Mica Lagoon

Christiane and Rainer took me on another great trip to Laguna Mica today. The one and a half hour drive was really exhausting after leaving the Panamericana, because the road surface was so holey that we crawled uphill in first gear and still got shaken vigorously. But it was definitely worth it, because the view of the barren but green mountain landscape was once again stunningly beautiful. Compared to Cuicocha and Quilotoa, the lagoon itself is not quite as breathtaking, but the mountain scenery around it is even more so. During our ascent on the back side of the lagoon hill, we always had a great view of the snow-covered Antisana volcano, and during the descent on the lagoon side, we could see the snow-white Cotopaxi in the distance. The observation of these ice walls is even more impressive with binoculars, and in the magnification, you can also observe whole herds of deer and wild horses. And then we had the great luck of seeing one or two condors soaring above us several times.

Aside from the great landscape and the special nature observations, it is the personal physical activity, the effort it takes to reach the top of the mountain, to feel the silence and the wind up there, and to soak up the panoramic view that brings the great feeling of happines on such a trip. Without the good coca candies, we probably wouldn't have made it today, because the air was pretty thin up there again. How nice that we could strengthen ourselves afterwards with corn, beans, cheese, and ají, actually that's what they have for breakfast here, and while doing so, we could observe hummingbirds.