Today we hopped a bus for a four hour bus ride into the mountains towards our eventual goal of Azoguez. The scenery was nice and green with a few sparse settlements along the road. The only other matter that I was concerned with on the way up was the drivers driving. He was barreling along two lane mountain roads at high velocities, passing around curves, and in fog that one could see no further than ten feet in front of the bus. But I guess the important thing is that I am still alive -.-
We stopped for lunch at the Huantuc Museum and the Biblian. The climate was a nice change from the heat and humidity of Guayaquil. There was a nice museum that paid tribute to the history of the Indigenous peoples of Ecuador. Unfortunately it was not a guided tour and all of the explanations of the wax figures were written in Spanish so I only a limited idea of how these people spent their lives. Well now it was back to the bus and our mad dash up the mountain.
We stopped one more time on our way to Azoguez at a mausoleum built into the mountain. Let me tell you, this was my first time a significant distance above sea level, so I was quite winded and had a headache, but even then I could not resist the chance to climb to the top of the church/mountain was still worth it. The sanctuary was pretty cool, the whole back wall was built into the mountain with a sheer rock face. One interesting part was the neon sign built into the wall over the altar…a little flashy for my taste, but whatever you're into.
When we finally arrived at the Hotel, it was raining so badly that the streets were brown rivers, indistinguishable from the actual bodies of water. I have to say though that the hotel rivaled some of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. We then went to the local market to make some purchases. I met many of the local indigenous people here as well as they showed me their wares (very nice quality and fair price as well). We then went back to the hotel for dinner and a special treat. We had a local musician come and play us some interesting instruments native to South America and one made exclusively in Ecuador. After that my night was pretty much over and I went to rest and try to adapt myself to breathing the thinner air.