Last night was windy, did I say it was windy last night. Not a constant steady wind but terrific gusts that shook the Tiger. At times I feared that a window might give way or the Thule luggage container on the roof would rip off and get carried away. The wind we felt in Atigun Pass on the way to Deadhorse, AK was stronger but we did not camp with that wind. This morning was cold, for the first time since leaving Canada we turned on the house heater. Outside temp was about 40°F but with the wind - at least 30 mph it felt much colder. Even the locals were rugged up.

Today we continued the Quilotoa Loop traveling from the lake north to Chugchilan, then Sigchos and on towards Taocaso - which we did not make. The road was dirt until Sigchos (fine grained sand or volcanic ash) and narrow, at times the wash-aways on the downhill side made it just wide enough for us to pass with only a foot or so spare on each side. For over 15 miles and 2 hours it wound its way in and out of valleys following the contours of the land, affording wonderful views of the valleys, the cultivated fields, and closer to hand the dwellings of the local inhabitants. Like yesterday much of this journey was at elevations between 11,000' and 13,000', the land is generally treeless, and widely cultivated - and cultivated by hand. The fields are too steep for tractors even if the farmers could afford them.

About midday we pulled into Sigchos for lunch and to try the internet, the later with only limited success. From Sigchos the road was cobbled as it descended into a very deep river valley (I think its the Cumbijin River), then blacktop sealed road as it climbed out of the valley. After Sigchos the valleys are just as impressive but do not look to have as much cultivation.

The Quilotoa Loop was a very worthwhile excursion, even the dirt roads, though narrow and twisting were not too rough and did not require 4x4. From this loop we got an excellent view of the rural existence of Indian peoples and our respect for them grew tremendously. They have a very hard existence, they live in what we would find to be a harsh environment, they work hard, and seem well organized. And those top hats and shawls are for real not just put on for tourists.

You will note from the photo of Nina that today was bath day.

And yes, the close up photo of the tree shows gum nuts. As I have noted before eucalyptus trees are everywhere down here, and they seem to like the place.