Letters from a Wandering Soul

🌫️ Day 7 – The Path into the Cloud Forest, A Gentle Transition to Mindo Mindo – Day One 🕔 05:00–07:00 | The Last Sound of the Waterfall, A Quiet Departure The moist fog seeped into every corner, settling even upon my half-asleep body, wrapping around me like a breath soaked in soft dew, gently waking me from sleep. Outside, it was 9°C. The sound of the waterfall, carrying the fading scent of stars and moonlight from the night, broke apart beneath the crystal brightness of the rising sun— and yet it was different in its essence. Just as dazzling sunlight can make it impossible to open your eyes, a waterfall breaking under starlit darkness carries a distinct clarity. It pierces through, wrapping the air in light and scent, soaking the space in invisible oxygen, and resonating through the air. Last night, I had ordered warm cacao milk via room service. Now, in the distance, the lime-green Andes shimmered like a painted canvas catching the morning light. The crashing ...

🌿 Baños Day 3 – The Scent of the Andes, Sweet Earth, and Quiet Closure 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Morning Air in Bed, 9°C – A Quiet Start Unlike the warmth inside the cozy blanket, the air brushing against my face and pushing into my lungs was cold and fresh. On the window frame, dewdrops clung like tiny pearls of frost, countless mirrors hanging the whole world upside down, wrapping it up, as if even the chilly air added a layer of transparency. Outside the window of Hotel Sangay, everything was veiled in a moist mist, soaked in dew. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | Brunch at Café Ricooo Pan – Warm Bread and Tropical Fruit After stepping out of the hotel and walking for about three minutes, I reached the entrance of Café Ricooo Pan. There, the life force of freshly baked wheat with corn butter seemed to erupt and stir the entire street like a fragrant explosion. The nutty aroma of the golden, buttery corn bread, fresh from the oven, rose like trembling mirages in the morning sunlight, wrapping a...

Embracing the Day’s Tremble with Tea and Waterfall Mist 🕔 05:00–07:00 | 8°C Morning, Mist and the Scent of Coffee The sound of the waterfall, which had poured all night and was still falling, felt as natural as breathing. As I woke up and stepped onto the balcony of Hotel Sangay , the mist was drawing a faint rainbow, and everything around me was soaked—quietly glowing with transparent mist and dew. The early morning temperature was now 7°C, and the cold air was filled with gentle moisture. I grabbed my cardigan and a small bag and stepped out onto the street. The aroma of freshly roasted coffee led me through the quiet alleys. Before long, I came upon a place called "Honey Coffee & Tea." Along the ridgelines between the mountain slopes, the morning mist hung like a bridal veil over a bride’s face. Steam was gently rising from the just-baked cheese cherry pie and the warm café con leche , softly wrapping around my face. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | The Sound of My Hea...

🌄 Baños Day 1 – The Stillness of Hot Water, Into the Volcanic Mist 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Farewell Through the Window to Otavalo’s Final Mist The sky was a heavy gray, full of moisture, as if it would burst into tears at any moment. My collar was damp—perhaps because it had already soaked through. I took a taxi to Terminal Terrestre Otavalo. The Reina del Camino bus to Ambato was scheduled for 05:40. The ticket cost $6. Finally, we departed. Tiny beads of dew clouded the window. I exhaled once more and drew a big heart with my finger. Inside it, I wrote “Baños” again. Through the morning mist and dew, the bus raced forward, leaving the Cotacachi Mountains behind. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | Along the Andes, Morning Warmth The bus continued its journey southward, passing through Quito and Ibarra. The once lofty elevation had gradually declined. The winding mountain ranges, layered one after another, became tinged with red, and the morning sun, filtered through closed eyelids, left a reddish imprint. Th...

🕔 05:00–07:00 | A Walk by Laguna de San Pablo Beyond the Horizon Mist As I stepped out of ‘La Casa Sol Otavalo’, the clock showed just past 5:20 in the morning. After about a 10-minute drive, I arrived at the still mist-covered San Pablo Lake (Laguna de San Pablo). Ice-cold wind whipped past my face, and in the distance, white ducks swam back and forth among the reeds. Farther away stood the Cotacachi Volcano, still majestically capped with unmelted snow. Before the morning sunlight had yet awakened the world, I sat quietly on a bench, gazing into the stillness. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | Traditional Music Workshop – A Journey Through Time Following the Sound of the Quena I walked toward the Taller de Instrumentos Andinos "Nanda Mañachi" workshop, located in the heart of the town. The stories told while carving wood and making holes felt like an old fairy tale. When the bamboo, the charango (a small string instrument), and the quena (Andean flute) were played, a sequence of sharp,...

🌄 Otavalo Day 1 – A Day Awakening Along the Andes Without Hesitation 🕔 05:00–07:00 | From Quito to Otavalo, the Andes in a Drowsy Morning I left the hotel Casa Gangotena and got into a taxi that was faintly blinking as if waiting in the dim dawn. Following the E35 highway heading north, occasional lights flickered weakly. The early fog roamed the fields, and the small villages we passed— Calderón and Cayambe —were surrounded by the misty fields of the morning. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | An Andean Breakfast at Casa del Árbol I sat at a small table at the hotel La Casa Sol Otavalo , welcoming the morning under a tree where the morning birds were singing their hearts out. All around, the Andes Mountains rolled in waves, touching the sky and clouds. An Ecuadorian-style scrambled egg , warm yuca bread , papaya juice , and orange-lemon juice were served. Perhaps because of the high altitude, the air was cooler and more refreshing. With the clear air, the aroma of the food spread t...

🕔 05:00–07:00 | From Quito to Otavalo, Dawn Air of the Andes The clock pointed to 5 a.m., and damp mist wrapped around my ankles. The air was 8°C. I got into the taxi I had reserved and entered the northbound E35 highway. The lights of Calderón, Cayambe, and nameless villages guided the way. After driving for a little less than three hours, the ridges of the Andes gradually came closer. Clouds were hanging low, billowing as if they could be touched above my head, and the air felt heavy with moisture, as if soaked in rainclouds. At last, we reached the center of Otavalo, where the lights along Simón Bolívar Street twinkled as if to welcome me. The lights of Calderón, Cayambe, and unnamed villages flowed past the car window. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | First Breakfast on the Terrace of the Ancient Land’s Casa Sol The breath of the mountains of Otavalo gently touched my skin at La Casa Sol. Beyond the stone wall, sunlight pierced through the trees, streaming in between branches. T...

  🌄 Quito Day 3 – A Journey of Breathing Senses on the Final Day 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Walking Through Fog in Plaza de San Francisco Before the sun even rose, I stepped toward Plaza de San Francisco at dawn. The sound of bells hitting the old stone walls stirred the Andes valley. A layer of fog lay across the damp ground soaked in morning dew, and the tower of Iglesia de San Francisco appeared. A few drops of light rain began to fall from the sky, so I opened the umbrella I had brought, gently parting through the fog, quietly walking step by step, savoring the cold morning air. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Classic Breakfast at Café Gótica As I walked out near the square, I saw Café Gótica. The morning sun was starting to peek out just slightly. I ordered a warm cup of cinnamon-scented coffee, fruit slices, freshly baked yucca bread, and added scrambled eggs. Before I knew it, the soft sunlight was gently covering the red bricks outside. 🕘 09:00–11:00 | Quito Contemporary Art Museum ...

  Quito Day 2 – A Day That Gently Glowed in Stillness 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Greeting the Sunrise at Itchimbía Park Under the shade of a eucalyptus tree, where birdsong clears the mind, I spread out the picnic mat I had brought. Sitting atop the hill in Itchimbía Park, overlooking Quito’s old town, I quietly inhaled in a meditative posture. The morning sunlight landed transparently on every drop of dew resting on the brown and green leaves, and the soft mist that wrapped around my feet spread in all directions like ripples on a lake. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Simple Breakfast in the Garden of Casa Gangotena Sunlight twinkled around the garden fountain, and a kitten that looked young and well-acquainted with human hands appeared for just a blink before disappearing, only to be seen again. On the table, a single lilac blossom was placed in an elegant white ceramic vase. I enjoyed a soup made from Andes potatoes and spread apricot jam on homemade yuca bread. A glass of passion fruit juice at ...

🕔 05:00–07:00 | Andes Dawn, A City of Bells and Mist I welcomed the morning at Casa Gangotena , a charming boutique hotel located at the heart of Quito's old town, right on San Francisco Square. This 19th-century mansion, now elegantly remodeled, features high ceilings, colonial-style furniture, and graceful balconies. Outside the window, I could see domed rooftops in Baroque style and the quiet square below. The sound of church bells floated through the mist, and the windows were still fogged up like a trace left by the breath of the night. As I pulled back the curtains, a brisk morning breeze swept in, cool and refreshing. The morning mist looked as if clouds had descended from the sky and were now perching softly upon the rooftops. True to the early morning, birds quietly sang as they stretched into the day. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Cup of Tea Beneath the Basilica To reach the Basilica del Voto Nacional , I had to walk thr...