Blogs from Cotopaxi, Centre, Ecuador, South America - page 6

Day 751 (19.04.09) Our adventure to Cotopaxi was to start at a leisurely pace with a tasty market brekkie and a bit of CD burning. We had teamed up with a couple from Holland who were going the same way and opted for a bus and taxi to our home for the next couple of days, the Secret Garden in the foothills of Volcano Cotapaxi. With a little pallaver in terms of meeting the taxi driver (where our instructions were to meet by the horse statue on the roundabout ... found the horse statue but no roundabout in sight) we made it along the bumpy cobbled road to the hostel. Our first impressions were that this eco-hostel was going to be a great place to stay. Warm and welcoming it felt like a home from home ... read more

Immer wenn wir in Quito uebernachten mussten, war unsere Anlaufstelle das zu Hause von Reno und Suse. Die beiden kennen wir, weil Reno unser Bergfuehrer fuer den Cotopaxi ist. Vor unserer Reise hatten wir via Mail Kontakt. Reno ist Schweizer aber in Ecuador geboren. Er war frueher Finanzchef von Galapagos, gruendete den Hochalpin Club in Ecuador bei dem er Praesident war. Mit 30 Jahre Bergfuehrer Erfahrung haben wir sicherlich einen der Besten fuer unser Vorhaben gebucht. Mit dem Jeep fuhren wir von Quito nach Chilcabamba, 19km vor dem Cotopaxi. Chilcabamba liegt auf 3500m und ist eine Residenz fuer 39 Gaeste, die Reno eigenhaendig gebaut hat. Die Vegetation auf dem Altiplano ist wunderschoen. Kleine Gebuesche, und viele verschiedenfarbige Blumen in den kargen Weiden machen schon dies alleine einen Besuch Wert. Da wir erst am spaeten Nachmittag angekommen ... read more

Cuarta parte de las fotografías del Cotopaxi... read more

Segunda parte de la sesión de fotos del Cotopaxi... read more

Whilst in my first week at spanish school I was talking to a Norwegian guy about what he did on his weekend. "I climbed a volcano with my friend who is a guide," he was telling me whilst we had a cup of tea and munched down the free bread that they provided for us at morning tea. "It was horrible weather, very tough and not much of a view at the top because of the weather. But I would do it again." This guy was crazy...he would do it again?? "I will check it out," I told him in a blase kind of way. I had just arrived in Quito the previous week and was still adjusting to the 2850m altitude, so climbing a 5897m volcano seemed quite out of my reach at that stage. ... read more