Behind Wawa Pichincha, the volcano seen from the city of Quito, is Rucu Pichincha, its blown out neighbor.  About a month ago while Betsy was at the beach for a ladies weekend, I drove up to Rucu Pichincha with some folks from the school to check out the caldera.

The weather didn’t cooperate that day and a fierce fog filled the caldera.  A return trip would be necessary to see into it.  All was not lost as a short hike revealed a variety of high alpine flowers and plants as well as several wild horses.

On the way back down to Lloa, the town that accesses Rucu Pichincha, we saw a paragliding lesson taking place. Once in Lloa, we stopped for lunch. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon their annual bull fight celebration. It was a very festive atmosphere matched by great music and food. The bull ring was recessed into the ground so spectators could sit around with an unobstructed view of the action. Literally, anyone could jump down in there. Though the bulls were small and I was tempted, I opted for the safer choice of spectating. Thankfully, no animals were harmed. However, one participant wasn’t so lucky. He thought it would be a good idea to stand on a beer crate and jump over a charging bull. He slipped when he jumped, perhaps because he was wearing casual loafers, and didn’t clear the animal. After getting roughed up a little, he limped away to an awaiting ambulance. One bull was smart enough to make its way behind one of the wooded protector walls surprising everyone, including the participants perched on the once secure wall.

It was a great day with one surprise after the other.