Cuenca, Ecuador sits at about 8,367 feet of altitude and we went from there to Ayampe, Ecuador in the province of Manabi which is at sea level. Air distance, or atcf-as the crow flies- is about 8o miles. On a good day, in a good van not driven by a crazy man, it takes about an hour and a half.
Straight up the mountain bowl that encircles Cuenca and then down the sheer mountain passes free-falling to the coast. Through the day and night fog, round the blind corners which are only taken when passing because-why?- the thrill of it all, I'm not sure, but going to Guyaquil is always white-knuckle city.
Cuenca rests at
Latitude - 2 degrees 53 minutes 52.6 seconds & Longitutde - 79 degrees 0 minutes 14.3 seconds.
*Remember that number order cuz from now on I'm just giving the numbers.
Cuenca rests at
Latitude - 2 degrees 53 minutes 52.6 seconds & Longitutde - 79 degrees 0 minutes 14.3 seconds.
*Remember that number order cuz from now on I'm just giving the numbers.
We left Ecuador sometime around Dec. 10 and headed for Piura, Peru even though they had closed the border for a few days because the indigenous were blocking the roads over a gold mine they were digging but not getting paid for. We had encountered this, or something similar, before and were worried enough to have started making plans to circumvent, but it worked out.
It took 14.5 hours to get there and cover the 930 miles for a cost of $20 each.
Piura is at -1/42'0" & -80/49'/59", close to the coast & around sea level.
Then, we jumped on a quick bus, wild exaggeration, to Chiclayo in the Lambayeque province which took 3 hrs. and 356 miles for 15 soles or $5.66. Still heading South and kind of along the coast, we were now at -1/42'/0' & -80/49'/59".
Finally, we started going back towards the Andes, eastward up into the clouds and Chachapoyas of the Amazonas province, so named because from up here on the pinacle it's all downhill into Mother Earth's greatest jungle basin. This last leg being just another 404 miles and 10 hours for only 40 soles or $15.08 until we arrived at -6/25'/0' & -77/19'/59" and had climbed back up to an elevation of 7.507 feet. A mere 1,845 miles in 7 days and just the tip of the many icebergs that were yet to come.
We are here because Chachapoyas is centraly located to several other places on our bucket list.
There will be more on those places in the following posts. Ecuador is poor, but where we are now is poorer. As per usual, the central square church is the biggest and nicest building in town or in other words, evidence of when there's very little money it all goes to only one place.
And, the further away from the center, the place of past wealth, you go
the shabbier things get, until you give up trying to imagine poverty as being picturesque
and settle for something familiar, even if it's simply the name of a friend on a sign
or a totaly, out-of-place, Christmas tree brightening an empty room's lonely day.
The next day, however, brought a good hike out of town to an ancient canyon.
The Canon de Rio Sonche where since time immemorium ancient people have been living. Living simply and well long before and long after the Incas, the Spanish and the Whites briefly sought to "molestar" or bother them. Time is only a river here; digging deeper, but never cutting through.
These sh--ty little snapshots aren't going to give you a true picture of this magnificent slice in the Earth. A place that is at the same time, both the best and least viewed...
like a tiny scar in the middle of a beautiful woman's face.
No, for that miravista you're going to have to wait and visit a famous museum or art gallery
at some, as yet undetermined, date in the future
for a jf solus opening.
Just be patient like a sea shell on the bottom of the ocean and
someday you'll be on top of the world.
