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Published: October 2nd 2014
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We arrived in Quito after a short two hour bus ride from Mindo and headed to our hostel. Gary's leg was rather red, hot and swollen so we went to the doctor to get it checked out. When we arrived they took his temperature, blood pressure, weight, heart rate and listened to his breathing. They wanted to make sure he didn't have a fever and the infection was localised to his leg. He was given antibiotics and told to rest to try and ensure the infection didn't spread.
We were due to be taking a three day cycle trip the next day but that was now not an option so we cancelled it and booked in for the two day trip leaving 3 days later.
The next day while Gary was resting I spent the day with our friend Paul who we met at the Beehive hostel in Sucre. We took the cable car up Volcán Pichincha to the top of Cruz Loma (4,100m). We had fantastic views over Quito's mountainous landscape and the sprawling city. We hiked up towards the summit of Rucu Pichinthe. To begin with the path was very well maintained and easy to follow, however
eventually we were scrambling up and the path finished. The sky was looking rather grey so I headed back down while Paul continued up to check out the next point. I knew it wouldn't take him long to catch me as I had been struggling to keep up all day. I think spending two weeks at sea level in the Galapagos had had an impact on my acclimatisation.
Gary visited the doctor the day before our cycle tour with the Biking Dutchman and was given the OK to go.
We met the group in the morning and headed to Cotopaxi Volcano, a short drive from Quito. Our group was made up of a Dutch family of three who were only doing the first day of the trip and a German family of three. When we arrived at the car park on the side of Cotopaxi there was a very strong, cold wind blowing - I couldn't wait to get on the bikes and head down out of the wind. After a short safety briefing we were off down the dirt roads through volcanic ash and panoramic landscapes. At different points during the ride we were able to see
stunning views of the other volcanoes in the area and wild horses. The cycling was pretty straightforward but I loved it as I was able to enjoy the views without worrying I was going to fall off the side of a cliff. The last ride for the day got a little competitive as we rode along a lovely sealed road back to the entrance of the national park.
After our day of cycling we said goodbye to the Dutch family and headed to our accommodation for the night on the rim of an active volcano, Quilotoa. Once we had checked in we walked up to the crater lookout. Everyone in the group closed their eyes and was guided to the view point. After opening our eyes we were greated with a spectacular view of the crater lake with its stunning deep jade colour. I would have loved to have had more time to explore this area of Ecuador.
Next morning I walked down into the crater to the edge of the lake without Gary due to the lump from the infection in his leg growing. The walk down to the crater was really easy but the walk back
up really made me puff but I just kept going and made it to the top with no issues (first as well). I've decided I prefer walks where the difficult part comes first and at the top you are rewarded with the magnificent view. Quilotoa is an active volcano but the last eruption was 850 years ago, on the edge there is a hot water spring which you can see from the bubbles it produces.
We left Quilotoa by bike and headed down the paved road. As I was heading round a sharp right hand turn I came face to face with a pig. The pig was running towards me and the owner was running away to the other side of the road. Luckily I had slowed down for the corner and was able to avoid the pig.
We cycled towards Zumbahua along the “Grand Canyon” of Ecuador. We had a short stop for lunch before jumping in the van until we reached the perfect spot to start riding downhill to Pujili with some amazing views of the valley below.
When we arrived back in Quito we headed straight back to see the doctor for the third
time as the lump on Gary's leg continued to grow (I don't think the competitive cycling helped). This time the doctor decided to cut it open to release the pressure and remove the pus. Gary was also required to return the next day so this confirmed that we definitely wouldn't have enough time to visit Banos as originally planned.
The next few days were spent relaxing and visiting the doctor. We walked around the Old Town in Quito but were a little disappointed as it didn't live up to expectations. We also caught up with another friend we met in Sucre and headed to La Rhonda for dinner. La Rhonda is a busy little road in the old town full of restaurants and shops.
After Gary was finally given the all clear (5 doctor's visits later) we headed for Colombia.
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taracloud
Tara Cloud
Funky leg, far from home
Glad Gary's leg is better--what a champ to do Cotopaxi and the Quilotoa Loop (which I'm dying to do) on a bad leg. Hope he's all better and Columbia is a great adventure!