Cotopaxi was one of our favorite places we visited in Ecuador. One thing that made it so amazing were the herds of wild horses roaming the landscape. They were slightly wary of people, but if you were easy going and didn't run at them you could get pretty close. It was an incredible experience.
My favorite place we went in Ecuador was the park surrounding Cotopaxi, an active volcano. We were only able to go for one day, but Sarah and I totally want to go back and spend more time camping and climbing. Even in the one day we spent there, we saw some incredible landscapes. There was the peak of Cotopaxi itself which would occasionally peek out from behind huge clouds and all around were other jagged peaks with vast flatlands in between them. It was a magical place.
The main reason for making the long trek to Alausi was to ride the rails on a scenic train ride through the mountains. The train trip is called Nariz del Diablo (the Devil's Nose). It was a wonderful and exciting 2.5 hour trip in a old wooden train through the lush green canyons. We also found out there is a 3 day trip you can do from the mountains to the sea. Next time!
Sometimes getting around in Ecuador can be a chore. A trip that you expect to be 5 hours of driving is really 8 hours. Then when you factor in stops for lunch and sightseeing, it drags out to 12 hours. Such was the case with our trip to the beautiful little town of Alausi. Once we were there, however, it was all worth while. Alausi is a quaint little mountain town with friendly people and stunning views in every direction.
While traveling through Ecuador and visiting the South American side of Sarah's extended family, we got to see some incredible places. On one of our first afternoons we went to lunch at a beautiful restaurant near Mitad del Mundo. The restaurant overlooks a beautiful valley. Or at least, that is what we were told. When we were there low lying clouds filled the valley and sadly we couldn't see into it. But the food at the restaurant was delicious and when we walked up to it we were greeted by a welcoming committee of a couple of tethered llamas. We saw llamas all over Ecuador, they are a common livestock, but these two were particularly photogenic.
