ECUADOR: ANDEAN FOOTHILLS

 March 28, 2022

On our last morning in Ecuador, we had to have a Covid antigen test, required for entry into the United States. Our guide Javier arranged for someone in a lab coat who was supposed to be a "medical" person to come to our room to administer the official test. He did some pretty light swishing around in our nostrils with a swab and headed off with our samples to the lab. Later in the day we got the certificate certifying that we were negative for Covid in our email.

We had one last delicious breakfast in the hotel--eggs benedict and some bread for me, complete with a little pighead butter pat.

We got on the road towards Guayaquil, with a couple of planned stops.

We really enjoyed our time in Cuenca, where even the overpasses are artsy.

We basically retraced our path of two days prior, just going down instead of up. Javier confirmed that the shorter route was still impassable. 

There were lots of fun things to see along the way, such as this roasted whole pig, and by "whole" I mean whole.

The view from my window was of the rich greens and blues of the Andean hills and valleys, farmed for centuries by the local people. 

Occasionally we would catch a glimpse of some mountains behind the clouds, but usually they were hidden.

We made a stop for gasoline, a snack, and a restroom trip.  

You have to get your "hygienic paper" before entering a stall. It was 10 centavos--about 10 cents. (Ecuador uses American dollars but local coins.)

I was tempted by these . . . 

. . . but couldn't pass up this!

Javier said that there is a high percentage of indigenous people in the area, and I noted all the women in their beautiful embroidered skirts, black or white bowler hats, and long braided hair.

I asked Javier if it would be permissible to offer one of the women a dollar to take a picture of her beautiful skirt, and he said it would be okay, so he stopped when he saw a likely candidate. This darling, smiling lady of indeterminate age seemed happy to pose for me and then to join me in a photo.  You can see that she is fairly short when I am standing next to her.

At the end of our drive we were not too far above sea level. Talk about a change of environment!