Our trip leader led us on a two day road trip on the Pan American Highway from Quito to Cuenca. We were able to view a few of the 82 volcanoes that are in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Our first stop was at a rose farm, Rose Success. Ecuador is the largest producer of roses in the world.
Our next stop was to visit a local traditional artist. His name is Manuel and he gave us a tour of his garden. He explained his medicinal plants.
We visited Mabel’s art studio and were given a quick art lesson.
We had a stop at an ice cream shop in Salcedo to sample Helado de Sabores. It is a four flavor layered ice cream.
Our last stop before our hotel in Riobamba is to visit the daughter and family of the last ice merchant. His name is Baltazar and he died last week. His daughter, Carmen, talked with us about her father. He would climb up the volcano, Chimboraso, three times a week to cut ice from the volcano. He originally would have it sent to the coast so the fisherman could keep their catch on ice.
Road trip continues in the next blog post.
Tim & Kathy Simonsen 