Back to Lima and this time we spend a couple of days in Miraflores. Unlike the rest of Lima this suburb is very nice, modern and relatively safe. Neighbouring Barranco is known for Friday and Saturday live music and DJ´s and we stroll from club to club dancing and drinking till 2am. Too tired we catch a cab for four bucks to get back home safely. And what did we drink? What else then Pisco Sour. Monday we head off north with first night staying at Chimbote and the second on the bus. From Tumbes in Peru we catch SIFA bus to Machalla in Ecuador and luckily the bus conductor guided us through customs and police checks on both sides of border. There are many check points and all is very confusing especially with our limited knowledge of Spanish. We cought connecting bus to Cuenca just in time to arrive at 4pm. The change of landscape from very dry in Peru to almost reinforesty in Ecuador occured within a short distance perhaps 50km. Cuenco is a lovely old city with coblestone streets and heaps of character. At 2500m we do not feel any altitude problems and we´d like to stay here for few days to explore cafes, museums and narrow streets which in a way reminds us the Old Town of Prague. On top of that prices here are real bonus - breakfast with 2 eggs, cheese, butter, jam, 2 croissants, coffee and freshly squeezed juice for $2 and a dinner in nice restaurant for $5-6. Surrounding Andies have many opportunities for hiking and today we spent four hours trekking through Cajas National Park which have more then 200 lakes. Considering this place is not far from the Equator the 10C mid-day temperature was a bit chilly but what can you expect at 3500m? Saturday morning we head off to a local musem to look closer at real human heads shrunk to a size of a fist by Ecuadorian indians some 100 yeras ago. Of course it is illegal today. Pretty disturbing exhibits. Tonight a local restaurant has five membered band playing latin american music. Realy enjoyable to watch locals dancing salsa and merrenge in smooth natural moves. After breaky our journey continues by bus to Riobamba. Next day we share a taxi with young couple from Germany Sebastian and Judith to explore the highest vulcano in the world Chimborazo and the highest peak in Ecuador. We could not see its 6310m summit due to thick cloud but 1km hike to the base camp at 5000m was awesome. Elevation difference of 200 meters does not sound too much but we were truly gasping for the air. A bottle of nice red Chillian wine after dinner replenished our energy before going to bed. Banos is our next stop for a couple of days and this place is truly amazing. Steep and green walls rise to hundreds of meters creating a narrow valey with raging river at the bottom. Beautiful waterfalls of variable heights and shapes unfold through the valley as we ride on a sightseeing truck. A ride in small cable car 200m above the river increased our heart rate. We did not find enough courage to bungee jump from a bridge. This landscape is what we thought of Ecuador before this trip. To complete nice feel about this area we visit local hot bath and soak for a couple of hours in 40C pool while air temperature dropped to 15C. Thursday afternoon we take a $2 bus to Latacunga, small sleepy town in close vicinity to Laguna Quilotoa and Cotopaxi National Park. Instead of taking a tour for $90 we catch a local bus for $4 to Zumbahua, then $10 ride on a back of a ute and three hours later we start 300m descend to the lagoon at bottom of the vulcano. The ascend was slow and tiring - the altitude shows its presence. Bus trip back home was more like a roller-coaster ride. The most important safety feature here appears to be for the bus-driver to press horn many times before entering any curve to warn potential incoming traffic. After pressing horn he seems to be allowed to drive the bus even on the opposite side of road and at any speed. And there might be a 100m cliff on the side. Quite nerve wrecking experience. On Friday afternoon we arrive to Otavalo which is known for its unique Saturday markets. Also we are lucky to vitness annual holiday fiesta parade. Hundreds of locals dressed in traditional dresses danced through streets accompanied with bands and DJ trucks. The evening ended on main city plaza with fireworks and entertainment provided by Ecuarodian bands playing latino-americano music. Next day we make a short hike to village Peguche with nice waterfalls and the day would not be complete without going to the Peña Bar with live traditional music. Today we change our itenarary after speaking with Jabe from Melbourne and instead going back to Peru we decided to visit Colombia. After all we have no fixed plans so why not? One more lagoon Quicocha to see near Otavalo on Sunday and bye-bye Ecuador for next couple of weeks. And check this one out - an Ecuadorian girl asked for a picture to be taken by me and to our shock she can speak Czech and her name is Andrea Votruba! Her granddad was born in Prague. We could not beleive it. Will be nice to catch up with them for a dinner when we return back to Quito in Ecuador. On Monday 9th September we walk accross a bridge from Ecuador to Colombia.
