Markets And Mountains

Sooo much fruit everywhere...

When the power goes out but you and fellow travelers share food and drinks around the rooftop table. Best drink award goes to the Czech guy who brought homemade plum vodka. At 52% aclohol, a flaming shot was most necessary. 

The weekly Saturday animal market. There were more tourists there taking pictures than of locals buying animals.

The beginning of my hike up Fuya Fuya. Mojanda Lake was beautiful. 

This is the part where you hike through the clouds. That ominous black form in the distance is peak 1 of 2.

The exciting ridgeline

The sun is setting and I need to get to the second peak!

The view of the lake from the top of Fuya Fuya.

No, this shot was not taken from a plane...

Otavalo is best known for its markets, especially on Saturdays. I couldn't believe how many shops were setup along the streets. It was fun walking around and seeing all of the different crafts, some handmade, others not so much. The animal market was also interesting, but not exactly my kind of place to be. After exploring in the morning, Fabienne took off for Peru. After doing some calculations, she decided Ecuador didn't quite fit within her budget for time or money. The first couple hours of being by myself felt very strange and empty. I had never been in a foreign country by myself and was just now realizing the value of a travel companion. Nevertheless, the country wasn't going to explore itself! 

Thanks to some advice from the hostel owner, I took off for the Mojanda Lakes and Fuya Fuya. Since a cab would run me $10, I was told it was very easy to hitch a ride up to the lakes. Having never hitch hiked before, I was slightly apprehensive but felt it was almost a rite of passage to travelling alone for the remainder of my trip. 15 or so minutes into my journey I was picked up by a friendly family that had a ranch on the way up to the lakes. Making it halfway and having hitched my first ride, I was ecstatic. A few minutes later I was able to get a ride from a family of 4 in a small Kia. We chatted about how they were on vacation from Quito and about how I was travelling around. It was a very pleasant experience and am very grateful for how helpful and welcoming people are in this country. 

I began my hike right away since it was already mid afternoon and I didn't know how long it would take. It's a rather short hike but incredibly steep. With a very crudely drawn map from the hostel owner, I headed in the direction that made the most sense. With the start of the hike being at just over 12,000 feet, it was a struggle from the beginning. Moving 15 or so feet and then stopping for breath was the pattern for the entire hike. About halfway through I found myself in the midst of the clouds. Towards the end, I was above the clouds and could see forever in every distance. An ethereal experience for sure! The peak topped out at about 14,700 feet which is now officially the highest I've ever hiked. Such a rewarding experience. The sunset was spectacular but also a sign that I should hike down a bit so I'm not trying to find a place to camp in sheer darkness. At about 800 feet down I found a cozy clearing to lay out my sleeping bag. Within 20 minutes I was out cold. The next morning I hiked around a bit then sat by the lake to reflect on how exhausted I was at that elevation. A family was walking around nearby and the daughter and her boyfriend struck up a conversation with me. Super nice people and it turns out that they are both very into rock climbing. I spent the next couple hours with them sharing stories and they even gave me a ride back into town. After having so many uncertainties upon beginning to travel alone, this helped reassure me very much that it'll still be an adventure full of great people and memories. Plus I'll hopefully still be meeting up with Fabienne and Lundy in Peru at the end of February. I think tomorrow I will be heading to Quito. Till next time!