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| One of the many churches beautifully restored. |
We visited Cotopaxi
National Park. Brooks and rivers run down form Cotopaxi Volcano, the highest
active snow-capped volcano in the world. We were fortunate to be able to view
this majestic mountain in all its splendour as it is often shrouded in mist. It
is 19,347 feet above sea level and commands a domineering opposition in the
National Park. The glacier is 1 cubic km. in depth. The extent of the glacier
is decreasing with global warming and a large red sulphur discolouration on the
peak is evidence of this loss of ice. We walked through the park exploring the
flora and fauna. The flora had many similar species to the Alpine
plants in the
Burren, Co. Clare – gentian blue flowers, wild-luppins, dandelions that hugged
the earth, lichens etc. We saw a variety of birds in the lagoon – Andean
lapwings, coots, moorhens, hawks, finches, Andean gulls and later tiny jewel
like humming birds at a hacienda restaurant. Wild horses roamed under the gaze
of Cotopaxi. We passed an area out side the park where strong Lidia cattle are
reared for Ecuadorian beef consumption. There could be up to 6,000 cattle in
some haciendas (farms). Cowboys are employed to round them up once a year for
inspection and to count them. They use lassoes some 60 m long made from cowhide
for this dangerous task.
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| Active Volcano Cotopaxi in the background. |
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| On the Equator Line |
Visiting the
Equatorial Monument 16miles north of Quito, marks the middle of the world,
latitude 0° where we placed one foot in each hemisphere. We visited the
Ethnographic Museum that traces the culture of the different ethnic groups
living in Ecuador.
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| Main Plaza Quito |
There is a wealth of
plazas, churches, convents, monasteries, cathedrals and basilicas in Quito. You
can hardly walk two blocks in the old town without passing a church. La
Compania de Jesus with its awesome gilded interior, cloisters, and San
Francisco are very impressive. La
Compania is the most ornate church in Ecuador. It has been claimed that 7 tons
of gold were used to gild the walls,
ceiling and altars. Moorish- Arab influence is evident the by the intricate
geometric designs carved on the magnificent red and gold columns and ceilings.
The remains of Marian de Jesus are found here in the church that took 160 years
to build.
We had lunch in the
main square where the indigenous people did a brisk trade selling our group
scarves. The ragged street shoe-shine
boys looked for ‘money for lunch.’ We
gave them dollars and later in the day we saw the same boys who obviously
bought burgers with the money share the food with those less fortunate.
In the hot pacific
coast region the people cultivate bananas, flowers (roses), sugar cane used in
the making of rum, blue berries, oranges, coconut palms, cacao trees and silk
cotton and farm organic prawns. Cocao seeds provide cocoa and chocolate - a
major export. Exports also include oil which comes from the tropical forests
and is transported in huge pipes to the coast.
Even though we were
forewarned about the dangers traveling in
Ecuador and Colombia
we felt perfectly safe. Both countries and our amazing trip to the Galápagos
stole our hearts away.
Mary Kyne
August 2013