We get up quite early to see Ingapirca, for which a bus leaves at 9am. Luc joins us today at the hotel, making a total of 7 people. When we want to take breakfast around the corner, it seems that almost nothing is open on Sunday. A small store across the street serves us with freshly baked bread rolls and after we chat with some other Frenchies, we head for the bus to the terminal. We have 5 minutes until the bus leaves, so we run and buy a ticket quickly. We get on board, but a lady says there’s no more space in the back, so I get to sit next to the driver, giving me a chance to see the whole view.
We have about 2 hours to see Ingapirca, which is a complex of 2 ruins really. One slightly older, belonging to the Cañari and which was a town destroyed by the Inca’s. And the other an Incan temple built on top of the ruins, which is in quite a better shape than the rest. A guide leads us through the complex and shows us the way of living of the two cultures that left their mark here.
Then there is a possibility to follow a track passed several smaller ruins or stones and we discover the face of the Inca. We take a short look inside the museum with several ceramic items and pictures and we almost have to run to catch the bus back again.
When we arrive back at the hostel, we try to find a place to eat, but it seems nearly impossible. I almost go crazy of hunger when we pass several places which aren’t good enough, but finally encounter a place very near to the cathedral. I order a mushroom soup and rice with vegetables, none of which are really typical for Ecuador, but the meal is good and plenty. Meanwhile, I’m wondering whether we are really sitting across a famous local actor from ‘Qué tan lejos’: Pancho Aguirre. Yes, It’s really him, but I wouldn’t know what to say, I didn’t even know his name while sitting there, just that he’s from this movie.
After a full almorcena (conjunction of almuerzo and cena: lunch and dinner) we take another small walk through the city. We talk about going to a town nearby called Baños (which is not the famous town Baños, apparently there are more places with thermal springs called that way), but when we call the best place of the three in our guide, it is closed. We expect the others might be closed too on this Sunday, so we don’t take the chance. Sarah, Riwal and me go for another short walk, an ice cream and then back to the cathedral to view the inside. There’s a lot of gold and other riches, making it one of my least favourites in this town. I prefer the smaller churches that I saw on the inside.
Despite the lack of open restaurants and bars, we encounter a karaoke bar which is open. We order a $5 jar of beer serving enough for three small jugs (the normal price is $1,50 for a large bottle), but fortunately it comes served with some nachos. Neither one of us knows any Spanish language songs, except Sarah, but we just drink our beer and go. Riwal and me have another one in the hotel, while the three of us talk with the owners of the place. Maguy and Mattieu leave us this evening, so there are 5 left. And then we go to bed – again a difficult sleep for me.
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