Day 60: Riobamba – Guamote – Stefan, on the run

Monday, May 27th, 2019.

Todays plan:

“Morning hike in La Esperanza, transfer to Guamote, Tasting local life

In the morning you will enjoy breakfast at the house of an indigenous family. Afterwards at 09:00 hrs a local Spanish-speaking guide will take you on a hike (approx. 3 hours) to a spectacular viewpoint, from where you can see different volcanoes in the area.

At 12:00 hrs. you will be brought in private transport to Guamote, where you will have lunch at your accommodation, the Inti Sisa Art Guesthouse.

Afterwards you will explore the indigenous town of Guamote on your own, with the help of the Tasting Local Life self-guided tour guidelines. Get in contact with the locals to learn more about this amazing town and its culture.”

I get up. It was not so cold, thanks to multiple blankets. The ovens fire is dead. As I get out of the bed, it is freezing. I have a hot shower. That works. Then I go with my mercado bait and my emergency cereals to breakfast. Doggie is already waiting. Weather is super fine. Always be prepared.

Breakfast is not so bad. The two ladies give there best. Their small kid gets half of the fruits. The kids all like like Inuit. Maybe it is because they all wear hoodies over their head and have this red cheeks.

After breakfast my local guide is awaiting me. Spanish and Kichwa only, of course. We walk up to a mirador (viewpoint) to the glaciers. Fortunately the weather is fine and it clears up. He wears leather shoes and a poncho/traditional hat.

He explains about the community, my Spanish understanding gets better and if not, translate.google.com offline capabilities help. We talk about Farming, School, Community, religion (a few communities here are evangelic), Food, development of the last 50 years. It is very interesting, that the guide in his 60ies experienced huge changes, traitors, mobile fones, power, clean water, the land return program of moreno, the road, the bridge with an exact year digit when it happened. Every change, that lead to shorter transfer times to the panamericana same, year and hours or minutes they saved. The panamericana seems to be the main ateria for them, market, school, shopping, hospital, everything at the panamericana. He went to school first time with 28 (when they built the school, all had to go) for 3 years. But he is super satisfied and happy with his life. Builds a new house at the moment.

I ask if it was unpoliteful to go to the church. He says no. They appreciate. Aha.

The walk is very exciting as he doesnot use a road, he walks with me through the fields and grass and shows points of his childhood, talks with his community members, … After three hours I am back at the bungalow.

Lesson learned: better give him the cell phone than the DSLR for a picture. All fotos are 45° turned.

A driver is already waiting for me to bring me to Guamote, where I will stay the next night. The drive is only half an hour.

In Guamote we get of at Inti Sisa Art Guesthouse. It looks European built in a sleepy indigenous Andes village. At the reception is a Belgian blond girl with perfect English. She let’s me choose my room as I am the only guest. I choose a room in the new part of the building with an outside window.

Later a second Belgian girl joins. Huge blond dread locks.

I get a lunch. They cook like if ten people would starve. I eat as ten starving people.

I go for the scavenger hunt. It is hot. I find nearly everything and buy the ingredients for tonight’s cooking class. 2 eggs and 200 grams flour, they look at me as if I am completely off the grid. I look back. Loco turista.