Cumbaya is a green and affluent suburb of Quito , population 2 million . Fortunately most of this population is hidden from view behind a long tree covered ridge, leaving us in an oasis of modernity . There is nothing we can cannot procure , nothing we have to do without . Local delis and country clubs abound; but so does traffic and people . At 04.00 in the morning it is calm , but outside this brief period of quite , it is hustle and bustle. Economics in full swing , which is what draws people from the country side to urban wealth.
The town mouse has all these creature comforts , excepting the calming effect of nature’s countryside. So we are off to search for a brief respite and that rural idyll. To join the simple life of a country mouse.
Travelling in the Andes is a challenge .As continental drift have pushed some mountains to over 6000 meters, aided by a volcano or two, rivers have cut deep gorges as quickly as the mountains rose up. So journeying, particularly north south, involves a tortuous route . Fairly recently a ‘ fast road ‘ has eased the journey . Previously it would have taken two days on horse back , now it was two hours in a land cruiser. Even this is an achievement, since the road seemed a succession of horse shoe bends.
The road weaved through drab the city suburbs , which themselves clung to the sides of the repeated ravines. Leaving the urban areas, the principal feature seemed sprayed concrete on the hill sides , designed to prevent erosion on the road’s steep embankments. Vegetation was scarce . This was a waste land , due in part to deforestation and also a very poor soil . Cresting the next hill , the change was dramatic . As far as the eye could see were acres of plastic…greenhouses. A monument on the next roundabout gave a clue to the principal crop : roses . Apparently the climate is perfect , and the volcanic soil fertile . Roses are a major export earner for Ecuador.
We were now descending into a wide bowl shaped valley , with the country’s largest fresh water lake in the bottom; all this overlooked by 4500 m peaks . A green Andean gem . Our destination was to a valley to the side . We were early however , so searched for a lunch stop . Conveniently, for us, a former convent had been transformed into an hotel “ of charm “ . Agrarian reform in the 1950”s had robbed the estate of it’s 500 hectare sheep farm ; the nuns departed leaving the building, constructed in 1602 , to be converted for less abstemious residents. It still housed numerous religious relics, including a life sized Madonna on the stair case . Even this religious order was hedging its’ bets ,as over a door were three heads from a previous deity. Alongside a plethora of religious artefacts , a framed picture detailed the menu , but only through the use of a QR code . Judging by the ageing clientele, a useless adjunct; but nevertheless detailing that Ecuadorean delicacy: Guinea pig.
The valley narrowed, the sides rising up , ending in a 4000 metre peak, beckoning exploration. The valley floor was flat and fertile , the sides covered in native eucalyptus , and then green scrub and grasses above the tree line. The farm , our destination , occupied the bottom . It hosted cows, horses , donkeys, and, this being the Andes , llamas. ; and now us. The farmer had built three stylish wood framed houses, catering for guests every needs . Cooks arrived with farm produce to prepare our meals , while we basked in this rural heaven . To ensure that we weren’t totally cut off from urbanity , satellite TV and Wifi were provided. We settled down to enjoy a modern country mouse’s home.
A rooster’ call signalled a start to our day . It was off to collect eggs ,and milk the cow, for breakfast ; then collect vegetables from a gigantic kitchen garden . It made my potage look puny indeed. Walking to the valley’s end we crossed a field of cows and horses, both with new offspring; an unfriendly looking bull making sure our dogs behaved themselves. Squelching across a boggy terrain we reached our destination, a hidden waterfall . Alone, surveying this very special valley , we truly felt the beauty and inner peace of nature at its best.
Off into the wilderness
It’s the cows that clean the BBQ!
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