Day 72 - 73 Crossing the Equator to Otavalo & back

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Photo Album: Otavalo - crossing the Equator and back

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Juan, our jungle guide and his family came out early to wave us goodbye, it was really nice of him.  We bade a very warm farewell and left on a day of gathering clouds towards our northern-most destination for the Tucan trip, Otavalo.

Somewhere, when we drove passed these misty mountains in the cloud, we crossed the Equator into the Northern Hemisphere.  It's been a wet trip all through.

The group lunch was our last group meal, by the side of a misty mountain, there were so much left overs in the trucks fridge, some not even opened.  We packed and gave all of them to an old lady, who was so badly handicapped, that she can only walk by croaching on a her padded knees.  We all crossed our fingers, that she would be able to get home, somewhere in the mountains, with all that foods.

Being on a Saturday, the Otavalo market, the biggest outdoor market in South America was in full swing...

but one does get a bit market-fatiqued after the countless markets we saw over the last ten weeks, showing pretty much the same type of handicrafts, hats etc. etc.  I walked along, in the hope of finding something interesting to spend my afternoon....and it wasn't too difficult, a Cock Fight Arena is just around the corner...

My stomach was a little queasy walking through the dimly lit entrance which has an air of underworld feel, it then opens up into an arena....yep, two gamecocks, jumping at each other with their metal-spurred claws.

In the backrooms, there were crowds busying with preparing gamecocks for the next match; weighting in, strapping the metalspurs onto their claws,

It was all very new to me, the people were keen to explain in their halting English, but I wasn't too interested to see them fighting to their ends, before anything bloody happened, I quietly left.

Before we depart for Quito, a few of us decided to join a little tour of the surrounding region, conducted by a Ecuadorian guide, who spent quite a few years in Thailand as a tourist guide, what a change !

We were taken to a nearby waterfalls, where the locals would gather annually for a spiritual cleansing ritual,

Tombs of rich families

 and a township, Cotacachi, that is renowned for its leather fashions and goods, some seem like good bargains,

but nothing caught my eye more than the gathering clouds in the sky,

It proved to be just a short stay in the Northern Hemisphere, barely 24 hours later, we were on our final drive to Quito.

The real highlight of the day was to come. It just had to come...the Equator Shrine....a landmark to mark our crossing of the Equator for the 2nd time in less then two days, back into the Southern half.

the reading on my pocket GPS, N 00'00.001"

The guides there gave us a very detailed interpretive explanation of the geographical and solar significance of the site, being in alignment with a number of distant Inca rituals sites, and in relation to the sun's annual trajectories. It was how the ancient people use the science of solar movements in determining their agricultural events.

According to the ancient Ecuadorians, this point should be the centre of the World, but the map they are selling there seems a little equivocal about the assertion, see here... but at least Australia is on top....

Finally, we are drawing close to Quito, our final ride on the Tucan Truck, the fun filled trip of my 8 weeks on this Truck was now drawing to a close, a good and happy close......

But...when I opened the envelope which I kept in the truck's safe box, to get my passport and my remaining US$1000 bundle, the envelope was cut open, and $400 was missing  !!!  I was utterly dismayed and shocked by it, not the money involved, but at the sheer disappointment, that such dishonesty could have happened in such a good group of people.  Just one personality ( I surmised !)  tainted the integrity of an entire group of good people.

What's there to do ?!  I decided to keep it quiet, and informed Nienke and Will as well as the key-keeper, all of whom I trust, of the situation, so that they are aware, and hopefully some changes could be made to ensure similar situation would not happen in the future !!!  So sad.

Now it is Quito right in front of us !

Next Post:  Quito - the Ecuadorean Capital

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