We arrive to Ecuador from Peru during our 3-month backpacking journey through South America. For us these were days 65 to 74 of our trip.

Day 1: Not allowed in Ecuador

The bus arrived at the Ecuador border near Tumbes just after midnight. We all got off the bus and the border crossing was set up similarly to the entry to Peru, with an exit window from Peru and an entry counter for Ecuador.

We went to the exit first but were quickly sent to the entry before we got the exit stamp because as we could understand the lady wouldn’t give us an exit stamp because she didn’t know if we would be allowed to Ecuador. At the entry window, we were promptly asked for our criminal record. That’s when we found out that due to the state of emergency in Ecuador, all land or sea border crossings require a criminal record from the home country for the last 5 years that needs to be attested and translated into Spanish. We of course didn’t have anything like that. Fortunately, a French guy standing behind us helped us translate and after a wee bit of hassle, we were able to get a 10-day transit visa through Ecuador because we had a flight back to Europe from Colombia. This massively altered our plans in Ecuador but at least we got through the border.

There were some people that didn’t get the stamp to cross but as we were told by the French guy, the bus driver most likely bribed the police officer checking and he let them cross as well.

We arrived in Cuenca around 7 am and walked about 2 km to our accommodation. We rested for a bit and then went for a walk back to the bus terminal since we needed to buy a new bus ticket out of Cuenca. We didn’t plan to leave this early or even to go straight up the hiking region near Cotopaxi volcano but we had to change our plans due to the 10-day visa situation. We managed to get 2 spots on a bus at 6 am to Quito that would stop for us near the town Machachi where we had already booked a stay for hiking. We then walked around the center of the town before we headed back to our place to watch the Czech Republic ice hockey match because there was an ongoing World Championship in Prague. The Czech team won 4:1 against Great Britain.

Later in the afternoon, we went for a longer walk through the town to a lookout point called Mirador de Turi and back. We stopped at a few shops along the way to buy eggs, avocados, and some vegetables for dinner.

I forgot to mention that we also managed to get all our smelly clothes washed so we had to repack our bags before we went to sleep.

Day 2: El Chaupi and big eyes

The bus drive took forever because it basically worked like a big collectivo and was stopping all the time along the road and in all wee villages and towns. After an 8-hour bus ride, we arranged to get dropped off at the turn to El Chaupi, just before Machachi. We then walked for about 2 km towards the village of El Chaupi before we stopped a passing pickup truck that took us to the square since it was another 5 km.

El Chaupi is really small so it wasn’t a problem to find the Ilinizas Mountain Lodge where we booked our stay. There was just a birthday party going on for the owner of the hotel with live music but the owner’s wife noticed us and showed us our room. Since this is a small village with not much around and the hotel caters to hikers and climbers it comes with breakfast and dinner. A welcomed change from cooking or finding places to eat.

We just left our bags in the room and went for a walk around a small hill called Cerro Santa Cruz. It was a nice way to stretch our legs, get accustomed to the altitude, and see the surroundings. We were out for over 2 hours and during that time discussed our plans for the next few days. We talked about our acclimatization hikes around the area and how it will work out with our 10-day visa to do the Cotopaxi summit climb and possibly even the higher Chimborazo summit.

We got back just for dinner at 7 pm which was nice and arranged to get breakfast for 7 am so we would then have the whole day for hiking.

When we got back, I was a wee bit cold from the outside and just thought I got a little chill. It didn’t help that there was no heating and I didn’t put on more clothes for dinner. To finish it, I washed my hair and didn’t think to dry it properly because I didn’t realize that it would be cold during the night.

Day 3: Not a hiking day

During the night I was shivering and my sleep can only be described as terrible. When I woke up in the morning I felt really sick. Nevertheless, I felt a little bit better after breakfast so we got out and headed for our first hike up to the Refugio Nuevo Horizontes under the Illiniza peak. The first part of the hike is usually done by car because you can get to a parking lot under the peak but we decided to walk it since this was our acclimatization time and we had the whole day. We left around 8 am and the first part was very gradual and on a road. I was feeling a wee bit better but definitely wasn’t ok.

We actually made it to the parking lot, which was about 8 km with 650 m of elevation gain, in 2 hours which I didn’t think was half bad for how I was feeling. But when we arrived there I was very low on energy and didn’t think I could make it too much further. We made the decision that it doesn’t make sense to push it and it will be better to rest. We walked the same way back and in El Chaupi stooped at a shop to buy some sweets.

When we arrived at the hotel, I went straight to bed and got a nap. I was sweating like crazy and not feeling well at all. At that point, we knew that there was no chance we would be able to do anything tomorrow.

We got dinner at the hotel and spent the rest of the day in bed watching movies.

Day 4: No good to go anywhere

I was feeling better in the morning but still, there was no chance to do anything big. We got breakfast and went straight back to bed.

In the afternoon, we set off for a walk around the hotel and ended up walking for over an hour. We both felt out of breath which wasn’t a great sign because I felt like whatever I had was moving on to Clare.

Before dinner, we went for one more walk and then had dinner at the hotel. The good thing was that I didn’t feel like I had a fever the whole day.

Day 5: The Illiniza was just not meant to be

We got our breakfast earlier and were ready to attempt the Illiniza peak today. The Illiniza volcano has two peaks South and North. The South Peak has a glacier on top and should be only climbed with a guide. The North Peak is also recommended with a guide but can be done solo. It has just a wee bit of climbing at the end.

We arranged a car to get to the parking lot under the mountain in the morning from the hotel so we didn’t have to walk the same way again. It cost $15 one way which is not cheap but it was the only way. On the road, we stopped at the ranger’s office where we had to fill out a form and if you are trying to do the North Peak solo don’t mention it and just say that you’re going to the refugio. We did that and they also asked for our passports but we didn’t know they would want them so we didn’t have them with us but they didn’t mind and let us go. There was no fee to enter.

We started from the parking lot (at ~4000 m) around 9 am. The way to the Refugio is marked but the path is not great, mostly destroyed by water. About halfway up, we got in the clouds and the rain started. We put on ponchos but we were stupid and didn’t put on waterproof trousers so we had to stop again soon. The rain was on and off with strong winds hitting us from the side.

At this point, I could see that Clare, usually in front of me, was getting more and more behind. I felt surprisingly well hiking up considering how sick I was two days ago but I could see how Clare was actually getting worse during those days we were resting. We couldn’t see anything in the fog and we were about to turn around but I checked on the map that we were only about 400 meters from the Refugio and Clare, the warrior she is, pushed it all the way there.

Of course, our luck continued and the Refugio was just closing. We had only like 5 minutes inside to rest before we were kicked out back in the rain. There was no way for us to continue since Clare wasn’t feeling well, the fog was too dense, and we didn’t know the way around. We had some snacks, tried to warm up our hands, and headed back down.

Personally, I don’t even want to write what happened next. About 10 minutes into our descent my knee started to hurt and not the normal hurt but the bad one that happens to me from time to time. As we had a lot to go down, I tried to use the hiking sticks more, took some ibuprofen, and tried to bend my knee less. Nothing helped and by the end of the hill I was barely walking and I knew this wouldn’t pass in a day or two.

We were planning on walking back to El Chaupi but I just couldn’t put any weight on my right leg anymore. We had to get a lift down. Fortunately, there was a Polish woman (living in Ecuador) about to go for a run that called someone to pick us up.

When we got back to the hotel I was extremely upset and sad because after three days in the mountains we didn’t do anything, won’t do anymore, and I hurt my knee again. I know Clare was angry as well because she was struggling on the way up which is not usual. However, I knew that the next day Clare would still go and attempt another peak but I couldn’t which just added to my disappointment.

Because of all this, we made the decision to just leave tomorrow morning and head to Quito.

When the initial anger passed and we got more rational, we talked about how busy we had been the past 2 months and our bodies were just not in the optimal form to do the hiking. The Illiniza Peak was just not meant to be and we definitely couldn’t do any of the big volcanos no matter if my knee was fine or not.

We also looked at it from the bright side: the Refugio was at 4,740 meters, which is the 3rd highest point we have ever hiked to. We also vouched that we would come to Ecuador again in the future and climb Illiniza, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo.

Day 6: Quito

We packed our bags in the morning, got breakfast, paid for our stay, and were on our way for a local bus that would take us to Machachi.

The bus to Machachi cost only $1 for both of us and we decided to get off just before the town on the main road to Quito and catch a bus there as we have seen many people do on the way to El Chaupi. However, there is some secret way how to do it because none of the buses stopped for us. In the end, we hopped on another bus to Machaci and got dropped at the local bus terminal. From here, we got a bus to Quito for $1 each. Since it was a local bus it was taking its time going around the town picking people up and this continued the whole way to the city.

We arrived in Quitombe, the main bus terminal in Quito, in about 2 hours and headed straight for the metro. The metro station is right there but the walk wasn’t the easiest with my knee already hurting from the bus. A single fare on the metro costs $0.45 and can be bought with cash or a card from a machine or a person. The ride took about half an hour and we got out in the middle of the historic district. We then had to walk only about 500 meters to our hostel.

We had to wait for a bit for our room to get ready which was just in time for the Czech Republic quarter-final game against the USA. We used this time to rest and Clare went to get beer, crisps, and ice cream.

After the nail-biting victory 1:0, we headed for a small walk around the town. We were told that Quito is just a city and not worth visiting but it turned out to be quite nice. On our short walk, we went to the Iglesia Católica San Francisco which was stunning, Catedral Metropolitana de Quito, and Independence Square. There were already preparations for tomorrow’s Ecuador Independence Day celebrations.

On the way from the square, we started looking for places to eat and ended up in a small café nearby. We felt hungry and wanted something dirty so we ordered a hamburger with fries, Chaulafan, and Clare added Salchipappas at the last minute. She instantly regretted that when they brought the Chaulafan which was a mountain of rice mixed with all the meats, shrimp, and a fried egg. We ended up getting a box for the next day.

In the evening, we finished our Guardians of the Galaxy series that we started in El Chaupi. Just before we went to sleep, I moved the blankets and touched something weird. I asked Clare to turn on the light and of course, it was a used condom! The image of seeing it in the bed was haunting our dreams for the next three nights.

Day 7: ‘Día del Primer Grito de Independencia de Quito’

Since my knee wasn’t still in the best shape, we spent the morning in bed watching TV shows and drinking coffee. We didn’t even go out for breakfast because we had the leftover rice from yesterday.

We left the hotel around noon and walked around the old city district. It was packed with people and different stands. We went to see a different part of the town and even stopped to do some pull-ups in a sports park. On our way to Independence Square, we bought a picture for ourselves and some presents. The parade was in full flow so we watched it for a bit. There were hundreds of people representing different institutions with marching bands and dancers going down the Venezuela street.

My knee felt better so we made it all the way to the east part of the historical center, to the Basílica del Voto Nacional. This huge church was built in a neo-gothic style and it has 3 towers that are all accessible to the public for $4 per person. It was a lot of stairs, so probably not the best for my knee, but I made it and the views were class. It’s definitely not for those who are afraid of heights because some of the stairs are pretty steep and exposed.

We were craving pancakes or crepes and luckily there was a place right by the church! Unluckily, they were out of crepes!. We got some other stuff and ate it in the park. I think we were happy that we didn’t get the crepes because the fella definitely overcharged us. We then followed the Venezuela street back to the town since the parade was over and went back to our hotel.

We chilled a little and I gave my knee a wee break before we set off for a walk to the newer part of the town for dinner. We hadn’t had Indian food in ages and there were a few good-looking restaurants in the town. It took us about an hour to reach the place we picked on Google Maps. We are often disappointed by Indian food but not this time. It was all we wanted and the only thing we messed up was that Clare could handle the Vindaloo spicier. Even though it was dark, we ended up walking back as well.

Day 8: Football in Quito and Czechs are in the final

Our morning was fully devoted to watching sports, starting with the Czech hockey semi-final against Sweden. We won 7:3 and it was an amazing game to watch! We then switched to the FA Cup final between City and United. I went to get us breakfast in a local shop during one of the breaks and I thought I’d never say that but it was great to have oats again.

We left our place after 12 pm and weren’t planning on coming back until the evening. We walked the same way as yesterday towards the Indian restaurant but continued further to the town’s biggest park. It was full of people and we ended up having lunch in one of the stands. A massive plate of fries with sausage and fried chicken for $3. We then continued through the park, getting some pull-ups done along the way.

We checked the bus route to the Midal del Mundo (the Middle of the World) beforehand and pinpointed the best stop for us to get on the bus. It was quite a walk to get to the stop but after a little bit of waiting the bus came. It cost us $0.9 together and took about an hour to get there.

The Midal del Mundo was built like a park with different shops and museums so you have to pay $5 per person to get in. It’s busy with people but something interesting to do when you’re in the town. We took a photo of standing on the different halves of the world and went to one of the museums.

On the way back we didn’t go all the way to our hotel but instead got off in about 30 minutes just at the north edge of Quite at the Condado Shopping mall. This mall is right next to the LDU Quito stadium and we wanted to find out if we can catch tonight’s match. But first, we needed to secure our way back and since we checked and there were no buses at night, we went to the mall and got WiFi to use later for Uber. Since we had a wee bit more time we walked around and found Cinnabon and had to stop. Interestingly, the Cinnabon in Ecuador sells way smaller pastries than what we are used to but it was still good and a nice treat.

After, we walked to the stadium and after we got through a few scalpers/scammers, we found the ticket booths and got two tickets to the south standing side behind the goal where the local ultras are. It cost us $6 per ticket. Since there was still time, we headed to a local shwarma restaurant and got food and beer. They were selling a beer combo which we thought were 2 beers but ended up with 3 so we had to drink them fast to make it to the game.

The game was class! The home team won and the atmosphere behind the goals was great. At the beginning of the second half, there were many flairs and smoke torches lit up so eventually riot police had to disperse the ultras in the middle of the crowd so that was cool to see!

After the game, it was a fight to get out of the stadium but we made it fine. We got to the Mall and got a taxi for about $10 back to the city center. Quito stretches a lot so it actually took almost half an hour to drive back to our hotel.

Day 9: We are the Champions, my friends!

We started our last morning in Quito with a walk to the nearby statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the town. The hill was right next to us so it didn’t look too far to walk but in the end, we had to climb 856 stairs (they had them marked, I didn’t count). We both agreed that it was a good morning stretch and I was very glad that my knee was doing much better. On the way down, we stopped at a bakery and then had to go back to pack our bags.

We finished packing and left the room just at noon but we haven’t left the hotel yet because we changed our plans to be able to watch the final ice hockey world championship game. Just before the game, I got us two bottles of beer and some crisps. The game didn’t finish until nearly 4 pm but it was amazing! It was a long long time since I was able to watch the Czech Republic win the gold medal and it was great that we could do that while traveling with beer in our hands to celebrate it!

We set off right after the game and walked to the metro station to get to the Quitombe bus terminal. At the terminal, we got lucky and there was just a bus leaving in 5 minutes to Tulcan, a city on the border with Colombia.

It took longer than we thought but by 11 pm we were in Tulcan. We just left the bus terminal and right away were stopped by a fella from a local hotel offering us a room. It cost us $15 for a private room with a bathroom and that was what we read so we were happy. We didn’t even go for dinner and just went straight to bed.

Day 10: Crossing the Puente Internacional de Rumichaca and welcome to Colombia

Since we only spent a night here we didn’t have to pack anything and could quickly leave. But first, we went out to find breakfast. We stopped at a nearby place and ordered the “completo” breakfast. We ended up with boiled chicken and rice, eggs, a sandwich, juice, and coffee.

We walked across the street to the bus terminal looking for a bus to the border. We were told that the collectivo would be $2 + embarquement $0.5 and a taxi driver was offering us a ride for $4 so we ended up doing that.

The it was pretty straightforward: get the exit stamp, cross the Puente Internacional de Rumichaca, and get an entry stamp on to Colombia.

Colombia is next but we are definitely coming back to Ecuador. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo moved very high on our bucket list!