My first Llama in Ecuador The beginning of the river Tamebamba that flows into Cuenca An old deserted brewery high in the Andes Andean flowers Me with the Llamas and Alpacas Llamas and Alpacas More Andean flowers Saleswoman along the highway These are waterfalls flowing down the mts. Flowers at 13,000 feet in the high Andes Crocuses in the Andes Alpaca mother and baby Cactus-like flower These were found among the mossy areas that everywhere covered the rocks These beautiful plants were very hard to the touch and made a percussive sound when you brushed past them One of the hundreds of lakes in the region. It was VERY cold. The trails were incredible muddy. We all wore big rubber boots that we bought in the market. Part of the beautiful trail we walked The landscape was so beautiful and mysterious. Water was everywhere but the altitude was too high for trees. We are at 13,500 ft. Lakes and rivers and marshes everywhere The landscape was an odd mix of desert, marsh and high sierra. We all put on all the clothes we had and then wished for more. The group At one point we entered a 13,000 ft rainforest that was dark wildly mysterious The path barely provided room to squueze through the trees Here it was a good bit warmer and green things flourished Some more of the landscape in the forest Heading down Crossing one of the rivers going down. The Inca trail - a 700 year old path that leads from Cuenca to Guayaquil on the coast Lunch after the hike. Trout from an Andean trout farm. Where we ate.....
