The Road to Peru

One the way to Peru, the scenery included desert mountains, cloud forests (not shown here), and miles of banana trees.

Cuenca

Cuenca is the last Ecuadorian city I stayed in before entering Peru. It´s a decent colonial city with good architecture and interesting side streets.

Cajas National Park

I did a day of hiking in Cajas National Park while staying in Cuenca. The park is at about 3500 meters above sea level and is covered in lots of small lakes.

Guinea Pigs on the Grill

Trust me, they taste better than they look. The only complaint I have is that there isn´t very much meat on each one.

Baños Bike Trip part 2

Here are some more pictures from my bike trip in Baños.

Baños Bike Trip

While in Baños, Ecuador I went on a bike trip that took me down through the mountains and led me to many of the waterfalls in the area.

A Few Random Pictures the Ecuadorian Mountains

Lagoon near Quilotoa

While in Quilitoa, I was able to do some hiking near the lagoon.

Quilotoa

This is the town of Quilotoa, Ecuador. It is at 3800 meters above sea level, which keeps it cold the entire day. I came to this small town in the mountains to experience a different culture and to see the beautiful lagoon. Everyone in Quilotoa speaks Quichua, which is not to be confused with the Quechua language in Peru. A little boy informed me of this while I was chatting with him during lunch. They speak Quichua with family and friends and learn Spanish in school.

Saquisili Market part 3

Another interesting section of the market was for large animals. Here they sold pigs, cows, sheep, and llamas.

Saquisili Market part 2

There was a section of the market just for small animals. The majority were guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and geese. As you can see in the pictures they are sold from cages, baskets, and right from the ground. In the 3rd picture, it is a little hard to see, but they are selling their animals from bags. People walk around and look into the bags to find a bird, rabbit, or guinea pig that they want.

Saquisili Market

Here are a few pictures of the best market in Ecuador. That is at least what many people say. I haven´t been to many big markets yet but this one is definately at the top the list of the ones I have seen.