In the Andes

Here I am at nearly 10,000 feet, trying to breathe, smile and not faint, all at the same time. High in the mountains, and on the equator, I'm probably as close to the sun as one can get (which explains my later sunburn).

The highway turned to gravel not too much later and we drove past llamas, steppe farms (potatoes) and a mountain reservoir on our way to the Papallacta thermal springs.
http://www.papallacta.com.ec