I am an active person and I need to exercise a lot to get rid of the extra energy I have in my body. On the beach, I only lay down (and get sunburnt!) and I can get bored of it even after a day. 

But mountains - especially if there is a volcano involved! - are a different topic. I am able to wake up as soon as 5 am to get use of the first ray of sunshine and hike to the top of it! Of course, it was easy to get motivated by the mountains when I lived in the Andes, Ecuador.

Andes is the longest mountain range in South America which carries the largest mountain of the world! Chimborazo (located in Ecuador) is said to be the largest mountain if we consider that the Earth is the thickest under the bottom of the mountain. So, even if Everest is the highest peak, if we counted it from the core of the Earth, Chimborazo would get the title of "largest mountain". It is also said to grow every year due to the recent earthquakes in the area. 

When I used to live in Ecuador, I made sure that in every long weekend I included at least a short hike into my trips. The favourite one was the Quilotoa volcano which has a crater lake in the middle of it. It is shining in turquoise color and the place has a special magic. 

On my first trip there, in 2O16 :-) 

If you would like to hear more about Ecuadorian mountains and legends, check out the following lesson: