Up one level Ecuador, 9 - 25 December 2007 » Quito and Cotopaxi

Quito and Cotopaxi

Before the Galapagos, we spent a few days in Quito where we walked around the old town, visited a few museums, and also visited the Mitad del Mundo (equator) as well as the "real" equator exhibit a few hundred feet from the official equator. I don't think visiting either is worth the bus ride out there. When we returned to Quito from the Galapagos, we had 4 days left in Quito during which we did some high altitude hiking up Rucu Pinchincha (4698m / 15,413ft), Guagua Pinchincha (4794m / 15,728 ft), and finally Cotopaxi (5897 m / 19,347 ft).

_mg_3015 Serene at Mitad del Mundo near Quito crw_8941 Compania de Jesus in Quito crw_8943 Plaza San Francisco in Quito _mg_4820 Julio and Edgar approaching the Cotopaxi refugio _mg_4831 Parking lot and the trail up to the Cotopaxi refugio _mg_4897 Moon setting just before sunrise on Cotopaxi img_0542 Descending from the summit of Cotopaxi. Taken by Ray Woo. _mg_4906 Antisana from the summit of Cotopaxi _mg_4911 East from the summit of Cotopaxi _mg_4915 The crater rim of Cotopaxi _mg_4919 Chimborazo from the summit of Cotopaxi _mg_4928 Obligatory summit shot of Eu-Jin on Cotopaxi _mg_4938 Ray and Julio approaching the summit of Cotopaxi _mg_4940 The refugio from the upper slopes _mg_4942 Ray on the descent _mg_4945 Approaching the upper glacier slopes on Cotopaxi