After a pretty regular class week, a few of us decided that a good way to spend the start to our weekend was to go up the TeleferiQo to the top of Pichincha, one of the mountains overlooking Quito. It’s best to go in the morning, so we decided to meet some friends there at 11, after our morning classes were done. There were a few delays, but we did all get there eventually. One thing that I wasn’t expecting was a little amusement park at the base of the TeleferiQo, the cable car that takes us to the top of the mountain. However, almost no one was in the amusement park, and though many of the buildings looked fairly new, there was quite a bit of plant growth on the buildings and between the cobblestone streets. I wish I had taken pictures, because I bet some of them would have been pretty cool.
We bought our tickets, and hopped on the TeleferiQo, which took 15 or 20 minutes to reach the top. It was quite a bit cooler and windier than in Quito, and after hiking for a bit you could really feel the difference in altitude. The views from the top were amazing, and that was only the start to our fantastic day. I was in a group with one of my classmates, another girl that I volunteer with at Tueri, and 6 of her friends who study at USFQ in Cumbaya. We had decided a few days before that we wanted to rent some horses and trail ride along the top of the mountain, so that was what we were going to do.
But alas, our day filled with riding was not meant to be! As we hiked over a small rise to view the corral, it was almost empty. We found out that a big group had rented horses earlier that day and gone to the peak of the volcano (quick note: Pichincha is a volcano), which would last for several hours. There was only one horse in the corral when we got there, but after talking to the woman in charge of the horses, she told us that a small group of 5 would be back in 10 or 15 minutes. We discussed our options, and decided that some riding was better than none at all.
When the other group did get back, 6 of us mounted up for our short ride. We would go for 25 minutes, then when we got back, the other girls in our group would have a turn. We would have liked to have taken a longer ride before coming back, such as for 45 minutes, but clouds were setting in and we wanted everyone to have a chance to ride before the weather had a chance to rain. It only cost $5 too, which is way cheaper than in the U.S.
And so we set off. I was happy to be back on a horse after a few months without riding, though rather than actual reins I was just given the end of the lead rope. My horse’s name was Quiteña, and my friend was riding a horse named Bella. And as for my friend, it was her first time on a trail ride, which is super exciting! She had fun, and so did the rest of us, however short it was.
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- My friend on her first trail ride!
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- Out on the trail
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- Heading back to the corral
After we got back, those of us who weren’t riding didn’t want to just sit around, so we decided to hike the trail we had just been on to see the sights again and actually take some decent pictures.
Once everyone was back, we said a big thank you to the women who worked with the horses and headed back to the TeleferiQo. We had been up on Pichincha for several hours now, and the difference in altitude was definitely starting to sap our energy. We were ready to head back down to the city, eat some lunch, and take a well-deserved rest. All in all, it was a really fun day.
Abroad in Ecuador 
Beautiful…
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