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| Alpacas and sheep loaded at the back of a truck |
Today we visit Quilotoa. It is a volcano at 3800m altitude with a lake inside the crater. Pending on weather conditions, we will manage to climb down to the lake.
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| Pig's head and crispy skin |
But first we stop at a traditional Quechua market. The colours, the smells and the sounds are all there to remind us that we are in no ordinary market. Pigs are displayed and cattle is changing hands. Chicken heart, pig ears and cow intestines are sizzling on improvised BBQ sets.
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| Bananas - 3kg for 50 cents |
The fruit market is great too. 1 dollar buys you 40 mid size oranges (about 6 kilos!), a huge amount of raspberries or a big watermelon.
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| Green bananas being unloaded - eaten grilled or in a sauce |
I am trying my luck with everything : watermelon, maize bread, grilled pig's skin ... all good !
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| Roxana playing with the Lamas |
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| Beautiful handmade shawls |
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| Roxana posing in front of the 3km diameter caldera |
From the markets we head out to Quilotoa. This magnificent crater lake is one of the great attractions of the region. It has last erupted in 1793 and has been considered "extinct" for a long time. Of course now vulcanologists almost always prefer the term "dormant". And rightly so considering the bubbles rising to the surface of the 250m deep lake.
The climbing down was relatively easy ... but the return journey proves to be tough. It's a 300 meters ascent in a very short distance.
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| The slopes get steeper |
For more pictures, follow this link :
Quilotoa
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