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Published: March 5th 2023
The day started with a quick breakfast at 6:45 so we could catch our 7:00 ride to the Cotopaxi Volcano for climbing and horseback riding. No, please don’t think that you are in the wrong blog, this is Brenno, the free-spirited vacation version of Brendan. He was in total control today, and it was a grand day. Traffic in Quito is quite chaotic, as in most cities. What makes it so bad here is that the buses, and there are many many buses, run on diesel fuel and spew clouds of black exhaust each time they shift. The city reeks of exhaust. It is a very clean city; we saw workers out sweeping sidewalks and keeping the city clean, but the air. Ugh Our guide for the day Pedro was a nice and friendly man who knew how to weave in and out of traffic as only a pro could. It was nerve wracking, but I had faith in what he was doing.
Once in the Cotopaxi National Park, we stopped to buy hats and gloves. Again, really? I packed for tropical weather and there I was buying hand crotcheted gloves and a hat as stylish as it is warm.
Cotopaxi Volcano, the second highest summit in Ecuador, was covered with mist and clouds that swirled and shimmered in the sun. The volcano is active, and ash lightly covers the ground. After a long, winding drive up to approximately 15,000 feet, we stopped at a parking area to begin our hike up to the base camp. True hikers spend the night there, and make a mad dash up the volcano to see sunrise. That was something not even Brenno would consider; however, a quick jaunt to the stone mountain hut up there would be fun. Breathing at this altitude is not as easy as it is in Quito, and the slightest activity takes even more effort. We all started up the crunchy lava stone path in good spirits. Dave and Merry Jo had expressed reservations whether this was a hike they wanted to do, and soon after we started, they decided to stay down and chat with groups as they passed. Pedro and I climbed on, up, through the fog and mist and finally onto snow. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am prone to exaggeration, but this is the truth. Standing there in the ever changing fog
Quito
The city is extremely long and narrow, and lots of clouds.was magic. Pure magic. I was huffing and puffing but had a smile on my face. As many pictures as I took, I had to smile. No one wants to see me wheezing and crying. Some light whining is OK I think, but not crying. The climb itself wasn’t terribly challenging; it was the altitude and later the snow. Stepping on the snow was slippery, and visions of me rolling down the volcano danced in my head, similar to sugarplums but less desirable. Mind you I was doing this in my street shoes. It had not been well communicated to me that I was going to be a mountain goat before I got to ride the darn horses. The higher we went, the shorter the switchbacks became. After a particularly challenging section, Pedro smiled and pointed at the hut around the bend. It was an easy-breezy walk to the José F. Ribas Refuge where hot coca tea awaited. He took several photos of me with the sign at the base camp, and then we started down. The trip down took a quarter of the time. Upward and onward took one hour. The trip down took 17 minutes. The trail was
Driving to Cotopaxi
Wasn't sure if I wanted to go out in this weather straight and covered in a thick layer of lava rock. Once Pedro showed me how to plant my heel, then roll to my toes, it went so quickly that I was surprised when I saw Merry Jo and realized we were down.Merry Jo and Dave had been watching as Pedro and I climbed, and laughed at how I was in front of Pedro most of the time. Apparently the guide is supposed to lead, and guide if you will, the traveler. Well, not today. Not in my world. I was a large and in charge mountain goat and nothing was going to slow me down. I was very pleased with myself for making this climb, and will post enough pictures that you will see that written all over my face. It was a great day.
We drove back down the volcano, and off road to where we were to ride the horses. Once again, this is not even remotely what I normally do. The only time I have been on a horse was back in Cairo when we rode these tiny horses to view the pyramids. Truth be told, I have been more scared and in more danger on
a merry go round I think. So, we took turns getting onto our horse. None of us were particularly graceful, and I ended up missing the saddle by a bit. Still, I did it in one move, so more success. Of course my Sasquatch foot wouldn’t fit the stirrup, so they had to find new ones. My horse, Tequila, was a lovely brown color and seemed friendly. Merry Jo was on Whiskey, and Dave was on White Wind. We followed our guide across the road, down a steep riverbank and onto flatland surrounding the volcano. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but stopped soon after we first heard it. While the online photos promoting this excursion show happy, warm riders on a bright sun filled day, we were 3 cold riders under gray, ominous skies. Heck, I felt as if I was back in Seattle. On we went. Tequila must have missed lunch, because each time we stopped and later whenever she wanted to, she would put her head down and rip grass up to eat. I didn’t want to make her angry, so for the most part I let her. We did have some moments of frustration, and I think
Driving to Cotopaxi
There is a touch of sunlight I may have insulted her by telling her she was no race horse. Still, it was a nice ride. We crossed streams, saw a waterfall, went up and down hills, and did all the horseback riding I need for the next several years. It was a welcome sight when after 2 hours I saw the red buildings marking the end of the ride. Glad I did it? You bet! Want to do it again? Not soon! Who wanted to do this? I will never tell.
Pedro drove us down to the main road where we had lunch and savored sitting on a solid chair. Then, it was back to Quito, the city of taxis, buses and fumes. None of us had put together that today was Ash Wednesday until we started looking for a restaurant for dinner. The pizza place near our hotel was closed, the place next door was open, but it had karaoke going on, and honestly, I would have gone hungry before listening to what was going on in there. Was that someone killing a cat, or was it singing? I will never know, nor do I want to know. So, we went back up the
hill to the restaurant in the hotel, which was also closed. None of us were up to trying to take a cab to the other pizza place, so we ended up in a tiny restaurant that had someone outside trying to lure unsuspecting customers in. To be fair our expectations were barely off the ground, yet this place failed to meet even those. Think of the saddest strip mall you can picture. Now, place an even sadder restaurant in it. Next, put 3 tired, hungry, frustrated travelers (us) in it. Did I paint the picture well? Nachos were suggested, so we placed our order for them. It was a platter of chips out of a bag with guacamole. Time for yummy entrees? Now imagine the most ginormous, fluffiest air-filled, deep-fried empanada you can imagine. Take away any flavor, add an extra helping of grease and serve each one at a time with a 10-minute wait in between This was excruciating. At one point I thought Mike Lindell was going to come ask for his My Pillow back, but I don’t think even he would be interested in these nasty puff balls of air. Mine arrived first, so I had to
sit and wait while Merry Jo and then Dave received theirs. Truly, I was having a moment, and I think my face showed it. Even if I have my mute on, the subtitles are still written all over me. Finally, we were able to pay and leave that place as fast as a prisoner being released on parole. I practically ran up the hill to the hotel.
Even after this disaster of a dinner, I woke up in good spirits, ready to conquer the day. Merry Jo had arranged with the hotel to have a taxi take us to La Mitad de Mundo, the Middle of the World. Since all 3 of us have been to Ushuaia, Argentina, La Fin del Mundo, the End of the Earth, this was going to be a fun day. The taxi driver certainly drove like the world was ending. We were speeding, weaving & bobbing, and lurching through traffic like there was no tomorrow. This is a sad fact, but my limited knowledge of Spanish was the best we had amongst us, and was rivaled only by his limited knowledge of English. I know enough to sound as though I speak Spanish, but
after the initial few phrases, I am left in the dust. I knew we were going to the Scientific Museum and the Touristic Museum, but was lost as to what volcano we were off to see. Soon I found out that we were visiting the Pululahua volcano. Another volcano in the active region. The views were stunning, and that people live in the crater was surprising. Also very surprising is the fact that Ecuador does not have a postal system. This means no postcards. No stamps. No fun messages to friends and family back home. I knew ahead of time that Ecuador and Panama use the US dollar, but this was a revelation to me. Well, such is life. Good thing I am working with 3 different cameras.
The Equator was previously measured and a monument and attractions built; however, it was approximately 200 meters off the actual Equator when measured by GPS. We stopped at the Scientific Museum which turned out to be a very interesting place. Located at Latitude 0 00’ 00” this truly is the center of the Earth. There were exhibits with houses of the native tribes, and monuments from around the world. Of course,
what I wanted to see was the true line. And I did. Lots of photos. There were experiments we could do to help understand how the Earth works, and why water in the Northern Hemisphere goes counterclockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere it goes clockwise. On the Equator, it goes straight down. This was demonstrated with water and leaves, and believe me or not, it is true, at least here where we stood. We also tried to close our eyes and walk down the line, but with forces pulling us from different sides, it was impossible. Our guide lined us up a few meters from the Equator and had us hold our hands out in front of us while she pushed them down. It took her a little force, but she was able to do it. Then, we lined up o the line, where she was able to force them down with only 2 fingers. I was skeptical, as you may be, but it was for real. After a quick stop in a 100+ year old hut with a guinea pig habitat, we were finished with our tour. If the guinea pigs sense bad energy, they make noises. Apparently we
had a good group, and they were silent.
All excited from this stop, we piled in the car and went to the Tourist Museum. Stand in line for tickets, stand in line to enter. None of us were feeling this place. We walked to the big, famous monument, took pictures, and called it done. After the real thing, this was a let down, and too commercial. Back into the car, and off like a rocket through traffic we went. Check back for what we did next. It involves a class that Dave, Merry Jo and I frequently take while traveling and includes cooking. Hmm, what could it be I wonder??
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Trio de seis zero
A pic for the ages. Seis zero. Does this mean everything that follows must be up?