Cotopaxi

Our first day on the official Hurtigruten cruise is a visit to Cotopaxi.  You can see Cotopaxi from Quito, a majestic ice-capped volcano rising out of the plains of Ecuador.  It rises to a heigh of 5,897m or 19,347ft.  It is one of many volcanoes around the Quito area.  There are a total of 47 volcanoes in Ecuador, with 15 in the Galapagos Islands.

Volcanoes around Quito, from the Teleferico top

Not all who signed up for the cruise came on this trip.  Some just arrived the night before and had trouble adjusting to the almost 10,000ft elevation.  They put us on a mini-bus and first drove us to a local market to get a sample of what they sell at the market.  

A couple of fish sellers having a good time

Don't understand why they bundle crabs like this

Octopus, probably for Ceviche

Pig's Heads seems to be popular here

After the market visit we drove towards Cotopaxi.  It was a clear day so we could see the mountain from far.  

View from the Visitors' Center

What to see in the Cotopaxi National Park

We drove inside the park towards an area where we could take a short hike around a lake.  Here you get a much better view of the volcano.

Alighting from the bus for a short hike

View from near the lake

Hiking around the lake with a view of the volcano

After the visit to Cotopaxi National Park we were taken to a Hacienda for a very nice lunch.  A Hacienda is kind of like a ranch with lodging.  The food and service were excellent.

Menu at the Hacienda

Octopus Salad

The surprise came after the lunch.  We were to expect some surprise visitors.  We waited for about a minute and all of a sudden a herd of about a dozen llamas rushed into the courtyard.  We were given baskets of carrots to feed them.  Everyone was laughing with joy.  The llamas are such gentle animals.  They glad come to you for their food.

Llama and I

Feeding a llama

Our day ended with a supposedly one-hour drive back to Quito.  Unfortunately, on the way there was a stoppage on the highway.  We were right in front of it.  It took us a while to figure out what was going on.  Apparently, a truck on the side of the road had a flat tire or blew out one of its tires.  The driver did not have a jack or the right jack.  So a bigger truck used cables to pull the truck off its side so that the driver can change the tires.  This went on for more than an hour causing a very long traffic jam.  Everyone on both sides of the highway was curious as to what was going and came to look.  All this time not one police car came to direct traffic or offer help.  I guess they don't have tow trucks or any car of vehicle assistance in Ecuador.  

We ended the day with a very nice dinner at the JW Marriott Hotel in Quito.