Cotopaxi

After Quito we needed open space. We decided to visit the Secret Garden branch near Cotopaxi, a volcano which many claim is the point on earth closest to the sun. When it was clear you could see the volcano from the patio, but it was cloudy most of the time we were there. It was still a nice view, you'd just have to imagine the peak hiding in the clouds.

The hostel had one dorm, three private rooms, and no electricity. They raised rabbits and guinea pigs and grew much of their own produce, and all meals were included in the price of the room. They had four dogs who would follow you around and loved to go hiking. There was even a sheep, which Stan quickly became friends with.






There was so much space and it was all so lush, so it was nice just to hike around the property. The first day we decided to do the waterfall hike with Sarah and Louise, the two British girls we'd shared a ride with to get there. The staff gave us boots and pointed us to the creek bed and we began splashing our way forward. It involved a lot of wading and clambering over slippery rocks, so Stan went up to the field above to see if he could find an easier way. I stayed below and tried to ignore the girls drawn out conversation about life back home.


The dogs went with us and at first it seemed like they knew the best way to go. We were sort of following them until one tried to jump onto a rock and totally missed. They weren't the best tour guides, but they were funny. They kept running ahead and then looking back at us like we were slowing them down.

It was kind of a strange hike, but I thought it was fun. We saw a pretty cool rainbow on our way back.




The Secret Garden offered a lot of optional activities. They had trips to Cotopaxi, canopy zipline tours, mountain biking adventures, and trail rides. We opted for the horses. I was thrilled that Stan wanted to go because I'd never been riding with him before. Sarah and Louise went with us. We took the horses down the road and ran past the field full of bulls, then we headed up the mountain. We stopped for a snack just as we rode into the clouds, then we headed back down. It was a really nice way to spend a morning. There were some really cool views of the valley, too.














Looking back on it now, I think one of the best things about Cotopaxi was the people we met there. We heard a lot of crazy travel stories, got a lot of tips on the best places to visit on our way down to Cuzco, and met a lot of people we would end up traveling with later. We got a group photo, but there were so many more people at the hostel who later ended up playing a part in our trip.