Wednesday, September 1, 2010

In God's Country

...OR SO I FELT beholding the valleys below, lost in a golden sea of grass and its metallic sheen of wind and bright altiplano sun...



We climbed to an altitude of nearly 3,800 meters one Sunday morning - first in jeep (away from Quito, past Quinche and up through small cobblestone mountain roads) and later on foot (a steep incline through pastureland and the thick grasses of the high plateau) - to the ruins of Quitoloma. From the crest of this páramo is an expansive view of the valleys below and their roads trailing east, the serrated mountain peaks to the south with their peaks lost in clouds, and the blue horizon of Quito to the west. A pre-Incan people had used the site as a fortress. Remnants of their walls remain, crowning the highest hills, scattered stones hidden in the high grasses speckled with lichens the color of sage.





For more information visit:

http://www.edufuturo.com/educacion.php?c=1227

http://www.hoy.com.ec/noticias-ecuador/arquitectura-preinca-a-3780-metros-sobre-el-nivel-del-mar-349882.html

1 comment:

Brittany said...

Christine! These photos you have taken are breathtaking! Truly a blessing, looks like an amazing trip!