Whilst work progressed on Clarabella we went travelling the length of Ecuador. Transport on buses was excellent and cheap throughout and our travels took us first to the northern Andean towns which have specialist craft markets. Quito, the capital, was superb, the old town was crammed with superb old churches and colonial architecture. We moved south through the tourist-centred town of Banos down to the most important Inca sun temple after Machu Pichu. The Ecuadorian people are unfailingly friendly and helpful, and we particularly enjoyed seeing the native Indians, but we must push on now and the Galapagos Islands beckon.
Date(s): March 2007. Album by Gerard Coulson. Photos by Gerard Coulson. 1 - 147 of 147 Total. 49103 Visits.
Up in the Andes, in Northern Ecuador
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A Condor, endangered in Ecuador
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We're in a bird sanctuary
Jonty holds a hawk, prior to take off
Tom's turn
In a leather shop in Cotacachi
Some lovely old architecture
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Locals
Church door
Jeniya does some video!
A walk to a waterfall
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Eric and Monica
Looking down the valley back towards Otovalo
These two old ladies, laden with sweet corn came charging past us!
There they go!
The boys playing chess
The market at Otovalo, where we bought loads of woollen goods
And Eric bought a Poncho
Heavily laden after the market
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We're now in Quito, the capital city
Checking the price of a taxi
We take the cable car up the mountain above Quito
Rebecca's unsure about the experience
And now at over 13000 feet we have to be careful!
Jonty with his head in the clouds as ever!
Looking down on Quito
The valleys around Quito
My kids and me!
And the cloud closes in!
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Independence Square, Quito
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In the streets of the old town
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I loved this notice in the doorway of a church!
No photos allowed, but this was a very beautiful old church
Again no photos allowed, but every surface here is covered in gold leaf. This was stunning
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This street was only recently relieved of its pickpockets and ladies of ill repute, so security remains tight!
From our hotel balcony
The kids loved watching telly!
And I took pictures!
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Monica brings home the supper
Rebecca looks on
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Mitad del Mundo, which is...
on the Equator!
Here's THE line!
Bright sunshine, but not much shadow!
On the eqautor again, in another museum
Tom hemisphere jumping!
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We're all a bit appalled at the shrunken head in the glass case!
Now we try a blow pipe
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The crews of Clarabella and Meta
Apparently you can only balance an egg on the head of a nail on the Equator...
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Ecuadorian kettle!
The courtyard of our hotel
Another illicit church shot!
Banos, tourist centre of Ecuador
Guess what we're doing!
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A very rickety suspension bridge over a very deep gorge. Brunel has been nowhere near here!
Local freight transport
Tom and I cross another depp gorge, in a metal cage suspended on a thin wire, pulled by an ancient old diesel engine. We must be mad,
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Banos again
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We go horse trekking for the days in the mountains
View from the horse
Market Scenes 4
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The boys' horse kept stopping for snacks!
Meanwhile Rebecca falls asleep in the arms of our guide!
Mount Tungurahua, an active volcano, gives frequent signs of its instability
Looking down on Banos
The boys now have a horse each!
The volcano with Banos below.
Tungurahua
Jonty wants a go!
We take an very mechanically unsound train into the mountains. It breaks down here! So we enjoy the local market
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Our untrusty steed
Local indians
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Yes, we rode on the roof too!
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An impromptu repair to the front brakes takes 2 hours
Local boys winding up a puppy
We meet another train
There they are down in the valley
It is a VERY long way down!
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Ingapirca, the Inca temple of the sun
Hooray! We finally get to see Llamas!
The local hostels were so disgusting that we splashed out for the night here!
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We visit the temple of the sun
And this is the remains of the temple of the moon!
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The incas somehow used this stone to tell the phase of the moon