FINDING REAL REWARDS – A QUILOTOA LOOP TREK EXPERIENCE (PART ONE)

Our journey started in Latacunga, the capital city of the Cotopaxi province. I arrived early in the morning. The hike was not going to start just yet, but two members of the SOLEQ team were accompanying me, Ayke and Jenny. They already spent the night before at a nice old hacienda in Latacunga. I took advantage of the city and searched for the final items I missed to take before starting the adventure. All set up we enjoyed a warm and friendly breakfast at a local restaurant.

The people from the Cotopaxi area are very nice and offer one the best services in Ecuador. For less than three dollars we charged up in calories and protein. Normally the buses to Isinlivi, our next stop, takes off at Latacunga main station. But it was Thursday and this a special day in the region for centuries. On this day the Saquisili market is taking place. It is the second famous market in Ecuador (right after the Otavalo market) and is called “Plaza de Ponchos”. It’s visited by fewer people because, as I said, it only happens on Thursdays.

In Latacunga we took the first taxi that appeared, in order to reach the Saquisili market outside the city. The driver didn’t know where the buses are going to take off. He started to make some calls and finally he got the information that the bus stop was at the fish market. Ayke didn’t believed him at first, because if you traveled in Ecuador for a good amount of time, it is not good to trust everyone but it is also bad not to trust anyone. To avoid this, the best option is to ask for the required information at a hotel reception or in a tourist information.