Our time in Quito came to an end after a lovely dinner with our new friends Sebastian and Andrea. They treated us to what apparently is a real favorite “foreign food” – pizza! I know, funny to eat pizza in Ecuador but it actually was delicious, thin-crusted, and chock full of fresh veggies and on the meat pie, a few different versions of ham with pepperoni. They did it right.
Discussing our next stop in the mountains and how we planned to get there by buses, Sebastian would not hear of that. Apparently not only are the bus routes confusing, but he and Andrea thought the busses held potentially dangerous scenarios…getting mugged or worse. We had heard a range of concerns as well as “no problemo” from other people we spoke to, but clearly Sebastian was having none of it. A few calls later he had arranged a taxi driver to take us literally door to door. Angel was a very sweet Ecuadorian and a master at driving the very winding road that we had to pick up for the last hour or so to get to the hostel we booked. The drive took about three hours – the first hour was just getting out of Quito! The traffic in and out of the city is horrific – the main road is just not wide enough for all the cars that need to make the commute even though the road is well-paved and maintained. The second hour was smooth on the Pan American Highway – really impressive compared to the terrible roads in Costa Rica, for example.
Once we got off the highway and headed into the mountains, the road was very windy and in many places pitted from lack of maintenance – but the scenery was as beautiful as the road was bad. Verdant green in every shade imaginable, landscape dotted with farmhouses and farm animals, clouds billowing over the higher peaks…we did have to stop and ask local people a few times how to get to the tiny village of Isinvili where the hostel – LluLluLlama – is located.
The village is VERY small, perhaps a couple hundred residence along two streets only. There is of course a church in the town center, a small grocer, an Internet café (yes, they do still exist), a woodworking shop that supplies many of the doors and beautiful furnishings in the hostal, and a farmhouse that provides fresh milk straight from the cows.
LluLluLlama was recommended to us by the Galapagos booking agent in Quito once he knew we wanted to have an experience in the Andes where we could meet local people and get a sense of their culture. He got it right. It is perched on the hillside looking down on a beautiful valley.
There are accommodations for hikers who are on the Quilotoa Loop – dormitory style for budget digs ($19/night or so), and for us older folks there are a couple of private cabanas with their own bathroom, patio, and wood-burning fireplace…at the extravagant rate of $40/night! Mind you, this includes a full breakfast and three-course dinner each day…I will let you know if the food passes muster. The grounds and cabanas are spotless and there is even a hot pool and dry sauna that can be used in the couple of hours before dinner. There are a few common areas to sit and relax, a nice dining space where you can get coffee and tea at all day, and even a hammock to chill in. So far we are thrilled.
When we arrived late morning, we were two of just a handful of guests…but the place filled up with mostly young trekkers by late afternoon. Very cool – some guys from Philadelphia began singing a cappella before dinner – a lovely soundtrack as people gathered and got acquainted.
The hostal has a jacuzzi that we along with a number of others took advantage of before dinner. Pretty decadent living for a hiking group – great fun.
Dinner was wonderful. It was a three course meal of homemade pea soup, fresh bread, salad of organic vegetables; Shephard’s pie made of potatoes, meat, some veggies and topped with cheese; and some yummy cake and ice cream. Great feast for tired and hungry hikers (which we are not yet but will be!). We got to chat with such interesting people…an Israeli man just out of the army after six years in service and now traveling far and wide…Three Americans from the east coast taking a break from their various work situations…and a mom and grown son traveling together – she an American transplant to Germany many years ago, he one of triplets who is a forensic psychiatrist in Munich. This is the essence of the kind of travel we love…global shmoozing!
We were pretty tired after dinner so headed for bed – excited to see what mischief we could get into the next day.
Esther
Living La Vida Loca 