Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Rather than upload a months worth of pictures I decided to break them up a bit but I still managed to upload over 70 for just a weekend. In fact not even that - only two days away in the end. Oops! Yee haa no work on Saturdays this term so we get 3 days off. Love this job!
Our first jaunt of the New Year was to Cotopaxi. We took the night bus from Cuenca which although it had lots of room it was freezing cold and he drove like a bat out of hell. We got dropped at the park gates at what felt like the middle of the night but in reality was about 6 o´clcok in the morning but having been on the bus all night you get a bit disorientated.
Our first sight of Cotopaxi was fairly bleak. We had travelled nearly 8 hours on a bus to see one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and do you think we could see the damn thing. At 5897m you think it would be easy to spot but it was cloudy and foggy. We walked up the track to try and find coffee only to discover Alicia had left her phone on the bus. Cotopaxi claims its 2nd mobile in less than 3 weeks!
No coffee but we managed to find a Tienda open and a guide all rolled into one. The park was officially closed but we managed to get in after we agreed to pay on the way out. Once we turned the corner Cotopaxi came into sight. It was seriously impessive. Looking up at the refugio it looked relatively easy despite it being at 4800m. We all thought it would be like a stroll in the park and had a laugh at Han not being able to make it. That was until we started the climb. It was like wading through treacle and it became harder the higher you walked. We eventually made it although some of the younger members of our group took longer than others much to their discomfort and our pleasure I'm afraid. We walked past the refugio and got to the snowline but our guide turned us back as we didn't have the proper equipment. In reality I am not sure how much further we could have gone in any event. Over 5000m was the highest I had ever been.
We retired to the refugio for hot chocolate and chatted to people that had actually made it to the top. Ended up getting mightly miffed when some guy told Scotty and I we had such beautiful daughters. He then tried to dig himself out by saying that we were beautiful mothers! I ask you! Mind you, you could do a lot worse than to have Alica and Jessica as daughters.
We took the bus back to the hell-hole which we know and love as Latacunga but it was only a short stay as we managed to get another bus more or less straight away. The trip to Quilotoa was by all accounts pretty spectacular but I slept most of the way. I seemed to have got the SA knack of being able to fall asleep more or less as soon as the bus leaves the terminal. We stayed in a pretty basic hostal but our room had its own wood burning stove so once it was alight it was really cosy. We even had hot water so it was an added bonus.
The lake at Quilotoa was beautiful. I must find some more adjectives to describe things but I am sure you get the picture. We all started to flag which not even a spot or retail therapy at the stalls in the car park could rejuvenate us so we found a place to get something to eat. Ended up getting mugged by an 8 year old who tried to rip us off. When Jessica challenged her and asked her who was in charge she said she was, the cheek of it.
In the morning Scotty and I walked down to the lake and Jessica and Alicia took the tramp around the rim. It was a great tramp but we had hoped to get a mule back up the hill. With no mule in sight we had to walk and walk at quite a speed to catch the trufis we had arranged. Darn it! The guy was waiting for us so we left straight for Zumbuhua. Our 80 year old driver clearly thought we were a bit of a catch but when we rejected his advances he then tried to rip us off. I ask you. We have had both ends of the age spectrum having a go! Love being a gringo.
The market was a sight to see. Not only livestock but your basic provisions. Having said that not all the livestock survived the hour or so we were there. There is nothing like having a sheep being slaughtered right in front of you. Third world countries - you got to love them!
- comments