Hot springs in Papallacta

Yesterday we had to leave our beautiful little hotel in Quito. Everyone was so nice and helpful. I had a breakfast course on local fruits. How to peel and eat them. Hmmmm, I was excited and then almost ate the entire fruit basket. After this great breakfast, it was time to say goodbye and head to the hot springs in Papallacta.

We took a taxi to the bus station, which was 40 km outside of our neighborhood. When we arrived there, I was amazed at how modern the station was. We had to go to the 1st floor to the ticket counter. Once upstairs, it was like a fish market. People were praising the cities and then you had to quickly run to the counter. It was unusual, but somehow fun. We quickly got our tickets and no more than 5 minutes later, our modern bus left for Papallacta. We now had about a 2-hour drive ahead of us. The bus was only half full, which was very pleasant. After about 5 minutes, the movie program started. It was a sad dog film. We cried our eyes out. There was a couple sitting next to us, looking at us strangely....haha. Oh well, we found the movie sad. The bus ride was supposed to be non-stop. But it kept stopping on the side of the road and vendors would get on to sell tangerines, water, or candy. It was nice to watch. I would have liked to buy a tangerine, but you could only buy a whole net for a dollar.
After the dog movie, the next movie started and it was a thriller. Lots of screaming and killing, gruesome. We weren't interested in that movie, so we focused on the landscape - which was difficult with all the screaming... But the other people seemed to like it because they were staring at the screen. Luckily, we only had 15 minutes left.
Despite the noise, we tried to enjoy the landscape because it was breathtaking. The Andes formations looked huge and the bus crawled up the switchbacks at a snail's pace. It was really overwhelming, you didn't know whether to look right or left, the area was so stunning. Suddenly, there was a large mountain lake on the left, it was gigantic. Shortly after, we were allowed to get off and a taxi (pick-up truck) took us the last km to our thermal spa. Papallacta is known for its hot springs and where we stayed here is a true dream. This hotel is known for its spa area and you have your own hot springs in front of your hut with a view of the Andes. I said to Daniela; pinch me. In no time, we changed clothes and enjoyed the spa area. It's incredible, you're lying in the hot springs looking at the volcano and the Andes. Just amazing. We looked at each other and asked ourselves several times: is this real or a dream. Enough raving.
As I lay in the pool with a hot stream splashing on my neck, I saw something big flying around a long flower. I couldn't see clearly because I wasn't wearing glasses. My thought was, a huge dragonfly or an oversized bumblebee. Before I could scream, Daniela said to me. Anke, look, a hummingbird....haha. Oh yes, with glasses on, I immediately recognized it and it was great to see a hummingbird live. With glasses on, we saw several more. They are so beautiful and the way they flap their wings and dive into the flowers with their long beak is fascinating to watch.
Just before we turned into prunes, we left the hot springs and walked up a hiking trail. Again, we couldn't stop marveling. Alpacas were standing in a pasture and grazing there. One was relatively tame, so I fed it grass and as a thanks, it burped on me...haha.
By then, the clouds had also cleared and we had a clear view of the snow-covered volcano. Again, just one comment: MEGA AWESOME!!!!! We stood there for a while and just let this sight sink in.
Shortly before dark, we returned to our hut and once again soaked in the hot springs and looked at the starry sky. Man, we're living the good life...haha.
Today at 11:00 a.m. we are setting off and heading to Cotopaxi National Park. We are excited and will be staying there for the next 2 or 3 days.
Just a quick note about the altitude, here in Papallacta we are at an elevation of about 3,400 meters and we can feel the altitude. Sometimes we feel dizzy. We are trying to manage it with rest and drinking lots of water. When we go to Cotopaxi, we'll be even higher!