New Year, Otavalo, and Baños

As I mentioned in my last post, I returned to Quito for the New Year celebration. Unfortunately, I was sick and stayed awake just long enough to ring in the New Year, then returned home to get some much needed sleep. However, I was able to enjoy the different traditions of the Quiteños before my early departure to my bed. One such tradition is the burning of muñecos. During the week preceding the last day of the year, the people of Ecuador are busy preparing wooden and paper dummies of presidents, politicians, and famous celebrities from around the world. On the 31st of December, there are parades, music, plenty of food, and everyone floods the streets to celebrate the close of the old year. At midnight, the muñecos are set on fire in the streets and bystanders can wander through town witnessing hundreds of small bonfires burning symbolic figures while fireworks explode in the sky. It is quite a site and it occured to me while I strolled the streets how illegal this practice would be in the US. The other tradition of interest, but with less rationality, is what I term the transexual tradition. Every nuevo año men dress up as women and prevent passing cars from crossing their path unless the driver pays a small fee. I don't understand the reasioning behind this, but everyone seems to go along with the tradition and quietly pays the fee as they pass.



On the first of January I headed to Otavalo, a small market driven town 2 hours north of Quito, to enjoy the weekend in the beautiful northern mountains of Ecuador. Every Saturday in Otavalo hundreds of vendors flood into town to sell their goods to locals and foreigners in one of the biggest markets in Ecuador. You can buy anything from wool sweaters made from Alpaca to instruments, blankets, fruit, and numerous trinkets. It is quite a spectacle and entertaining if only to stroll the aisles and make small talk with the vendors. After experiencing the market, we were able to hire a taxi for the 45 minute journey to a nearby alpine lake called Laguno Mojando. From there, I summited a peak called Fuya Fuya, which is just under 14K feet. I felt it took much less effort than a 14K foot mountain normally would in Colorado, which is probably due to my acclimitization in Quito. The area was gorgeous and a perfect way for me to ring in the New Year in South America!



Now I am in Baños, another mountain town known for its outdoor sports and thermal baths (from the active volcano of Tungarahua). My first day I rented a mountain bike for $5 for the whole day and rode downhill for 20 kilometers to view 5 different waterfalls. It was an amazing trip and we stopped off in a small town for a wonderful lunch of freshly caught trout and rice. Yesterday we rented bikes again, hired a truck to drive us up to the base of Tungarahua, and hiked 4 hours to the refuge at 3,800 meters (the refuge lies at the base of the active volcano of Tungarahua). Unfortunately, it was raining and cloudy the whole time so we could not see the lava spewing from the top, but we could hear the consistent rumble of volcanic activity. It was a surreal experience, especially being able to hear the sound so close. After our descent, we rode our bikes down a steep dirt track back to Baños. It has been raining for three days, but I have still managed to do some great hikes and activities here. On to the next place!