Rucu Pichincha, Ecuador

First volcano climb...done!! Hardest thing: Climbing the damn thing!!

Folks,
How´s it going...hope yáll are happy and healthy!! Thought I would get my latest adventure down before it becomes a distant memory and I forget what a perilous journey it was!!!

So...I think I mentioned that I was going to do some volcano climbing on Saturday...but in fact the trip was cancelled and so instead I tagged along with another group (one of whom was Eeva...who I had met and had a few drinks with last week) on Sunday.

Mission: Rucu Pichincha. It is a 4700m high volcano on the outskirts of Quito... (actually, before I go any further...I didnt actually climb all 4700 metres as Quito is already at 2850m and I took a cable car up to 4100m... so in fact I was climbing a 600m mountain!! hehe)

Ok...it was tough...the air is noticeably thinner at 4000m and so it is a pretty tough feat just to walk a couple of steps! I was told that Rucu Pichincha does not require any previous climbing experience and in fact in more like a strenous hike. So off we went (My Finnish friend Eeva, her German friend Inga, Inga´s dad (who is climbing Cotopaxi on Thurs and hence is on an acclimatisation prog), Juan (an Ecuadorian dude) Juan´s dad and uncle...Paco and Mario. Everyone was really nice and we were having quite a laugh..Mario and Paco were legendary...they were serving as our ´guides´somewhat and hadnt actually been up Rucu Pichincha since they were both boys (30 years ago....classic!!)

Anyway, so the hike was fairly cool, we were taking it easy...getting used to the altitude...I was a bit worried initially as I wasnt sure if I would cope too well with the altitude as the day progressed...but that would turn out to be the least of my worries!!

I was chatting away to Paco, and he was telling me about a part of Rucu called "el paso de la muerte" (´passage of death´ or something along those lines..) Anyway, we hiked, hiked, hiked away...and then stopped and had a choccy break (i love this ´mountaineering´ lark!!) And then out of nowhere we were faced with the mountain face (not sure about the technical names for the different terrains) Anyway, it was the type of face which needed climbing!!! I politely informed everyone that I had never climbed anything in my life (except maybe some monkey bars as a kid, which I was rubbish at of course as I have no upper body strength!!) So...we began to climb!! No ropes, no harnesses...no nothing...just me and that damn mountain!! (i thought there was no climbing involved?!) Anyway...i freaked a bit initially, as I found it quite difficult to know where to put my hands and feet etc...and i was pretty scared of falling OFF the mountain!! Mario´s advice: "dont look down!!" -great, thanks!!!

Anyway, Inga´s father who was pretty experienced at this of kind of malarkey, was very supportive and helped me out a bit... and joked that the tallest thing I had ever seen was prob Big Ben (he´s prob not far wrong!!) Once we had cleared that vertical climb, and I had made sure there was nothing of that sort again...I felt alot better...and also didnt really know whether to laugh or cry!!

So we carried on with our hike...although it was a bit tougher and there was a bit more scrambling up rocks etc...though it wasn´t quite so vertical anymore, so it was alot easier!! The weather was absolutely terrible...we are in ´winter´ here...or more like the rainy season...so it was very very foggy and visibility was pretty poor....one couldnt really see more than 5 or 6 metres ahead.

Everytime we got to what looked like a peak, I was so happy.... and then unfortunately I was informed that it wasnt the peak and that we only had a teeny bit further to go?! A couple more hours passed....

3pm: we came to a fairly dodgy looking part of the path....

We had picked up another Ecuadorian guy and his son...and they went ahead first...then Mario (our guide...kinda) and then Eeva and Inga...although after a bit Eeva (no experience) came back and so did Inga (who was fairly experienced)....Inga point blank refused to go any further... I dared to have a little look at why she was making a fuss....and came face to face with the infamous "el paso de la muerte" -great!!!! So... this particular section required us to scale backwards down a vertical cliff face, along a small ridge and then up a section on the other side which had a significant overhang!!!! It looked mental...and I was starting to panic a wee bit...only problem was...was that there was no alternative!! There was no way, that we could have scaled back down the way we came...uh uh!! Also, the weather wasnt getting any better....it had begun to hail!!

So...Eeva decided she would go...she slowly made her way down the cliff (when I say cliff...it was prob only about 5m to the ridge...but its bloody scary when you have an endless drop below you!!) and got herself across the ridge. Mario grabbed her at the other end and hoisted her over the overhang....

Next....there was a bit of debating as to what our strategy should be...we decided that a guy would need to come down and give each of us a bunk up...so the overhang wasnt quite so tough to get round. I volunteered to go next (or else the anticipation would have finished me off!!) So I started to make my way down...Mario was shouting instructions...left foot, right hand etc....I had to put total faith in him...which was easy...it was more difficult trusting myself to be able to hold on!! Anyway...after an excruciating couple of mins (and a teency weency cry in the middle...i mean super teeny...I dont think there were even any tears?! hehe) ...I got myself to the ridge and Juan followed shortly behind...I stepped onto Juan...grabbed Mario and was pulled up....job done!!! (and never again!!)

Watching the others make their way down way def the most painful part of the journey...its so scary watching others.... Anyway, we all got ourselves to the other side, by which time we had another party of 4 behind....

We carried on climbing, scrambling and hiking to the summit (which wasnt as satisfying, as el paso de la muerte had completely drained me!) Anyway, we stopped and had a bit of a picnic (in the fog, cold and rain) and then started our descent down the other side of Pichincha. It was a bit tricky at parts, initally it was fairly rocky, then it turned to sand...so it was fun...kinda like skiing!! And finally we followed a grassy track!!

As we joined our initial track...the skies had cleared a bit and we had fantastic views of Quito....Quito is a strange city as it is only about 5km wide but 55km long....and you can see that very clearly form such a height!! Fantastic.

Got back to the teleferiqo (cable car) at about 6pm and Eeva and I head back down to Quito...(the others were a bit behind us!)

And here endeth my first climb....I swore that I would never put myself in that position ever again...but im thinking of going to Iliniza (5126m) on Tues with Eeva and co. They have organised a guide for the area etc....so am contemplating it!

Life after Pichincha: thought I would be bed ridden and unable to move a single muscle, but am feeling surprisingly un-stiff and other than looking like I have been in a fight with a dwarf (my knees are all bruised) -im all good!!

Rodeo with Las Chagras, Hacienda El Tambo, Ecuador

First rodeo...done!! Hardest thing: those damn cold showers (again!!)

Had an absolutely crazy three days...Monday-Wednesday!! On Monday (at the crack of dawn...no slacking at my end!) I head to a pre arranged meeting point in Quito and met up with Jean (really decent, English lass) and our guide, Patricio!! We were meant to take the main highway in Ecuador (the Panamericana) which runs the length of the country, but unfortunately due to (more!) strikes...this time by the bus drivers, they had blockaded all the roads outta Quito. So, we took the scenic route and head south out of the city!

After a couple of hours of driving, (at a max of about 20km/hr on bumpy, rocky roads...which is enough to drive anyone crazy!) we reached the Reserve of Pasachoa (Santa Rita) which is a protected area of Andean forest. We had a quick pitstop and met a few of the guys who work in the reserve and had a quick look in the information center they are building (all info regarding area, wildlife, conservation etc)...

Anyway, we carried on driving (those damn roads again!!) and after a further 45mins or so, got to a Hacienda by the name of El Porvenir (the future). Hacienda El Porvenir is situated in 5000 hectares of land, at the base of Rumiñahui Volcano...the scenery was absolutely incredible, we had clear blue skies, and were surrouded by volcanoes and rolling mountains on all sides!! It was starting to get a bit chilly as we head up to the Andean Highlands, and so we chilled for a little bit in El Porvenir (in front of a log fire...very cosy!!) Also, had an amazing cuppa which was made with cinnamon and citric juices...cant remember the name...but it was definitely a winner (and a Chagra speciality!!)

Unfortunately, the journey was not quite over, and after I (unsuccessfully) tried to kidnap a little puppy from the Hacienda, we carried on our way....we got to the Parque Nacional Cotapaxi, which is an absolutely massive national park (34,000 hectares) which surrounds the incredible, snow capped Cotapaxi Volcano (the highest active volcano in the world!!)

As we drove through the park, we saw alot of the Paramo (Andean grassland) which is home to the Andean Condor (didnt spot that!), endangered White Tailed Deer (nearly ran two of those over....at 10km/hr!! hehe), some of the last remaining Wild Horses in South America (the Panameros) and a whole host of other wildlife...unfortunately, I didnt actually see Cotapaxi...as the weather had clouded over considerably!!

Anyway, after a total journey time of about 5 and a half hours, we reached our destination....Hacienda El Tambo...was expecting a pretty plush place, (not sure where i got that idea from...) and arrived at a beautiful farm house...with great big windows (which ordinarily have a view of the East side of Cotopaxi) etc etc.... Didnt actually realise that the place had no heating, electricity or hot water...hmm....it takes the word ´rustic´ to a whole new level!!

El Tambo is set in a fantastic location....placed in 5000 hectares of land and surrounded by four volcanoes...Cotopaxi to the East, Quilidaña to the South, Sincholagua to the North and Rumiñahui in the distance to the North East!! So, had it not been cloudy and visibility at practically zero..im sure the views would have been incredible!! In addition to these volcanoes, there is also the rest of the moutainous Andean Highlands surrounding the valley in which we were based!!

After we got warmed up a little once they got the fire going, and had another cuppa of that tea!! ..its freezing in those highlands!! We had some lunch (Ecuadorians eat popcorn in their soup...its very strange!!), and then head out to the corrales (cattle pens) nearest the casa and watched some of the Chagras at work.

The idea of the ´rodeo´ is that it is an annual roudup of the cattle of the farm, at which point they are vaccinated, branded, separated, some are sold for bullfights, to other farms etc etc...these cattle are extremely wild (i thought that all cows were docile, milking types....hmmm) Anyway, so as you can imagine, it is pretty hard work rounding up the cattle and bringing them down from the moutains and into the pens...alot of the bulls charge and it all in all it is pretty tough work. The farm is split into 5-6 areas and in total there were about 900 cattle which had to be brought down over the 7 day period!!

Once inside the corrales, the cattle need to be separated and work on....which does entail lasso-ing them and generally wrestling them to the ground...it is so fascinating to watch...the technique of these Chagras is incredible!!

Actually just watching the Chagras is pretty cool too...all of them dressed in ponchos, chaps, and fedoras, their horses have got lassoes on the saddles and they all seem to have a dog by their side!!

So once they have pinned down a cow/bull/calf etc...they cut the ears (sign of the farm..was brutal at first, but I became accustombed to the savagery of it all pretty quickly!!), brand them with hot rods and vaccinate!! Then, when that group of cattle have been done, they are led back to the highlands. We sat and spectated from the walls of the corrales...was a bit scary at times, as these bulls charge and jump!!! Madness!!

Anyway, that was pretty much how the next day panned out as well...except that I was given a horse (named Mango) and a poncho, chaps and fedora of my own (yes, I looked ridiculous!!) and set out with the Chagras....seeing as my horse riding experience = 0, I opted out of going up to the moutains and rounding up the cattle as was advised by Jorge (the owner) that the cattle they were bringing down from an area called El Amie were especially crazy!!!
So we had a little horse ride (and canter!!!) around the valley, whilst we waited for them to bring the cattle down (on Tuesday) and then once again, sat back and watched the action....found myself in one of the corrales as they began to herd some cattle in...had to do a bit of wall jumping and hide behind these wooden fences (as the bulls charged!!) but it was all in the name of fun!!

On the Weds morning, we decided to head back a bit earlier and back to Santa Rita (Pasachoa Reserve) where we climbed through some of the mountains (its real tough work in such high altitude as the air is very thin and there is a real lack of oxygen...!) and then did a ´Canopy Tour´ there were 5 zip lines which crossed over the River Salto Canyon and above the forest....and each one was of a different length, height etc,. Was very fun...I even dared to do a ´stunt´ which entailed me flipping myself upside down as I zipped along....was really cool!!

Anyway, got back to Quito on Weds eve...and its Friday morning...havent really been up to much in the last few days....Spanish lessons, went to a bar with a few people I met etc....

I shall leave off here....i think I might be climbing Pichincha...(the active volcano just on the outskirts of Quito) on the w/e....will let you know how it goes, if I do!!

Mindo, Ecuador

First trek...done! Hardest thing: Having a cold shower afterwards (!)

So...Mindo is a small town located in the rainforest (cloud forest) Was a very cool weekend...lots of action and adventure (compared to an average Saturday afternoon for me in London!!)

After a 4 hour bus ride through windy roads (urgh) on Friday afternoon, I arrived in Mindo...was pitch black and so foggy I couldnt see a thing, but ended up at this Ecuadorian family´s house that I was gonna be staying with. The house was very cool...itwas a wooden cabin type thing...rustic....so ´rustic´ in fact that there was a massive hole in the wall of my room...which led straight out into this thick bush!!hmm... Anyway, had a bit of dinner that eve and kicked back on the verandah (with the trillion species of flying insects that were about!!)

The next morning, I woke up and looked out my window and had the most incredible view of these huge mountains...its all rainforest...so it was noisy as hell (or maybe thats cos I had a hole in my wall!!) but it was incredible, clear blue skies and this massive layer of mist that was slowly rising out of the forest (hence´the name ´cloud forest')...photos def wont do it justice!!

Anyway set off for a ´walk´ in search of a waterfall. Made our way up this dirt track for a couple of kms and got to this really cool cable car system across the River Mindo..consisted of a teeny, wooden box that one climbed into and then was kinda pushed across the river...i thought that the waterfall would be just around the corner....hadnt realised that I had to climb about a km up a mountain through heavy forest (was so much fun...), down the other side for another km and after crossing the River Nambillo....came to the waterfall....it wasnt exactly the Angel Falls (after all that!!) but it was incredible nonetheless!! Anyway, made our way back up the mountain, down the other sde and hitched a ride on the back of a pick up to avoid the long dirt track!!

Was quite lucky as we had amazing weather and about 30mins after we got back it started raining...real, heavy tropical type rain...lasted about 16hours!!! I hung out on the verandah with La Abuelita (grandmother) -she was cool...she was so mini and smiley...we didnt really communicate much as I didnt have a clue what she was saying (and vice versa), but she was cool!

Anyway, on Sunday, I just chilled in the little town...it was quite cool. Only had the morning to kill as caught an afternoon bus back to Quito. There was enough time for the great Ecuadorian sport of´tubing´ which basically consists of heading down a river on a boat/raft type contraption made of 7 inner tubes of truck tyres which have been inflated and strung together. The River Mindo is quite shallow, so it is fast moving and has tons of rocks that need avoiding!! I have to admit that I didnt actually partake in the activity as I couldnt be bothered to get cold and wet!! But it seemed pretty good fun!!

I shall leave off here....have got to get my stuff together as Im off to Cotapaxi tomorrow at 8am...joining the Chagras (Andean cowboys) for a 3 day rodeo!! Madness!!

Hasta Luego!!xxxxxx

Quito, Ecuador

First South American city...done! Hardest thing: Umm...did I mention that I am in SOUTH AMERICA!!!

I am having a cool time out here...I am still in Quito...and still learning about the city. I am thoroughly enjoying myself and still dont really believe that I am out here...every now and then, I think..."Shit, Im in Ecuador, what the hell am I doing here!!" and then the feeling passes and I carry on!! hehe!!

Quito is in a valley, and so one can find themselves faced with some pretty steep slopes to climb every now and then!! Its bloody hard work, but i now have calves of steel!! I was staying in the ´old town´ in the first week -its quite a nice part of the city, obviously more historical than the other parts (though I havent actually done any sightseeing as such yet), but a little more on the dodgy side, in parts! Over the last few days, I have been staying in the new town...there are alot more foreigners (and theives!) about, but it is cool.

Quito itself is such a cool city, surrounded by mountains on all sides...its so incredible to look out and above the bustle of the town and be faced with these great, big mountains!! The people are unbelievable too, havent actually been to a market yet, but heard it gets better!! Def very interesting to see such a variety of people...ranging from the traditionally dressed indigenous to the suited and booted business men!! The people here are literally 4ft tall (ok thats a slight exaggeration, they are about 3ft tall!!!! I feel like a bloody giant!!)

Also, as with every new place, its always fun to check out what the street hawkers are selling, the ice cream looks like a winner...scoops in cones that are cooled on blocks of ice, by the sides of the road!! Just wondering how polluted it is though...the buses are manic here, belching out thick, black smoke!! Might have to ease myself into trying that, its prob the most carcinogenic ice cream i´ll ever come across!! Its funny to see the way things work out here...similar to Nigeria in ways e.g. they have sellers on the sides of the roads etc but still deifferent at the same time (if that makes any sense at all!!)

On the safety and security side; Ive been told to maintain awareness at all times, dont be a hero if challenged by a robber (ie just give ´em what ya got!), and take cabs absolutely EVERYWHERE after dark -even if you are only going a block or two!! To be honest, its not too bad, havent felt threatened or unsafe yet (which is def a plus) and walking around with a max of $10 in my pocket, I figure im not set to lose too much!!

Have hooked myself up with some Spanish lessons, find that every now and then my Spanish skills completely deteriorate into some incoherent mix of Spanglish...doesn´t fare too well with me trying to fit in as a local!! -though got stopped by two Peruvians tourists this afternoon and was asked directions to some park....so i guess im not doing too badly!!

Made friends with the baker round the corner (priorities!!) His croissants are muy fantastico but break the bank a little at $0.08 each!! Ok all for now.....