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Okay, so here is the condensed version of the last 5 days down here...
We left Charlotte on Friday at about noon and connected in Atlanta where we had a 3 hour layover before continuing on to Quito. Peter, my dad, and I decided to hit up the Duty Free store so we could have something to sip on in the airport, but were dismayed to find that they did not give us our bottles right there, but rather delivered them to the gate. Well, about 3 hours into the flight, after we had rung the bell about 4 times to no avail, we knew we were not getting any service, so we decided to go ahead and crack the bottle. Big mistake. Let´s just say that Peter and I got a little carried away. We arrived in Ecuador late that night and proceeded to tie one on...it was awesome.
The next morning we boarded a flight to the city of Cuenca, flying over the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes and numerous volcanos- an incredible sight to behold from above. We used the rest of the day to explore the city and visit some of the old colonial buildings and markets
while we continued to adjust to the altitude. Saturday night was our salsa dancing night...we rented out a club and hired a private instructor for the group, which turned out to be way too much fun. I am by no stretch of the word a person of rythm, and it was clear that no matter how much I tried to keep up, I was at least two or three steps off the whole time. But I can´t even tell you how hilarious it is to see your father breaking it down to Ecuadorian techno after a few cervesas...one of the highlights of the night.
The next morning, we boarded a bus and drove about 30 kilometers out of town straight up into the mountains into the heart of Cajas National Park. Hopefully my pictures will load so you can see what I am talking about here, but the best way I can think of the describe the place was like being in The Lord Of The Rings. Mist enshrouded mountains that just straight up to the heavens as far as the eye can see, ringed by hundreds of kettle lakes left over by valley glaciation in the closing hours of
the Pleistocene. We did a 5 hour hike around several lakes, up into the paramo(andean grasslands) and into these other-worldly forests that cling to the bottom of the major peaks. We were consistently at about 12,000 feet, and man, my lungs were feeling it. After and incredible day, we returned to the city and had dinner and wine and swapped stories for hours out on the portico.
Yesterday, the class did a tour of the city again, taking tours of the museums and churches, but Leslie, Peter, and I decided to go back to the park and try to get way up higher for acclimation purposes. It was one hell of an adventure getting there, as we used public transportation this time. After walking in a few kilometers, we found the bus station and caused quite a seen. We were literally the ONLY gringos in sight, and I guess that is somewhat of a rarity for gringos to use the public buses, as I felt hundreds of eyes fixed upon us the entire time. We finally got on a bus with standing room only and began the hour long drive to the park. There was some guy at the front
of the bus preaching about medicine, economic woes, and of course the damn Americans for about 30 minutes before the entire charade culminated in him selling herbal supplements to everyone on board. What the hell? It was the most bizarre business pitch I have ever seen, and a bit uncomfortable when he would get back to his talk of the United States...on cue, the entire bus would turn around and just glare at us. Akward. Then, about 5 minutes after the big sale, the bus was flagged over by army officers and we were all ordered to get off. They separated the males and females, then proceeded to check passports, rummage through our bags, and violate Peter and I. Seriously, do you really have keep checking the crotch of my pants for weapons? Hilarious...
So anyway, we got to the park, and began our trek over to one of the kettle lakes to set up shop. On the way, we followed a ridgeline and came upon some Llamas grazing in the paramo-super cool to see up close in their natural habitat.
About the time we got to the lake, mother nature had a fit. The sky fell out and rain
came pouring down on us as the winds picked up and swirled around us in a fury. We left Peter there to fly fish all day, and Leslie and I headed into the backcountry to try and bag a summit or two. There was no trail, so we just blazed straight up through the waist-high grasses and headed for the tallest peak we could find, an unnamed half-dome that was right around 15,000 feet. After about an hour and a half of torrential rains, ailing lungs and soggy clothes, we climbed to the top and were greeted with a truly spectacular view of the valley floor, some 3,000 feet below us. The fog was still rising around us, but after a few minutes, the sun started to blaze through, creating an ethereal experience. We stayed at the summit for a little while, then slogged back down to the lake to find Peter in his true element. He was standing chest-deep in 46 degree water, winds howling all around him, shivering spastically, yet laughing uncontrollably. Fly rod in hand, he casted again and again into the murky abiss and pulled out trout after trout, every time claiming, "Dude, you know I
live for this shit...this is awesome!". We finally got him out of the water and got dried off, then we headed down the valley again, following the stream out to the highway where we flagged down another bus going back to the city. We walked back to the hotel from the train station, stopping only to eat some street meat and drink a cold one while we congratulated ourselves on one of those top-ten days we can only dream of having again in our lives. All is well. So today we head back to Quito for a lazy day, then tomorrow it is on to Volcan Cayambe for some more acclimating, then onto Cotopaxi next week for the big climb....
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Lindsay
non-member comment
amazing
Wow, that is amazing! So glad you've arrived safely and are having a great time!