Expedition Dispatch

November 8, 2009 – Our Adventures in Ecuador Are Underway!

Our group consists of Peter and Janice from Halifax and Ken from Seattle. Berg Adventures has always been known for our great guide ratio but this trip is definitely a special situation. It will be almost like a private trip!

This morning we left Quito after an excellent breakfast and drove a couple of hours to Otavalo, a town famous for its market and which will be our headquarters for the next 3 days. At an altitude of 8,500ft./2,600m, it is a perfect location for our acclimatization plans. Climbing Imbabura at 15,000ft/4,570m is on our schedule before we move on to our glacier climbs.

We are staying at Hacienda Cusin, which is a restored 17th-century Andean estate. It is a very unique hotel; each room decorated with antiques, Andean crafts and log-burning fireplaces. It is one of the most beautiful haciendas in Ecuador.

Peter and Janice got the honeymoon cottage; it is beautiful. Peter bought a bottle of wine in town so that he and Janice can have some wine after dinner in front of the fireplace.

Today was a travel day. Once we arrived at our hacienda, we moved our gear to our rooms and quickly left for lunch in Otavalo and to take a quick peek at its famous market.

Ken, who arrived late last night from Seattle, didn’t plan on buying anything at the market but in the end, he couldn’t resist and bought a small souvenir for Karen, his wife.

We are now all back at our comfortable rooms, getting our gear organized and soon we will meet for dinner. Tomorrow is our first acclimatization day!

Stay tuned, we will be sending more updates soon.