Discover Galapagos - The Adventures of Little Miss Chievous

The Adventures of Little Miss Chievous
and Her Big Brother Evan

Little Miss and Big Brother on the balcony at la Cienega

Hacienda La Cienega

Our Cotopaxi Base Camp!

Little Miss: La Cienega is a really old hacienda near Cotopaxi Volcano. We stayed in the big old white building that used to be the house. Our room was really big! There were three rooms including the bathroom. There was also a large balcony. From the balcony we could see Cotopaxi! I wonder if Alexander Van Humbolt stayed in this room...	© Jeff Waugh Two rooms in one!
Little Miss: There is a huge hallway that looks out onto the courtyard. In the dining room where we had dinner, there were a lot of weird old paintings.	© Jeff Waugh The hallway
Little Miss: There was an old church just off of the courtyard that still gets used sometimes. In the courtyard there was a fountain and lots of beautiful flowers. We saw some bright green emerald hummingbirds sucking the nectar from the flowers.	© Jeff Waugh The Chapel in the Courtyard
Little Miss: We went out to the back of La Cienega and there were swingsets, a tennis court and a big tractor. I remember the tractor really well! It had really big tires and I sat in it and drove it (just pretend).	© Jeff Waugh The swings out back
Little Miss: I had a fresh pineapple juice on the very nice big balcony. It was a wonderful place. I want to go back again!	© Candis Waugh Cheers for Evan!

Video Theater
(recommended for broadband only)

Little Miss playing on the tractor at la Cienega
Little Miss on the Tractor

School Notes...

Hosteria La Cienega is one of Ecuador's oldest colonial haciendas. Situated near the slopes of majestic Cotopaxi volcano and its National Park, this mansion has been the scene of important events in the scientific and social history of the country.

Among the important celebrities that have resided at La Cienega are Charles Marie de la Condamine, a French scientist who participated in the Geodesic Mission (1736-44) that determined the true shape of the earth and laid the path towards the development of a universal system of measure - the meter; and Alexander Von Humbolt, German naturalist who studied Cotopaxi's volcanic activity (1802) as well as its unique alpine flora.

Today, tastefully converted into a first-class hotel, La Cienega offers the visitor the unique experience of staying within its two-meter thick volcanic stone walls which stand as silent witnesses to the history of a people and the poetry of an era. You will be surrounded by the breath-taking natural beauty of the landscape and the rich folklore of Ecuador's indigenous people.

The Adventures of Little Miss Chievous