One of my biggest goals this year was to explore the Andes mountains. This past weekend Laurene and I with the help of our trusty guide, Mauri and a burro made the ascent to the top of Mount Puñay which is about a 6 hour bus ride from Quito. Puñay is over 3 km above sea level and a hell of a hike if you haven’t hit the gym in a few months as was the case for me. The reason we chose this mountain was that at the summit was a long forgotten temple that only recently was rediscovered by surveyors flying over the area. Mauri, a university student majoring in Ecotourism was a wealth of knowledge on this trip and gave us a great deal of insight and perspective. We were told that the temple, known as Huacacñay, was built some 3,500 years BC as an observatory to study the stars and skies. At the top we were welcomed by clouds everywhere we looked. The views from the peak are simply breathtaking and rewarding after climbing for hours in the blazing Andean sun. We ended up camping on Puñay and setting up our tent behind a wall of the temple to avoid having the winds carry us away in the void while we slept. The views at sunset were among the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Can’t wait for Machu Picchu later this year.

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