Day 4: Volcanic views

Drying my shoes for more hiking, with townscape.

After the day of mist-ical mystical mountain moisture hiking, the next day cleared and the glorious sun graced us. Equatorial sun prompts sunscreen AND a hat AND a collared shirt. At least until I know what I'm up against. 

Companion Elise (for those who read my Thailand and Vietnam blog, this is our veteran and indefatigable "Lady Elise") and I ventured up the mountains opposite what I had clamboured around yesterday. Seeing the whole expanse of green wall and how high it was: so satisfying, "I was up THERE?"  The peak of the volcano Tungurahua was so perfectly pokey and triangular. We zig-zagged up 2000 some feet, through a completely different situation than yesterday. Simply because this mountain aspect faced south (and had been cleared for more farming and garden projects), the hike smelled deliciously like toast. Drier, crispier. Hot grasses, spikey agave, bamboo. Far fewer large leaves or epiphytes or ferns compared with that north-facing waterfall-woven mountainside. 

The views were worth the sun and the panting and the guard farm dogs coming out to bark at us. That volcano! If I got tired I could just look out la!! nothing mattered but I was looking at a volcano. The descent was much less steep than the ascent, along a road, and took so long I became bored and stoic about it. I started jogging down the mountain; what a sight I was for any locals, this huge pale gringa, carrying a long piece of bamboo (my new beloved walking stick), backpack jostling, hat flapping, trotting along like a horse. Miles later, getting back into town, it was beyond glorious to take off my sauna-shoes and have a locally-grown iced coffee with a "bolla" of icecream. I've said this before, but pleasures are magnified exponentially after some suffering and earning. 

Not a sign I see every day.

This is celery growing!

The town of Baños just coexits under this volcano.

Sunshine hiking!