Carnival in Ecuador - meant for Paul and me less water (as an Ecuadorian proverb says) in his boots and chicken shit on the head, rather than a long weekend with four days off to travel.
Was our first plan was yet to commit the Carnival festivities in Latacunga Ambato or and us to look at the "Fiestas de frutas y flores" in Ambato, then we turned around but still on a journey into the deep south of Ecuador.
Curious by our tour guide made the slogans like "Just for this landscape could have paid off for many a flight to Ecuador" attracted to the south, we would venture the long holidays for the even longer journey to the southern province of Loja.
It was then, despite numerous route closures due to continuous rains on Friday night in good old Panamericanabus on to Loja.
Although occasionally occurring short road closures, because landslides had to be removed, were us start with only an hour late the next day in the provincial capital of Loja. Since we still wanted to wait for two English girls who had met Paul at the farm and wanted to look also in the southern part of Ecuador, we used the time until their arrival for a city tour - good - and coffee - bad.
The city of Loja, which has been praised already on the bus ride from returning residents as well as Cuenca, "had actually come up with some beautiful parks and churches, although the restoration of the houses was carried out not nearly as extensively as in Cuenca.
After a more or less substantial lunch, we wanted to visit the botanical garden of Loja, got into the taxi, talked briefly on the ride with the driver of the botanical garden and ... Had to find the goal that was closed. Would obviously have been too easy, we put them on at start having, but then you would indeed deserve a more money.
So we took back the sidewalk and finally met the girls at the bus terminal, to make us equal to the long journey to Vilcabamba.
Vilcabamba: The Valley of longevity, as it is known in Ecuador and is located only a few dozen miles from the Peruvian border and is known for its mild climate Andes and the spectacular scenery of the surrounding area popular with tourists. In addition, the small town with a population of unusually advanced age has come up, the record age of 128 years was reached. In addition to these facts and friendly inhabitants, Vilcabamba has to offer but very little, apart from the times not old but beautifully decorated church from the village center.
We first had to find to our horror that the cheapest room for an overnight stay cost $ 12 should be good, yet when they finally with the help of some friendly Dutch still get hold of one for $ 5. Contrary to our expectation, in Loja largely spared from the general tourism carnival to stay, we met here Gringos on every corner and had to get completely soaked and sprinkled with colored foam with a dinner at a roadside stand satisfied.
Contrary to fears the food was really delicious, albeit expensive, and also let any of us spend the rest of the evening on the toilet. In sharp contrast were the evening unpacking nor the Kings cards and destroyed some beer before going to bed.
And the next morning was also clear to me why our stay was so cheap.
For just about my - of course open - pocket had a hole in the ceiling and it had rained inside, so I am cross boots by 7 clock by Vilcabamba was allowed, to throw all my clothes for an hour in the dryer can.
Somewhat annoyed by this incident, we visited the local church, where the only thing worth mentioning, however, was partly fanatical old man, who told us a lot about the saints and their veneration of the place.
was barely dry the clothes and the old man brushed off, we started again on the way back to Loja to travel from there to Zamora on. Zamora, capital of the province Zamora-Chinchipe, attracted to the Podocarpus National Park and so we started the two-hour bus tour. We arrived
informed us briefly about the way in the national park, looking for a hostel and ate was imported in a very white restaurant for dinner, where our food is not prepared at this restaurant, but from others. We saw quite amused with the owner of the food boxes come in the door, disappearing behind the counter and show up after a few seconds in a wondrous way with our food again.
Saturated fat and happy we went to bed early to early the next morning to drive into the park. A quick pick-up was found, the passed here are cheap and picked up again. Locally, we could make the park guards believe skillfully, we were all students in Ecuador and would offer the $ 2 for Ecuadorians and not the $ 10 entrance fee for foreigners as to pay. A lucky because I had my smooth Censo forget the hotel and would thus hardly came in cheaper ...
Censo: The Censo, as Ecuadorean ID card for foreigners will only be issued for a longer stay in a fixed abode. This one is to treat all issues as Ecuadorians, which is reflected primarily in our admission fees for tourist sites.
We enjoyed the day in the great outdoors with large butterflies, waterfalls and the 800-meter-wide rise to a vantage point where the slope estimate was 45 degrees and I am thanks to my profile without shoes more than once rolled in the mud.
But the sludge settled at the falls again, wash well and it was more or less clean back to the hotel to shower and to make the journey.
Because for Paul and me was still visiting Zaruma on the plan, the largest gold mining city of Ecuador, while the two English girls wanted to do on the way to Cuenca.
separated us, we arrived at the terminal of Loja and alone for two evenings in Zaruma.
lay between, but the most adventurous bus ride of my entire trip to Ecuador. For the link road from the highlands town of Loja and the other on the side of the Andean town of Zaruma is far from well developed. The continued by the rains which further deteriorated road was too narrow in part, by allowing for two vehicles side by side.
also had been held in many a curve to the impression that a wheel suspended in the air and the other only by the tenacious mud on the road in the lane. After six hours of tough progress, although even one or another river crossing was without a bridge with the process of reaching our goal.
Zaruma: The gold rush town in the southern part of Ecuador can come up with a long tradition of Schürferei. The oldest mine was in the 16th Century exploited by the Spaniards, and even before this Canari-resident Indians, the yellow metal has accumulated in the rivers. But even if Zaruma today is a wealthy city, thanks to the gold deposits of the sought-after material has not only good with it.
will oblige the Spaniards all able-bodied indigenous people of the region to work in the mines, where the life expectancy of a miner at that time was not more than 5 years. The hopeless situation of indigenous people and the brutal exploitation and slavery attitude reminiscent of the workers by the Spaniard led after some time in collective suicides of up to 100 workers in the mines and the abortion of all children through the Indigenafrauen. The English rule was this place so the entire original population wiped out - by a number of estimates of about 30,000 people - and thus laid the basis for the completely white, today's population of the region. This promotes
continue the gold from the rich veins of the mountains, and extending the network of tunnels now more than 12 levels with 30 meters distance from each other under the whole city and surrounding area.
In Zaruma we were both quite enthusiastic about the city and some time wandering through the architecturally beautiful gold-mining town with notice their wealth. Particularly interesting were the woodwork of the city. Both the pillars the house balconies, as well as the systematic nested doors are made from a local wood, which is handled very interesting and painted.
The next morning we took advantage of the tourist tour of Zaruma the region visited, with the excellent tourism officer of the city a gold mine and got it still a heap of information about the city, surroundings and history been delivered, following a trip made to the 120-meter high waterfall of Guaiquichuma and visited the candy manufacturing Dona Clem.
During the whole trip, we found out that the carnival is not exactly tourist-friendly. Not only that there is no public transport there was also exploited ruthlessly that the two gringos were riding on the halted Caionetas in the back. Again and again water bombs flying, was washed with the hose of the pick-up, including passengers and all the water buckets were emptied over our heads.
But the goals were more than worth the inconvenience. The impressive waterfall with the unpronounceable name that awaited us at the finish by three car-sharing and a chartered Camioneta made an absolutely breathtaking impression.
then visited the candy production was, however, not so much her, but had a good taste and delicious coffee to come up.
After this good day, it was even half as bad that we did not find any direct bus from Zaruma back to Quito, but return to the coastal city of Machala had. Here we had also a very well-equipped bus in half for us alone and we were pretty well rested the next day on time in the home of ...
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