Guayaquil
We take the road, the first part of which is difficult. It is the road connecting the capital to Guayaquil that crosses the Andes.
It is not maintained despite the tolls!!! The 2nd part is easier.
We arrive in the middle of the afternoon and we land in the north of the city.
The city was founded in 1535 by Sebastián de Benalcázar, under the name "Santiago de Amay".
But it was attacked and burned by the Chonos Indians and rebuilt a little further under the name of « Santiago de la Culata » in 1536.
Once again destroyed, the colony was rebuilt by Francisco de Orellana in 1538 under the name of "Santiago de la Nueva Castilla". But once again, the settlers had to flee the place again and settled on the lands of the Guayaquiles Indians in 1543 in the city called "Santiago de Guayaquil".
Today, Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador. It is the main economic center of the country with its modern constructions, its very large port and its international airport.
As we prepare our tour of the city, we realize that most museums or monuments are closed during our stay, it is the weekend.
We decide to go onto the Malecon 2000 and discover the neighborhood of Santa Ana. Nothing tremendous !
We were not enthusiastic about this big city.
Chimborazo / Colta
The Chimborazo volcano is part of the Andes Cordillera, at the main end of the Ecuadorian volcanic arc. It is surrounded by the Carihuairazo, Tungurahua, Tulabug and El Altar mountain.
With Whymper, the highest peak of the site, Chimborazo is among the highest peaks and the furthest from the center of the planet. This is why its top is completely covered with ice throughout the year.
However, as the ice mass has weakened and melted in recent years, it has become a source of water for the people of Bolivar province.
The weather is clear and we enjoy the wild landscape where vicunas live.
At the entrance we approached by a family of Colombians in motorhome who ask us if we can give them a lift to the first refuge ...
We climb by a dirt road with the motorhome that makes it without worry up to 4,848 m
.
On the way up, we clearly see the volcano under a blue sky. Another nice sight.
Upon arrival in the parking lot it has already disappeared in the fog.
We go down in the valley to reach "Guayaquil" and make a stop in Colta halfway
Chimborazo
Early waking up to go to the garage.
For several months our electrical system has failed. The generator no longer charges the auxiliary batteries and no longer powers the refrigerant. In addition, we can no longer connect to electricity in 110 or 220 V.
The workers test the different parts of the electrical system and find the origin of the breakdowns ... We stay there more than 4 hours ... Mostly it’s relays that are faulty.
We are reassured and happy to find a certain comfort of autonomy.
We head to the Chimborazo volcano.
All along a beautiful road that winds towards our destination, we try to see it, without success.
We feel a significant difference in temperature and join our evening bivouac.
We have opted for a hotel welcoming campers. We are the only guests in the middle of a mountain setting, in a small village.
In the evening, in the dining room where we set up to work on our site, the manager lights a fireplace ... Atmosphere of a mountain refuge.
At night the temperature drops down to 6°. We are at 3,800 m. in altitude.
Banos / Tizaleo
Today we take the route of the waterfalls.
We follow the river "Pastaza" in a beautiful valley with steep cliffs.
The main attraction around Banos is the « Pailon del Diablo » waterfall
To approach it, you have to descend along a path lost in a lush green vegetation, where at the end we admire a waterfall of 80 meters high, with a deafening noise.
The view of the waterfall is not enhanced ... We are a little disappointed ... The other waterfalls are not grandiose either ...
We leave this valley towards Ambato where we spotted a garage specialized in electricity.
Once on the spot, we make an appointment for the next day at 8 am and try to find a spot to spend the night ... Misson impossible ... We find nothing and we are in traffic jams ... After 2 hours we take refuge 15 km from the city .
Banos
With the map of the hikes we program a circuit grouping three routes connecting the mirador of the Virgen to the mirador Bellavista.
We start our journey with the Mirador de la Virgen, a 1.3 km uphill path with 600 steps ... On arrival we enjoy the view over the valley.
Then we reach the Mirador de Bellavista perched above the waterfall that falls from the hill ...
According to the backpacker’s guide this pleasant hike is done in 3 hours, It takes us 4 hours under a nice sun.
Back in town , we stop at the covered market ... We finally find an important choice of fruits and vegetables that we have been missing for some time.
Banos
After this little country stop we continue our descent to the route of the waterfalls. The road is winding and steep but the spectacle is splendid.
Banos is a small town located at 1,820 m above sea level, surrounded by beautiful landscapes on the sides of the redoubtable "Tungurahua Volcano"
The city was founded by the Spaniards in 1553 under the name of "Banos de Agua Santa", but the place was long occupied by the Puruhá and Panzaleo Indians who took advantage of the thermal waters of the area which would become the main center of interest of Banos.
Very quickly, the thermal waters of Baños were considered miraculous.
Today this locality is the starting point for several hikes and the route of waterfalls.
The bivouac we chose does not match the description and we are forced to look for another place. After several tests we find an empty parking lot near downtown.
We make a small tour of the city in search of the tourist office which is closed, but a map of the hikes is posted on the door.
The city has little interest ... even the church is closed for works.
ROAD BOOK 134
MAVROS ODYSSEE