A leisurely morning at La Casa Sol was in order following yesterday. Particularly for Andrew, who in the bus to taxi switch before hiking Fuya Fuya, forgot to grab hiking shoes. He sent Fuya Fuya, in sandals, and with minimal issue. Jaime and I also got ourselves into a dizzying misadventure in our attempt to hike a lesser known mountain near Otavalo. It turned into us driving windy roads through the Ecuadorian countryside and running out of time to summit before dinner. We did however get some great views of Cayambe and a huge mushroom cloud over the erupting Volcán Reventador. 

After copious cups of coffee and tea, we headed for the Otavalo Market. On Saturdays, the market is bustling and extends beyond the normal square where it is held. Sensory overload is real there: colorful textiles, yelling merchants, loud music, food cooking over coals and so on. I typically choose to sneak into an alley and enjoy my favorite coffee I have found in Ecuador at a little shop called Tayta Wasi. After a couple hours, we hopped back in the bus and headed for the town of Cayambe. Once there, we enjoyed a quick lunch with complimentary bizcochos, which are basically the driest butter biscuit you can imagine. Their popularity as a staple food in this region continues to baffle me.

Finally, we made our way towards the volcano and are now settled in at the refuge. Book reading, organizing, gear adjustments and heavy breathing were the afternoon’s activities. Tomorrow we will brush up on basic glacier travel skills before our first big objective of the trip, Volcán Cayambe.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier