Sunday, April 8, 2012

Our Trip to Cotacachi -- Part 3 of 3

HACIENDA SAN ISIDRO

On Sunday Mike and I, along with our friends Jim & Rachel, went up to Hacienda San Isidro for the brunch they host on Sundays.  The hacienda is located on the side of the Cotacachi volcano and is about a 30 minute drive from Cotacachi, along trails that are best maneuvered on horseback!  We arrived by cab around 10:30am and forgot that they don't start serving brunch until 1:00pm.  This gave us a lot of time to wander around the premises taking pictures and listening to Andres tell us about the history of the 300-year-old hacienda, and their horse ranch.


Receiving a warm welcome











They made a special breakfast for us which they served at 11:30am. 




Our table with a view
(Standing L to R) Graciela, her son Andres, Jim, Rachel
(Seated) Me, Mike














After our breakfast, Roscindo (the patriarch of the family) loaded us up in his pick-up truck and took us on a tour of the hacienda, all the way up to the top of their property.

On a short hike in the forest


Looking out over Cotacachi . . .

. . . and Otavalo




The ranch down below






























So peaceful













Jim, the horse whisperer.
(He's actually quite a horseman himself.)













Curiosity getting the best of the llamas and alpacas













What a wonderful time we had with the Jara family, and Jim and Rachel want to come back and take a horseback ride with Andres from the Hacienda to Lake Cuicocha, about a two hour ride round trip.

2 comments:

  1. What a wonderful day it was. We can't thank you enough for the opportunity to share this day with you. We will remember it the rest of our life. Next time we ride to Quicocha!

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    1. We feel so lucky to have been able to see you both so much recently. Let's get together before you leave Cuenca for Cotacachi.

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