Laguna Quilotoa postscript, on to Rio Verde, and back to Quito

Friday morning, before leaving Quilotoa, we walked around some more.  The sun was shining, it was cold, but I wanted to capture a few more pics of the village near the crater rim.  I hope they have more visitors in other seasons.  As things look now it has the feel of a tourist boomtown that hasn't launched.

The two peaks with snow in the distance are (I think) Iliniza Sur y Norte

And now some pics of the village.

Like many storefronts, this building appeared empty

Women in traditional Kichwa dress

We had planned to head north to Papallacta next for the hot springs.  But we met another traveler in Quilotoa (a climber from Joshua Tree, about our age) and he dissuaded us.  He said it was nice during the week, but on the weekends overcrowded and the springs were dirty.  Following his recommendation we instead drove south and east to Rio Verde, near Baños.  From what we've heard and read Baños is popular with visitors half our age, filled with bars, and very busy.  Rio Verde is just a few km away, and relatively quiet.  We booked a room in the Hotel and Spa Miramelindo.  Very colorful, super friendly and a great room.

The big attraction in Rio Verde is the Cascada El Pailon.  There are actually two places with access to the waterfall; we visited both.  The first one, on the left side of the waterfall has a trail down to about the midpoint, with many viewpoints.  The second, on the right side of the fall, has a longer trail which goes all the way down to the bottom (about 260'), and then steps rising up to about the midpoint.  Both were great.  In some of these pics you can see the trails and people on both sides of the waterfall.

No adventure walk is complete without a swinging bridge

The second walk, on the right side of the waterfall, had a path where one could get right next to the water or even sneak behind it (and get soaked in the process).  To get close I had to crawl through a tunnel carved in the rock (about a meter high) for some distance, and then squeeze and climb up a narrow passage.

These guys went behind the waterfall

In between the two waterfall hikes, we stopped for fruit shakes at one of the many stands along the path.  Also hanging out at the snack stand were a couple of neighbors.  Miguelito, 84 years old, pulled out a guitar and serenaded all of us.  Young Marjorie gifted us a couple of llama keychains she made.

In the evening we wandered down to the lobby for a drink.  We were sitting off to the side, but in the main dining area was a large group which we learned was a family reunion.  They had a guitarist entertaining them over a lively dinner.  As the evening went on, they invited us to join them.  We shared wine, tequila shots, and dancing.  

Sunday we drove back to Quito to return the rental car.  The small road from Rio Verde back to the main highway was crowded with cars, buses and trucks.  We passed through several tunnels: narrow, unlit, and while some drivers had their lights off others were using the opportunity to pass slower traffic.  Ellen snapped this pic of a cyclist braving one of the tunnels as we passed.

It was a beautiful and clear day, and as we drove up the Panamerican Highway we had nice views of Cotopaxi.  Ellen shot this from the car.

Back in Quito we are staying at the Mama Cuchara, at the edge of the historic center.  We spent a couple of hours walking around the city.