard, we had bought tickets to hike it the day after Machu Picchu (only 400 people per day can get tickets to climb it). By the time we went to the Sun Gate, 8,924 feet (an elevation change of about 950′) I decided I didn’t want to hike Huayna Picchu the following day. The altitude at Huayna Picchu is also 8,924 feet.

Dan went and said it was a good thing that I didn’t go since there were very steep steps/rocks to climb that would have been difficult for a shorty like me.

Ruins built into left side of the mountain; steps to the peak in the middle of the mountain.

His comments about Huayna Picchu? Awesome! Steep! Surprised to find ruins at the top…it would have been a lot of work to get the stones up there. Incredible view. Here are some pictures from his hike.

One of the locals in the area.

His advice is that although tickets are sold to visit Machu Picchu and climb Huayna Picchu the same day (because you have to go through Machu Picchu to access the trail to Huayna Picchu), it is best to separate the two activities over different days if you aren’t a youngster. This means buying a second ticket just for Machu Picchu if you want to spend much time visiting that famous site.

Train between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes

Since there are no roads to Aguas Calientes and we didn’t want to hike 4 days on the Inca Trail (OK, Dan did want to hike a day or two but you can’t decide this at the last minute since there are so few tickets permitted and besides it is an all or none proposition…no hiking part way).

The train to Aguas Calientes wasn’t completely full but the return train was. On the train out, there had been a problem with our meals not being vegetarian/gluten free (easiest way to order for Dan’s preferences). The conductor/manager/whatever his title was remembered the date/time of our return trip and he presented us with a small bottle of Pisco and a shot glass. Pisco is an alcoholic drink from Peru and Chile and is used in many mixed drinks. It was nice of him to remember us.

The ride itself is scenic and we chatted a lot with our seatmates on the way out. They were from Switzerland but they were actually from some other countries.

It takes just under 2 hours one way for the ride on these modern comfortable trains. There are two companies who provide this service, Inca Rail and Peru Rail. We rode both trains during our stay in Peru.

General Thoughts About Ecuador

Snow capped mountain in the background, cactus in the foreground

I enjoyed Ecuador quite a bit. People are friendly and open. The scenery is gorgeous. Life is easier as an American there because they use the US coins.

Locals preparing beans for sale

I enjoyed seeing the various indigenous people in their native clothes. The food was tastier than Colombia (which is very bland) and very inexpensive.

Dan’s favorite city was Loja. I enjoyed Ibarra because we spent time talking with our neighbor and host more than some other places. This allowed me to get a better feel for life in Ecuador. Quito was fun because of the Equator activities.

Generally museums are free or extremely inexpensive.

If you go to Latin America, be sure to spend time here. Plan ahead more and go to the Galapagos Islands if you can. It is expensive, about $3000-40000 for 2 people for 5 days. Maybe some day…

 

Ingapirca Ruins

I had heard that the Ingapirca (Inca Wall in the Quechua language) Ruins, a couple of hours outside of Cuenca, were worth visiting and it’s true. Originally settled by the Cañari indigenous people, they were invaded by the Incas in the late 1400’s. Eventually they intermarried and got along, not requiring the Cañari to give up their culture which exists today.

Cañari stone work on the left, Inca stone work on the right. Image compliments of ancientorigins.net

The location of the ruins has been used by different peoples over the eons. When the Incas arrived and conquered the Cañari, they built a town over the existing settlement.  The Cañari  used random shaped stones and mud or something to hold the stones in place while the Incas used rectangle stones (often squares) and didn’t use any mortar to hold them in place.

Some highlights of the ruins and the day:

  • There are a number of burial tombs, including one that was of an important female who died and had 10 followers surrounding her in the grave to go with her into the next life. Apparently those individuals were chosen for this “adventure” and took some poison and were all in the fetal position.
Grave is under the flat round stones on the right. Image compliments of ancientorigins.net

There is a large stone marking the burial site as well as many small smooth stone directly over the grave. The large stone is lined up exactly with a pathway and on the summer and winter solstices, the sun shines directly on the stone as it rises on it during one of the solstices?

  • The Sun Temple rises high above the area and is the only oval shaped sun temple built by the Incas. This reflects the Cañari influence. The temple is aligned halfway between two mountains which are 24 KM apart. On good days they could use reflective metal to send messages to the temple and then pass them onto the next mountain. On days without sun, a runner would go from one mountain to the temple to pass on a message and another runner would take the message onto the next one. This would happen repeatedly as needed.

    Sun temple is large round building in back center of photo. Drainage is visible in straight and curved lines in foreground.
  • The Sun Temple was built over a very large stone which was considered sacred by the Cañari. This stone is no longer visible because of the temple structure.
  • On top of the Sun Temple there are two identical rooms which are back to back. They each have 3 small alcoves where the sun shines through the door opening into the corresponding alcove to indicate the solstices. There is also one larger area where apparently a mummified priest’s body was kept and could be seen by the current priest during ceremonies.
  • We had an English speaking guide who I’m sure is from the area, and probably Cañari based on his passion for the history and events. He taught himself English over the last 5 years and did an excellent job. The most interesting guide we have had yet!

    Guide passionately explaining some history.
  • The entrance fee to the park is $2 per person and no charge for the guide however there is no charge for seniors…what a deal!
  • This is one of the very few places where we have seen signs in Quechua (pronounced ketch you wa). This is the native language of many people in Ecuador and Peru.

    No smoking sign in Spanish, English, and Quechua
  • It was a full day event to get there and back via 3 buses there and one bus and one taxi back. We left at about 8:10 in the morning and didn’t return until about 7 that night.
  • Our hostess, Miriam, went with us which helped to navigate the buses immensely. She had never been there before and enjoyed herself as well. She took the Spanish version of the tour.

Pumapongo Museum

The Pumapongo Museum is a free museum dedicated to the development of Ecuador in general and a lot of information about the indigenous people as well. The museum has a main building as well as partially excavated grounds directly behind the museum.  There is a small area for live birds on display too.

Not only is there no charge to go into the museum, I never even saw a donation box!

There are wonderful small dioramas showing life for the indigenous and early settlers. They are so detailed that they even show plants growing on the roof of a house…something that you do see sometimes even today.

Most of the museum is only in Spanish which we can read mas or menos (somewhat) but occasionally there was English.

There is a section of money. Originally things from nature were used as money, shells and such. Later coins and then later paper money were used. Starting in 1830, the Peso was used. The Franco was used from 1856-1871. Then they used the Peso again until 1884 when the Sucre was used until 2000 when they went to using the United States dollar because the sucre had been so devalued.

Today although we mostly see paper bills of $5 to $20 and the presidential dollar coins as well as other US coins, there are still occasional Ecuador coins that we receive in change, but not often.

The archeological site has ruins from the Inca Kanari civilization. I couldn’t find much online about the museum and archeological site (guess that is the down side of a free museum) but I did find this. If you are interested in more, you can do an online search and find bits and pieces about the area.

This is a sacred area below the museum and archeological area.

In the lower section there is an area of sacred corn that was planted as well as information on various medicinal plants and other plants which are used in the area.

There was a final area with a few birds in cages. Not all of them were named. The two most interesting to me were this blueish/greenish bird  (unnamed) and Black Chested Buzzard Eagles which are much larger than they appear in this picture.

Cuenca

According to WIKI, the city of Cuenca is located at about 8,200 feet with an urban population of approximately 400,000 rising to 700,000 inhabitants in the larger metropolitan area. The centre of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site due to its many historical buildings.

The air is crisp and much cleaner than the other large cities like Quito or Medellin. And the air is very dry even though we are fast approaching the rainy season. We were the first AirBnB guests of Marco and Miriam. They are a retired couple who built what I would call a hacienda on the edge of town 8 years ago. The U shaped house has 4 bedrooms along the legs of the U with a large covered area in between and the living, dining, and laundry rooms and kitchen along the base of the U. There is a separate structure on the property where Miriam’s mother lives.

We took the bus to the center of town most days, $0.25 total for both of us each way. The bus stops within 100 feet or so of their property.

We took 2 tours in one day early on in our stay. One to the North part of town, the other to the South. The architecture in Cuenca shows Spanish, French, and Arabian influence. At least one building shows all 3 in the same building exterior.

There are 4 rivers in Cuenca. Along one street, the houses look like they are 2 story houses but when you drive along the street parallel to this street which fronts one of the rivers you can see that those houses are actually up to 7 stories high.

On the South tour, we went up to a viewpoint and then spent some extra time going to a famous ceramic workshop and bought 4 mugs, a small vase, and a number “7” to go on the manufactured home when we move back to Durango.

During the North tour we stopped at what I believe is the original “Panama hat” factory. All true Panama hats are made in Ecuador. The story about the name of the hats is that they were worn by the workers who were digging out the Panama Canal. When Teddy Roosevelt was photographed wearing one while he inspected the work, the name became “Panama” hat. These hats are lightweight and breathable which makes them very comfortable. More on them in another post.

I saw two little girls (maybe 5-7) on the bus with their hair braided from one side across their head to the other side. I wasn’t close enough to get a good picture but what might look like a headband is actually braided hair. Really cute!

Speaking of hair, not as many women have long hair here as in many places we have been although there are still lots who do. Guys aren’t always as well groomed as other places but they aren’t dirty or messy…just not as many with very recent haircuts.

Here are a couple of nice murals we have seen. One is probably the Devil vs God with earth in between. The other is a guy playing an electric guitar sitting in a field so that is a bit odd but nicely done.

Lots of dogs here, many loose. Loved this vendor who had their dogs dressed from paws to heads and in between.

Here is a good picture of what I have mentioned in the past…that commas and decimals are used differently in Latin America (and elsewhere maybe?). This is a sign for a building project with the cost down to the penny (cents are after the comma).

And finally, it is not uncommon to see people dressed up as a living statue for money. This was an especially interesting one because the man is only balanced on his arm. He must have a support under his clothes but nothing is visible from the outside.

Here is a random small mural I saw on a building. Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria maybe?

Waste water systems in Latin America can’t usually handle toilet paper so you throw your used paper in a trash can. Not my favorite thing but I am used to it. This is the most graphic sign have I seen on the subject.

Panama Hat Factory

As part of our city tour, we went to a Panama hat factory. This was much more interesting than I would have expected.

Leaves are harvested
Curled
Boiling leaves

Long leaves are picked and rolled a little to curl them. Then they are boiled and then dried and dyed. There are a lot of colors that they use.

Once the leaves are dried again, they are woven by hand into the shape for the hat. Cheap hats start at $35 at the factory, much more other places, although there are vendors on the street that offer them for less…and you can even watch them working on a hat.

More expensive hats use smaller “threads” of leaves to weave so that they are softer and have a more finished look.

Weaving finished, needs trimming, washing, drying, shaping, and hat band.
One machine for shaping; you can see shapes on the shelves.

Once the hat is woven and trimmed, it is washed in large vats and then dried. Then there are a number of steps to shape the brim and head part with steam.

Hat bands are added in this room.

The final step is to add the hat band.

This same process is used for bags and even clothing. Here is a wedding dress  and flowers which were made in the same way.

Many famous people wear hats from this factory including Madonna, Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp, and others. (Sorry the pictures aren’t very good.)

Alausí Devil’s Nose Train

Alausí is a small town between Baños and Cuenca. We wanted somewhere to stay to break up the long bus ride between the two cities.

Nestled in a valley in the Andes mountains. It’s altitude is 7,696 feet and in 2001, the population was around 5,000 people. There are lot of indigenous people there and it was enjoyable to see them when we walked around town.

The town itself is doesn’t have much else for tourists than the train although we had a very enjoyable evening talking with a retired couple from Germany. They have done tons of traveling and talked about some of the places they recommended, especially Africa and Europe. Not likely to get to either of those places but you never know with us!

The Devil’s Nose train is likely another governmental project similar to the Tren de Libertad to Salinas that we took a month or so ago. The scenery is beautiful along the way.

Sign indicating the train will back up and change direction.

The Devil’s Nose train takes track that was extremely challenging to build, climbing more than 500 meters (more than 1,500 feet) in 12 kilometers (7.2 miles). This was accomplished by having zig zags in the tracks where the train backs up in an area and changes direction because the brakeman throws a switch on the tracks!

The whole peak is considered the “Devil’s Nose” however I think the little point on the left side of the peak looks more like a nose on a face.

The ride itself is not that long, about 30-45 minutes each way. On the way there, we stopped briefly for pictures of “Devil’s Nose”. The mountain looks to some like the pointed part of the nose of a person laying down. To me, not so much.

The second stop has a modern covered pavillion, cafe, and museum where the indigenous people perform dances, sell crafts, feed you, and explain some of their culture. Although their actual work day is fairly short (2 performances of maybe 30 minutes each), they walk 2 hours per day TO work and 2 1/2 hours back home. That’s dedication!

You can view videos of their dancing here.

One of the men spoke fairly good English and he explained a number of things about their culture. Their hats and women’s colored necklaces indicated that the person is married although there was one of his friends there without her colored bead necklace on and he couldn’t explain why since she is married (and divorce is not part of their culture).

This tool is hooked over the neck of two oxen or other animals. If they are equally strong, it is placed symmetrically over their necks however if one is stronger than the other, they can vary where on the tool it is placed to make the pulling equal between the two animals.

When the tool is shaken, it makes a noise., kind of like a tambourine.

The animals are trained to auditory signals using this tool. They shake it with different noises to indicate whether the animal should start or stop.

Sugar cane stalk goes through the two horizontal pieces of wood above the piece of tin and the juice is rung out like in the old-fashioned washing machines.

This is a press to get the juice out of sugar cane.

The entire tour took 2 1/2 hours and was $22 each for seniors or $33 each for other adults. Very affordable and worth it in our book.

Casa Del Arbol (Tree House) Tour

 

Area is famous for the swing over the end of the earth. In reality, it is a gentler slope than the other location.

We had a bit of extra time the afternoon before we left Baños so we decided to take the Casa Del Arbol tour. The tour was 2 1/2 hours and cost $4 per person plus $1.50 in entrance fees per person. What a deal!

The first stop (in the same Chiva as the waterfall tour) was at a place that I can’t find the name. This is too bad because I was relying on pulling up some pictures or website online to show you this incredible swing. It makes the Casa del Arbol swing look like a regular playground swing by comparison.

For this swing, you had to wear a helmet and you were strapped into the swing seat and then sent out from a raised platform maybe 12-15 feet off the ground on the edge of a ridge. I saw one boy about 12 or 13 after he got off of it and he was almost in a daze and had to sit down. LOL

I didn’t do either but just to give you an idea, for the Casa del Arbol swing there was a line of 50 or more people and each person got about 30 seconds on the swing which went out over the overlook but it was a relatively gradual slope.

Even the observation tower was a challenge at the first place. I went up to the second of 4 levels and it was swaying so much I went down. Dan went up all 4 levels, of course.

The tree house at Casa del Arbol wasn’t bad although I only went up the first level.

Incidentally, the Casa del Arbol was built as an observation post after the eruption of Tungurahua Volcano in 1999. In early 2000, the entire city of Baños was evacuated for up to a year. They were evacuated once again in 2014 for a short time. You can see a nice write up about this activity here.

PS, Tungurahua is quiet these days but still considered active. No steam or anything to see at this time.

See how close our bus got to another on the way down the mountain! They inched past each other on the narrow road.