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Published: October 16th 2011
So I can finally upload some pic's again!
As mentioned, on Friday I had booked myself on a hiking/biking tour up the Cotopaxi Volanco. My alarm went off at 6.15am and off I went on a mini bus with 6 other people to Cotopaxi. The weather was looking very cloudy, but we were all remaining positive.
Cotopaxi's summit is at 5897m, but we were only aiming for 4800m. Its is part of a chain of volcanos around the pacific plate called the pacific ring of fire This was my first experience of hiking/biking at altitude so I was a little bit nervous.
Upon arriving in the National Park we were encouraged to drink some coca tea as it is meant to help prevent symptoms of altitdue sickness. I then learnt that the leaves floating in my polystyrene cup of hot water were the leaves from which cocaine is made from! This was the closest I'd ever come to taking drugs! Anyway, apart from a slight headache, I was fine so it must have done the job!
We were dropped at a height of about 4200m which was just in the clouds and was very cold. I hadnt yet invested in any
gloves, so had my thick walking socks on as mittens instead (very prectical and fetching I thought!). We hiked up to 4800m and then around to one side so that we could see the glacier. Luckily when we reached the glacier the clouds just cleared to reveal how magnificent it looked. However its one of those things that photo's don't do any justice for. After a hot chocolate at the refuge we hiked back down to 4200m and got on our bikes. This is where the real fun began. It was a 20k bike ride down hill to the resturant where we would be eating. The roads were bumpy and gravelly so there were plenty of skids and occassions where you almost fell off but It was one of the most amazing and exhilarating things I have done!
Saturday it was then off to Otavalo market. Again my alarm went off at 6.15am as it was a 2hour bus journey away. There was a group of us going though from the hostel, so luckily the journey passed quickly. The market was amazing. All the locals were wearing traditional Ecuadorian outfits and the colours of the fabrics were amazing. I could
have quite easily spent all my budget there, however the prospect of carrying everything around for the next 5 months put me off! I did however invest in some very funky trousers for $4. It was a very long day, but definately worthwhile.
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heather
non-member comment
why did you not buy some gloves at the market