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Published: September 15th 2009
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Vulcan Chimborazo
One of the many sights along the Avenue of the Volcanoes We stayed at Baños staying in a hotel at the foot of an active volcano on the edge of the amazon jungle, let´s hope it doesnt erupt (it´s more likely that Andrew´s temper will erupt than the volcano). The town is set in a beautiful valley but the town is not much to look at. What was nice though was an 18km cycle ride along La Ruta de Las Cascadas (route of the waterfalls) set amidst the mountains. We have also enjoyed our first zip line across a canyon, a real adrenaline rush.
On the way to Baños we visited La Mitad del Mundo, which is quite literally the equator and you can cross between the northern and southern hemisphere with one step! It was really interesting to do the experiments with water and balancing an egg on a nail (which David achieved and got a certificate as the "egg master"). The route south of Quito is known as the ´avenue of the volcanoes´and the scenery is stunning. One problem is that the roads suffer from a lot of landslides and their efforts to resurface them are somewhat comical - the roads are resurfaced with concrete with minimal machinery &
La Mitad del Mundo
The Middle of the World (literally) often finished by hand!
After this we visited Cotapaxi mountain where we climbed up to the Refugio (Refuge) at a height of 4,800m or 16,000ft. It was hard work, very windy and each step was exhausting with the lack of oxygen. (At times we thought David wouldnt be getting to 51). We obviously decided not to continue to the summit at 5,897m as it takes another 6-8 hours to ascend the final 1km. Just for your information, one effect of high altitude is gas emission from the atmospheric pressure - as you can imagine this isn´t much fun for Andrew as David appears to be particularly prone to this problem.
At Quilotoa we descended into the crater of a volcanic lake and then took the easier option of coming back up on a mule which was very precarious along the edges of the track as they had a mind of their own and we could so easily have been down at the lake again!
The Spanish lessons went well and we continue to make improvements but as always a few errors along the way which include: apparently our Caribbean cruise will be in a bag not on
El Refugio de Cotapaxi
The highest we´ve ever climbed up to (16,000ft) a boat (Karen and Nigel dont panic!), we had soup made of paper not potatoes for lunch, offered our tutor the opportunity to see our photos of old women not our travels, the Panama hats were grilled not ironed, and apparently Andrew was going for a ride on a onion not a horse!
Probably the nicest place in Ecuador for us has been Cuenca. During our time in Cuenca we discovered the joys of the ´Pasteleria´- cake shop & ´Heladeria´- ice cream parlour. So despite our pledge to be good we always managed to end up in one or the other stuffing our faces and ending up saying "estoy lleno" - I am full! Cuenca is a beautiful city, very similar to being in Europe. Strangely enough, Panama hats are made in Cuenca & I think you will agree that Andrew looks very distinguished in one (although that wasn´t the word David used)!
In Loja a local carnival was organised for us in our honour (not really but we were the only foreigners there) with lots of floats, dancers and brass bands, although each band played identical music which David kept humming later. Our particular favourite was the
Con Las Mulas
Getting back up the Quilota Crater (with a little help) troupe of glammed up old ladies (some looking like dodgy trannies) swirling their way down the street; we´re sure they´d been on the cocoa tea!
Whilst in Vilcabamba we foolishly tried our luck with another horseride for 2 hours into the countryside. Our 15 year old guide (Juan Carlos) failed to explain that when crossing the bridge over the river they get spooked so you need to hold the reins closely. They reared up and David´s leg got trapped between two of them in their panic, after that he got off & walked and vowed never again! There was only one thing for it we booked a massage to recover. However, being us, it was a 30 minute exfoliating salt massage - naked! Say no more...
Our last night in Ecuador was spent in Macara. If you are tempted to stay there - don´t. There were malarial mosquitos, lads driving around at 2am with music blaring, and the constant sound of a pneumatic drill outside the Hotel. However we really enjoyed our time in Ecuador and are looking forward to the adventures continuing in Peru....
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Gilly
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You Go Boys!
So glad (an envious) to hear you're having such a great time over there! Did you eat the guinea pig? We weren't brave enough, but looking back we should have given it a go! Feels weird seeing the pictures of Quilatoa and Cotapaxi. You were wise not to try the climb - it was pretty hellish - roped up together for fear of sliding down the mountain or falling in a crevasse!! Andrew, you look totally dashing in that hat! Did you buy it? I can just see you walking around the Southsea streets with it on. LOL your guide is 15?? Did you get him cheap at half the price? Our next trip isn't till February and we're so bored!! Doing a 10 day camping/hiking trek across the south coast of Tasmania. Wish we were leaving next week. Enjoy Peru - I think you'll love it. Take care boys and keep the blog coming! Love Gilly n Dizzly xxx