Montañita, Ecuador

This place is a gem. Known as a bit of a party town because it has surfers and pot, it's a free wheeling place, and thankfully underdeveloped; which gives it it's charm. The best ceviche can be found on the street in one of the many ceviche carts.  The place is buzzing at night with musicians, street entertainers and hawkers. One of the streets from the beach is lined with carts (street vendors) selling nothing but cocktails. At dusk, the surfers are still out there giving it their last. Then night falls on the beach, and there is a beautiful darkness between the lights of the town and it's reflection on the waves; the glitter on the sea. In that space, you find small groups, or couples sitting there in the darkness, quietly talking or saying nothing. Maybe they are stoned. Maybe not. But there is something special about the moment. Further up, there is an open air cinema on the beach.  "Admission" is free and has its own pop corn stand. Beer is sold. This was my favorite. I stayed only two nights. I have a feeling I might be back, and if I don't, I'm so glad I was here. 

Quito, Ecuador

Quito was a great place to visit. After La Paz, I thought "civilization!"  Tourists, expats, and the dollar. They use the dollar as currency. And the electrical outlets are the same. I was practically at home. I ventured out the first night and street life more resemembled Costa del Sol (Spain) than a Colonial town in the mountains. By eight in the evening the streets were full; people spilling out of sports bars and cafés into the streets; the latest sounds blasting from every establishment. Amazing. I had dinner and went to bed as I had three full days planned with early morning starts.

On the first day I took a city tour and went to Mitad del Mundo, where the equator line is marked. This is a city of churches. We went to see several of them, one more glorious than the next. But the amazing thing was, for a Friday morning, each one had masses going on and each one was full! Day 2 was a visit to Otavalo Market and the last day was a visit to Cotopaxi, the second largest active volcano in the world. We hiked up the side of it at 16,000 feet (the peak is 19,000 feet).  Breathing was REALLY hard at that elevation. I almost made it to the ice cap but the guide pulled me back as we ran out of time. Dammit. 

MITAD DEL MUNDO

You weigh one kilo less at the equator. Can't you tell? ;)

HISTORIC DISTRICT

The statue on the top of that hill above. Here is the close-up...

OTAVALO MARKET

COTACHI VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN / CUICOCHE LAGOON

Offering to the gods! 

COTOPAXI

Arriba! Arriba! Andale! Andale!

Minus 5 Celsius; 16,000 Feet.

And a little ride downhill afterwards...

4WD Adventure to Uyuni - video

A quick fun video of the Uyuni trip...

YouTube link to Uyuni Adventure

La Paz

The night bus to La Paz was rough. There was no paved road for the first 160 miles. I sat beside a backpacker who probably hadn't had a shower in 3 days, and was slightly on the turn. For my sins, I'm sure I snored quite a good bit of the way. So we were quits. We arrived in La Paz at 7.00 am.  The stalls were in full swing and the streets were packed with traders. It's a rough city. Life is tough here. You can see it on their faces. The city is totally congested. Most of the traffic is comprised of taxis or micro-buses.  Ordinary people don't drive. To see the traditional dress on most people was striking for a large city. I was surprised by this.  Walking around later that day, I realized there must be some unwritten rule not to take photos of the locals. I felt it would have belittled them and made them no more than a curiosity. I really wanted to take photos of the everyday people but I just couldn't. It felt wrong. Not only that, I might have been flashy and dangerous. Below are some from a distance.  I was glad to get out. 

Lake Titicaca

My cabin at the hostel was one of the most unique places I have stayed. The view was magnificent.  There were two hammocks inside and another two outside in the garden. The sinks were made of carved wood.  There was a wood fire heater. Below are some photos along with some photos of my hike on Isla del Sol and a visit to the archeological site on the island. I stayed 3 days at the lake.  It was heaven.  I also ran into many people from San Pedro de Atacama and Uyuni trips. This was the back packer trail and it was nice to be a part of that. 

4WD Adventure to Uyuni - Uyuni Salt Flats

It was an early rise at 5.00 am at the Salt Hotel. We headed for sunrise over the salt flats. It was beautiful. 

We stopped at Incahuasi Island for breakfast.  It's a hilly outcrop, and former island, in the middle of the salt flats.  It is the top of the remains of an ancient volcano, which was submerged when the area was part of a giant prehistoric lake, roughly 40,000 years ago. It sits at an elevation of 3,600 meters. 

After that we took perspective pictures in the salt flats. So we used one of the other guys cameras for the most part. I only have 2 taken from the iPhone. I can't wait to get all the other ones, but this will give you the idea. It was so much fun!