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Quito
Us overlooking the volcanic crater PululahuaWe have booked a tour with the guide who showed us the hostel we are staying in (Yasadventure in Joaquin Pinto E7-68) so we were ready and on the road by 8.30am to go to the Equator Line. Our first stop was the extinct Pululahua Volcano which has a crater 400m deep and 5km across which is now used for agriculture. This is a spectacular sight with the fertile farmland surrounded by the dramatic and steep sides of the crater, we were lucky to have a clear view as apparently by about 11.00am it is shrouded in mist.
The next stop is the Museo Solar Inti Nan which is meant to be the true equator but actually still not correct, those damn GPSs now prove that this second site is wrong. Here there is a guided tour explaining the indigenous villages of Amazon with replicated huts. Of course there was the pseudo demonstration of the Coriolos Force which does affect large weather systems but not the way small bodies of water swirl down a drain on the northern and southern hemispheres. Finally the egg balancing on the nail and trying to walk in a
Quito
Us on one of the many equator lines at Museo Solar Inti Nan straight line on the Equator line with your eyes closed. It is all a bit of fun but not scientific and unfortunately not the correct site.
The last stop was the original suggested site of the Equator La Mitad Del Mundo where Charles-Marie De La Condamine made the measurements in 1736, not bad he was only 240 metres out and he had no GPS. Here there is a small museum explaining the French expedition that did all these calculations. The next building has a display of beetles, butterflies and spiders most dead in glass boxes, but there was also live ones. I (Shelley) got my photo take with two large horned beetles one in each hand and a large tarantula on my T-Shirt and yes they were all alive and kicking. We then moved onto the main monument to get those must have photos on the “Equator Line”.
It was a fun morning and we were dropped off at our hostel at 12.30pm and we went to the plaza for a coffee and a bit to eat as we had missed breakfast this morning, the coffee is much better in Ecuador. We then walked to a nearby Craft
Quito
Shelley trying to balance an egg on a nail at Museo Solar Inti Nan market for some window shopping as we are enjoying our bags being lighter too much to fill them up again so soon.
We have found a good Indian Restaurant a couple of blocks from the hostel that has a wide range of dishes including hot and spicy ones so we really enjoyed dinner.
Day 228 Saturday 26th May Out of bed by 6.30 and preparing for yet another day of mountain climbing. After Ciudad Perdida Shelley had sworn off any more mountain climbing and yet 7 weeks later we are off on yet another expedition. It was fairly easy to talk her into this one as it is only a one day and isn’t a summit trek and it is on the legendary Ecuadorian Volcano Cotopaxi.
Once we got our stuff together we walked out to the reception and were able to get an early breakfast before our ride turned up at 8. The company running the show today was Condor treks and Luis was our guide for the day and he was a really great guy, with a good sense of humour and a brilliant knowledge of the flora and fauna. Along
Quito
La Mitad Del Mundo for the ride was Johnny, a good natured German who lives in Brazil and contributed in making this a fantastic day.
Our day started with the long drive through Quito traffic and then onto the freeway heading south. Luis stopped heaps along the way so we could take photos of the amazing scenery especially the views over Quito. After about 2 hours we reached the Cotopaxi National Park where there was a small visitor’s centre where Luis was able to explain the local geology followed by a short walk around the area to highlight the various indigenous flora. From here we drove onto a small lake called Laguna Limpiopungo that sits at the foot of Cotopaxi that is an important watering hole for birds and the wild horses that dominate the national park. The lake sits at 3600m and from here we drove up the steep flanks of the volcano to the car park that sits at 4200m. Along the way we stopped often to stare at wonder at the huge mass of the mountain that would appear suddenly through the clouds and then just as quickly disappear.
From the car park we wrapped ourselves up in our
Quito
Shelley wrestling a tarantula warmest clothes and battling gale force winds headed upwards to the refugio Jose Rivas which is at 4810m. Now 610m isn’t a big deal horizontally but vertically at this height it is a major effort and took us over an hour to climb with lots of rests. It was a very busy day on the mountain and nearly everyone took the direct path to the refuge which was a steep long path but Luis took us a longer way that zigged zagged up the mountain that was a far better choice as the grade was a lot less steep. The altitude got to everyone along the way, along with the lack of oxygen and the gale force winds but at 1.00pm we finally made it to the refugio where we stopped for a bite to eat. Luis had prepared us all with a huge bag of snacks, sandwiches, fruit and water, which after our hike went down a treat. The refugio is not only a rest spot for us day hikers but is also the overnight rest spot for people attempting the difficult climb to the summit. Cotopaxi has a total height of 5890 metres, and has the distinction of
Quito
Us on the first equator line at La Mitad Del Mundo being the second highest mountain in Ecuador along with being one of (but not THE) World’s highest active volcanos. Fortunately Cotopaxi has been very well behaved of late and its last serious eruption was way back in 1904, but when it does erupt it has been very destructive.
After our lunch we had the opportunity to push on further up the mountain to the glacial peak of the mountain, which starts at the height of 5000m. Despite feeling tired we couldn’t resist pushing on to the ice and so headed off on what was a difficult walk across the loose rocky terrain that was interspersed with small streams generated by the melting ice. Luis told us how in the short time he has been conducting these walks the ice cap has shrunk dramatically and can easily see how one day it will be no more. It felt incredible when we finally made it to the tail of the glacier and could actually touch it. The views from this point up to the summit and down across the valley were incredible and well worth the effort. The summit from here was only another 900 metres but across the steep icy
Cotopaxi
Summit shot surface it looked a thousand miles away. The summit hikers need to rise at 1 in the morning and march up the peak in the dark for the sunrise. I had seriously contemplated it but I am glad we didn’t because it looked bloody hard and I was happy we got to this height, the highest we have ever been…yyyyaaaaahhhhhooo.
After taking in the view and getting our photos we turned and headed back to the refuge, which was again a hard walk and all of us had more than a few slides on the loose rocky surface. We stopped at the refuge for a hot chocolate and try to warm up a bit before heading down the slope to the car park. When we did finally get underway the clouds started sweeping in again and it started to sleet on us, so it was the perfect time to be leaving.
On the drive back to Quito we were able to have a great chat with Luis about what life is like for a local in Quito, and so it was a really interesting drive home. Got back to our hotel at 5.30, said our goodbyes to our
Cotopaxi
The 3 amigos at Laguna Limpiopungo new friends and then got ready for dinner. We gave a call back home on Skype before going out for yet another great feed of Indian. We had a massive meal of curries, rice and nan bread with drinks and it only cost $16, making it one of the better value meals in South America. When we got back to our room we had to pack for our trip to the Ecuadorian jungle, which involved trying to cram everything we need for 6 days into our small day packs and leaving the rest of our stuff in our main packs which are going into storage at the hotel. It was after 10 by the time we finished and we were both stuffed after such a big day and so we collapsed into bed.
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traudy glasencnik
non-member comment
Looks amazing!!!
Wow!!! I love mountain climbing, there's just something about being up so high, in a wonderland of white. Its hard work, I remember climbing Triglav in Slovenia, it's well worth it. The photo's look amazing! You both look healthy and great. That was brave of you Shelly, the trarantula in the clevage trick. do they bite? Enjoy the jungle, love the blog xx Enjoy