We left for Salinas on Friday afternoon. Paul, Nelly, L, Caro and her friend Estephanie piled into the family's Toyota Camry, and and began our trip to the coast. The countryside outside of Cuenca is absolutely beautiful! Everything is green, the road is nestled in between the sharp rising hills. They are dotted by cows, other farm animals, the occasional village, and luscious foliage. Very, very green. Furthermore, there are boulders every few hundred meters that have fallen from cliffs onto the highway.
The road we traveled through the Andes took us through Cajas National Park. Sitting on the far side of the Andes from the Pacific Ocean, it doesn't receive that much moisture. The hills are colored a slightly drier shade of green, but the views are absolutely breathtaking. Cajas (or "boxes") is named so for the square -haped lakes dotting the area. At the top of Cajas is the continental divide of the Andes. It sits at 4200 meters. Paul had me drink from many of the mountain springs. Don't worry, they're virgin.
As we descended from the Andes into the La Costa region, we noticed a definite change in scenery. Because of a rain shadow effect, this side of the Andes is in a near perpetual state of fog. The temperature increased dramatically, and the plants became a lot more tropical. We even saw a huge spider in the middle of the road!
We pulled into Puerto Inca to eat dinner. The town recently suffered flooding, so half of the town is under water. Instead of eating, L made friends with a local and did a little exploring. Some 45 minutes goes by, and there's no sign of her. As we are packing up, she returns, soaked from the shoulders downward. L's new friend showed her the ruined house she lived in and the surrounding wreckage. Health issues aside, the pictures are quite incredible.
1 comment:
So,how big was this spider???
Post a Comment