So Ecua

Instead of heading straight from Salento to Quito, Dave and I broke up the journey and spent one night in Otavalo.  There’s not too much to do in this sleepy town aside from visiting the artisan market and eating at Shenandoah’s Pie Shop.  We ate there twice in less than 24 hours.

I had blackberry pie with ice cream and it was ridiculously good.  The market was interesting and incredibly busy, but mostly carried the standard souvenirs available from Colombia to Argentina.

Wednesday morning we made the short journey to Quito.  Dave and I parted ways at the bus terminal and I started the five hour bus ride to visit a friend in Archidona.

Nick and I met through a mutual friend last fall.  Since then he has moved to Ecuador to work with the Runa (www.runa.org).  Runa works with local farmers to produce guayusa, a native Amazonian tea leaf, where it is then sold in the States. 

The first day I was there we delivered 700 plants to local farmers.  Friday we got up at 4:30am to join in a local guayusa ceremony.  Indigenous families traditionally drink guayusa around a fire every morning before sunrise.  During this time the elders share stories and pass on their knowledge to the younger generation.  Shamans will play a bamboo flute and interpret dreams. 

Visiting Nick in Archidona provided a well needed break in my backpacking travels.  It was nice not having to worry about finding a hostel, a good place to eat, or how to get places.  Having just graduated, it was also interesting to see where my peers have ended up.  Runa is a young company in almost every sense, but their dedication to organic and sustainable production and business operations was inspiring to see.  

I stayed with the Runa crew throughout the weekend.  Saturday was rainy so we watched movies.  Sunday we finally made it to the river, then had family dinner at the Runa house in Tena.  It was a great and relaxing weekend.  However Monday it was time to move again; back to Quito.

My plan was to stay in Quito one night to meet up with my friend Al.  Plans never quite work out traveling though.  I ended up staying three nights instead.  Quito is a pretty standard city by South American standards.  Tuesday we walked around the Old Town, visited the monetary museum, and climbed to the top of a cathedral to get a bird’s eye view of the city.  I forgot my camera that day so sadly there are no photos.  

While I was in Quito I stayed at Secret Garden, which came highly recommended.  It lived up to its reputation until 11pm when we were kicked out of the rooftop bar and sent to bed by the security guard.  I understand that it’s his job to keep everything under control, but one of the guys got yelled at for getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, he pulled a baton on another group who were eating some fast food in the common area after a night out, and was caught pick pocketing another guest.  Not exactly the ideal security guard.  

Wednesday Al and I rented a motorbike and rode up to La Mitad del Mundo because you really can't leave Ecuador without visiting the equator.  There are two different monuments marking the middle of the world.  The first is the  Inti-Ñan Solar Museum, which is actually on the equator.  Here a tour guide took us around different exhibits explaining the indigenous cultures and how they knew they were on the equator.

There were also a series of experiments to highlight the differences that occur at the equator though I doubt their validity.  The first involved balancing an egg on a nail, which is still difficult but apparently doable on the equator.  I couldn’t do it,  but Al could.

Next our guide poured water down a drain at the equator where it drains straight down.  When moved to either the southern or northern hemisphere it spins either clockwise or counter clockwise.  Finally we closed our eyes and tried to walk in a straight line, which is more difficult because you’re being pulled on both sides.  This experiment I almost believe.

After the Inti-Ñan Solar Museum, Al and I went to the second monument built by the French, which is about 200 meters off.  It was basically a huge tourist trap, but I was happy we saw both.

 

Early the following morning Al left for Peru and I headed out to Cotopaxi.  Cotopaxi is one of the tallest active volcano.  Since the world isn’t perfectly round mountains and volcanoes on the equator are very close to the sun.  For example, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest spot from the center of the earth at 6,268m (20,656 ft).  The Cotopaxi refuge is the same height as the tallest mountain in Europe at 4,800m (15,750 ft).

I stayed at Secret Garden Cotopaxi, which was heaps better than its sister location in Quito.  Its layout is very similar to other eco-hostels in Central and South America.  The main common area, dining room and kitchen are in a different building than the dorms and private rooms.  There is also a composting toilet with an amazing view.
 

When we first arrived we settled in and went on a two hour hike to a waterfall.  Along the way I managed to fall into the river as the branch I was holding onto snapped.  At least I didn’t have to worry about falling in for the rest of the hike.  The waterfall was pretty, but I was more excited about the bouldering at the bottom of the first fall.  I worked the problem with one of the guys and it felt great to be climbing again.

When we returned to the hostel it was time for dinner.  Everyone eats together at a long dining table for a big family dinner.  Afterwards we grabbed a couple of beers and went to the hot tub.  It was freezing outside, but luckily the hot tub is enclosed with a glass ceiling so you can look at the stars without battling the cold weather.  We finished the night with marshmallows around the fire.  It was a good start to Cotopaxi. 

Friday morning it was time to tackle the volcano.  Or at least the Cotopaxi glacier, which sits at an ambitious 5,000m (16,400 ft).  The hike starts at 4,500m (14,765m) and from it's only a 1km from the parking lot to the refuge, but with 300 meters in elevation gain.  Having spent most of the last two months at sea level, I was not ready for the elevation.  Hiking up to the refuge is perhaps the most physical exertion I've ever experienced.  In addition to a lack of oxygen it was hailing and the wind threatened to blow me off Cotopaxi.  Frequent rests were necessary and within the first 30 seconds I was ready to turn back.  After 40 minutes of taking a beating from Cotopaxi we made it to the refuge.  Despite an attempt at reenergizing with hot chocolate and trail mix, we all agreed we weren’t going to make it any further.  The walk down was significantly easier and by the time we arrived at the car I was disappointed we hadn’t tried for the glacier.

That afternoon I left, defeated by Cotopaxi, back to Quito.  Nick and the Runa crew were in town for the weekend so that night I met up with them.  We went out to Mariscal and started the night with a round of guayusa cocktails.  Saturday was a much needed day of rest.  That evening we all went to Robin’s for a pizza party.  It was a diverse, but very good group of people.  Nick left around 11pm to pick up his friends from the airport.  On my way back to the hostel I stopped in Mariscal to met them for a drink.  By the time I made it back, I only had four hours before my taxi arrived for the bus terminal.  I opted to forgo sleep.  Somehow my taxi showed up an hour early, which is unheard of in Ecuador.  By 6am I was on a bus, making my way back to Colombia.