Today was one of those days that couldn't have been any better. After not seeing any of the things I set out to see yesterday, due to fog and park rangers, the weather cooperated today and I saw more than I ever thought I would. I was told at Volcan Cotopaxi National Park that foreigners were not allowed into the park on motorcycles, so I went with plan B and road out to Laguna Quilotoa yesterday afternoon. According to the rangers, years ago, some guys on motorcycles didn't stick to the roads and decided to make their own trails, hence ruining it for all of us. By the time I arrived at the Laguna a couple hours later, fog had already filled the crater and there wasn't anything to see. I pushed another 45 minutes north through freezing rain to a town with a couple hostels, and hoped for a clearer and drier sky in the morning.
Determined to beat the daily influx of low clouds and rain, I woke up at 6am, had breakfast, and then headed back South to the crater. The fog had already set in by the time I reached the gate, but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I may as well enter and check it out. Thankfully I did! The clouds formed a lid over the dormant volcano, but the crater lake was visible, beautiful, and huge! I had almost summoned enough ambition to hike down to the lake when the clouds began to fill the crater. Thinking that I had a valid excuse to be lazy, I hopped back on the bike, thrilled that I was able to see at least one of the two things I had set out to, and carried on with the rest of the day's plan. 
I returned to Latacunga taking the same route I had ridden out on yesterday.The weather was much better today, and I was able to see a lot more. The area around the laguna is inhabited by indigenous communities, but in stark contrast to the rural areas of Guatemala, the people are really friendly, and always smile and wave. While passing clusters of houses along the road, kids would run out to the street to give me a high-five as I rode by. When I would pull over to take a picture, or check out my map, passerbys would always start conversation with me. 
I returned to the Pan-American highway, followed it south for an hour or so, and then took a road heading southwest that took me past Volcan Chimborazo. I knew Chimborazo was over 20,000ft tall, but I never expected the road itself to reach over 14,000ft. The cooler temps at that elevation, along with high winds and intermittent rains, made for a surprisingly cold ride considering that I'm less than 200 miles from the equator. After passing the volcano, I hopped on a dirt road to the small town of Salinas, on the advice that some of the world's best chocolate comes from there. While in-route to Salinas, I misread a sign and took a very slow-going mud road for 15km or so, before finding out that I wasn't heading where I wanted to. Not sure what time the sun would set in the mountains, panic momentarily set in as I thought of riding the same road back in the dark, or the alternative, sleeping on the side of the road. When I reached the fork where I made my mistake, I was thrilled to see that the road I should have taken was perfectly groomed and I could make up for some lost time. I arrived in Salinas with enough daylight to buy some chocolate, and then rode 25 more minutes to Guaranda, where I'm spending the night.
I'm heading to a town called Baños tomorrow. Several people have told me it's their favorite place in Ecuador, so I'm really looking forward to it!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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