While the pictures load at the bottom of the page, I hope you enjoy reading Part IV of my journal of our trip to Ecuador.
My Journal of Our 1997 Trip to Ecuador
-- by Donna R. Carter
~*~ Part IV ~*~
Pifo / Papallacta Thursday/Friday December 18-19, 1997
We headed out of town at 8 a.m., but even before we got out of Quito, we got a gorgeous view of BOTH Cotopaxi AND Antisana -- clear and pristine against the blue sky. Cotacachi and Cayambe and Sincholagua were out, too.
Cumbayá, which used to be a 5 thatch-hut town is now a bustling little city with a 6-lane highway (overpasses and all) going through it. Large shopping strip malls line the highway on both sides.
Tumbaco, less than an hour from Quito, has also spread out a great deal.
The tiny bridge we used to travel at the bottom of Chiche canyon is still there, and a walkway has been added to the sides of the new bridge across the top of the canyon. I walked with Melissa across the new bridge - the whole structure trembling as buses and trucks drove past. We stopped in the middle and looked way down to the river. A section of the fencing was missing from the rail and that afforded an ... interesting perspective on how high this new bridge actually is. Jeff took pictures and walked across too. Wilson met us on the other side of the bridge to take us on to Pifo.
A few minutes later, we arrived in Pifo. I recognized the old HCJB entrance, but realized it is now the "back entrance" and the "front entrance" was further ahead - the location was not where the other entrance used to be, however. The new front entrance is off the main road, in between the old one-room schoolhouse and the long brick house.
Wilson waited in the taxi for a couple of hours while we toured and I took care of personal business there.
Pifo was very much the same, although two long rows of workman's housing were gone and they'd moved the nurse's old house out behind the transmitter site by the swimming pool (which was a heated one, and if I recall correctly, it was heated by the reactors). We took a brief tour of the
HCJB
transmitter site, which Jeff video'd.
I was not able to go into our old house, because the person with the keys was not there, although the house was vacant. I was told, however, that they had added a bathroom upstairs. We took pictures of the outside of the house anyway. The grove of trees was still there, the treehouse was still there (added to and taken away from, but still there), and the climbing trees were still there. The hedge had grown much taller and was no longer being trimmed / manicured.
Cotopaxi, Corazón, Ilinizas and Sincholagua were all out. Antisana clouded over before we reached La Virgen at the Continental Divide. The old and new roads wind parallel to each other, sometimes crossing and re-crossing.
La Virgen is now in a hut with a gate enclosing her inside. (I don't think she'll be stolen anymore)
The mountains were wonderful -- you could see the vegetation change and give way to paramo (pampas) grass, tufting against the mountainside with rocks jutting out on tops of mountains.
Papallacta Lake was very very low. The red rocks are all gone and the new road is higher than the old, on the other side of the lake (you go into Papallacta from the right side of the lake, not the left) but you can see the old road across the lake. It was a terribly dry day and powdery dust clung to everything.
We finally rounded the bend to Papallacta. We passed where I thought the turn-off to the Papallacta house was (and I was right). We went back and wound down the mountain to the house. I didn't remember correctly about the distances. It was much further down than I had recalled. It was still aqua-blue, although the plant was painted beige and brown. We were let into the guest apartment (formerly the plant manager's house). It, too, had been expanded nearly double.
The mountains surrounding us so closely on all sides felt wonderful: towering so majestically, but gracefully above us, leaving a small portion of sky to be seen.
We were all exhausted. We sent Wilson back to Quito with a free day on Friday and instructions to pick us up on Saturday to go to Otavalo/Cotacachi/San Antonio.
After chatting a while with Anne Lozier in the main house, we returned to the guest apartment and took naps until 4:30 when we decided to hike up the purported 1 km to the new hot springs "Termas de Papallacta" which were said to have a good view of Antisana which we could not see from below.
We made it up to the main road, and then took the road toward Laredo leading to the Termas de Papallacta piscinas. We had no clue how far it was. We kept on walking... and walking... and walking... when we finally decided that we were clueless to have started hiking it. The 1 km sign was clearly mistaken, and this was all uphill.
A truck was driving up and I stuck out my thumb (I did WHAT?!?!) They stopped and I put Melissa in as Jeff climbed over one side.... I couldn't get in quite so easily. Jeff had to help pull me in and I very awkwardly fell over the side of the truckbed to the floor.
We were certainly glad to have gotten a ride, however ... it was still *quite* a ways to get to the pools. When we got there, Jeff tried to pay the driver, only to find that the driver was one of the owners of the place.
Upon opening Jeff's backpack for our suits and towels, we found that Jeff had forgotten his trunks and the towels. Fortunately, they sold trunks, so he bought a pair of green fleece swim trunks / shorts and we sat in one of the hot pools, hoping Antisana would clear.
We did see a tip and the top of the glacier peak, but not the whole thing.
We moved to the hotter pool for a bit, watching the steam curl up into the darkening cool mountain air. It was so fresh and gorgeous.
The sky grew darker and we got out of the pool ... no towels ... and the air was getting colder still. I went and asked if there were towels we could rent. They said no, but handed us a towel on loan.
I took it back to Jeff and Melissa. Melissa was shivering and her teeth were chattering. I dried her off first and helped her change while Jeff changed, then I changed and we went into the little restaurant for supper.
Jeff and I ordered the Papallacta trout with almond sauce. Melissa had breaded steak. We all had llapingachos w/ cheese and peanut sauce (except they kept the cheese out of one so Melissa could have it). The meals were served with rice and peas as well as a garnish of radish and cucumber. The llapingachos were served with a side of pickled beets that were just *heavenly*!
We were finishing up and wondering how we were going to be getting back (fog had settled in, you couldn't see very far, and it was now dark, around 9 p.m.). I knew I couldn't make the walk back on foot. Jim Lozier (Anne's husband) showed up and offered us a ride back down. {whew!}
He laughed and said he was surprised when Anne had told him we'd walked up and he figured we might want a ride down. The distance from the Papallacta house to the Springs was 2 1/4 miles ... uphill all the way!
We were told that, in order to get to the Termas in the morning (in hopes of catching Antisana out), we could go up in the dump truck with the Laredo workers at 7 a.m.
I woke up at 5:45 a.m. the next morning... and I looked out the window into the dark silence.
The mountains were looming in black silhouettes against an unusually clear (for Papallacta) starry backdrop. It was one of those "remember forever" moments of stillness and awe and delight all mixed together that brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat.
A while later, we were down at the plant, waiting for the truck with the Laredo dam workers. I had not blow dried my hair and the chilly morning breeze was blowing on my wet head ... it was *COLD* out. They let us go in the cab instead of in the back of the truck. I was glad ... it gave my hair a chance to dry before I caught my death of cold.
We decided to skip getting in the pools that morning and just take Antisana pictures and eat breakfast at the restaurant.
One peak of Antisana was toying with showing. Clouds kept billowing up gently from the valley and covering up the rest, and the clouds overhead teased us - letting us catch glimpses until finally, at about 7:30, it cleared for a full two-peak view of Antisana.
Gorgeous! (although not my favorite 3-peak view) ;)
We took several pictures and then went to breakfast -- terrific tree-tomato juice !! and the Coffee was *deliciosa* -- I had the traditional café con leche :) The eggs ... well ... I've had better, but they were okay ;)
At 9 o'clock, Jim arrived to take us on a tour of the
HCJB
reservoir and hydro-electric plant (which we also video'd), and then he took us into town to catch the bus back to Quito. At the bus stop, Jeff scooped a bunch of Papallacta dirt into a film canister for me ... and I picked up a big ole' nail for a keepsake. We got a picture of the familiar blue church with the three bells.
The Baños bus we were to take home was crowded ... We pushed in anyway, and the driver had me sit on the jump seat with Melissa in my lap. Jeff had to stand, along with about 10-15 other men.
Part way to Pifo, the driver opens the dash and attempts to add brake fluid while driving ... (!) I started laughing. Too typical. Then he pulls over to check the brakes ... then we stop again and Melissa and I have to stand up.
The jump seat is over the radiator (no wonder our legs were so hot!) He opens up the radiator after cooling it down with a couple of gallons of water from a stream on the roadside.
A bunch of men get off the bus and are getting jugs full of water which is then poured into the radiator ... several gallons worth ... and then everyone jumps/crowds back on the bus and we're off again with someone's tape continually getting eaten/mangled in the tape player, a speaker blaring in Jeff's ear as he is still standing and is too tall to stand fully upright.
Melissa switched from sitting on one or the other of my knees throughout the whole trip.
The driver on my left and one of the passengers on my right swap accident stories as we go on down the road ... which car or truck or bus fell off the road at which turn and why and when ... and they keep popping open the dash to check the brake fluid. I just chuckled the whole way.... it was hilarious!
After Pifo, Jeff finally got to sit down, until we got to Quito, where Melissa and I crawled back over the jump seat, grabbed our luggage and got off the bus after Jeff. We took a taxi home, washed up, and got ready for dinner with Jim & Elaine Childs ... who lived at what used to be my grandparent's house. Elaine was my voice teacher in high school (although I think we spent more time talking than doing lessons)
At 6:00 we headed to the Childs' house. They were curious about how I remembered the place and how it had changed and what it used to look like, so they gave us a grand tour and I noted the changes.
A hedge has grown all the way up and past the gate in height all the way around the property. The big front door is gone (they used a new door in what used to be the back of the house) and a bathroom room has been added off what used to be my grandpa's office/study, which is now a bedroom. Several other changes had been made as well, but the stone fireplace my grandpa built, and the beautiful wood ceiling, are still the same.
We had an enjoyable dinner and Melissa played with the kids downstairs while Jeff and I chatted with Jim and Elaine upstairs by the fireplace. We were having such a great time, we probably could have stayed there until the wee hours of the morning - but because we were headed to Otavalo the next morning, we left at about 10:30 and went to bed as soon as we got to the guest house.
