and the winner is.... Mother Earth

Volcano Cotopaxi... the highest active volcano in the world @ 5,897 meters (19,347 feet). After doing the Quilotoa Loop I felt a bit acclimated to the altitude here.  Martin, Ben, and I (3 out of the 5 people I did the Quilotoa Loop with) left Latacunga around 10 in the morning (after an hour long discussion in the agency as to if we should go or not, because we heard many people weren't able to summit because of the windy conditions). We are all fit people, and we thought, no problem, let's try it. We arrived at the parking lot in Cotopaxi National Park, and yeah no joke, the wind just about blew me away.  "Hopefully the wind will stop by the time we start walking at midnight", we all secretly wished.

Before the climb

During the skills section; practicing using cramp ons, and ice picks

 We arrived at the refugio (base camp @ 4800 meters (14,400 feet), where we will spend the night until we begin the hike at midnight).  In the afternoon, we walked about 30 minutes up the mountain to where the snow began, and practiced walking in cramp ons and using ice picks.

playing around with the ice picks
NOTE: you don't need to climb like this @ Cotopaxi

We ate dinner around 5:00, and tried to sleep shortly there after.  Sleep is nearly impossible there, as the hostel is noisy until about 8 or 9, and then people begin their climbs at 10:30 p.m.  We started the climb at 1:00 a.m.  Most tours do this in order to reach the summit by 8:00 a.m. and turn back around to base camp before the glacier starts to melt (making the conditions harder to walk in).

This trek was a struggle for me from the beginning. I didn't sleep a wink the night before (as I tried going to sleep at 8pm, knowing I had to wake up at midnight to start this trek). I was nervous/yet excited for the climb, so I started walking on no sleep. I could feel the effects right away.  Martin and Ben were paired with another guide, since they walked faster then me.  After about an hour into the hike, Ben decided it was smart to slow down, and joined Sergio (my guide) & I. Altitude is something you don't want to mess with.  Tied to a rope, with our cramp ons, ice picks, and hiking sticks, we (well mostly just me, and because we were all tied together, the other 2 were forced to do so too) took about 10 slow steps, then took a small break. 10 more steps, then another small break.

There were times, I would just collapse.  My strength wasn't good enough to handle walking up a mountain of ice & snow, with 30 mph winds.  Not having any sleep the night before certainly didn't help either. From the start, I was feeling the effects of the altitude (nausea & dizziness), but I kept motivating myself... "I"m getting to the top of that mountain!" Of course, I was freezing cold on top of that, but I figured the sun will eventually come up and warm our freezing cold bodies, so that won't be a problem.  

After about 4 and a half hours of walking, we arrived at 5,400 meters. Ben & I just collapsed down to take a break and catch our breath. We discussed if this suffering is even worth it.  The wind, the lack of sleep, the cold, and the feelings of altitude sickness. We only had about 500 meters to go (which would be another 2-3 hours). We just couldn't do it. We both admitted there were times where we could just cry it was so unbearable. We reached base camp, and our friend Martin was still out on the mountain. We assumed he reached the summit (as we later learned, he did). The 3 of us all agreed it was the most difficult thing (physically) that any of us has ever done (mainly because of the wind). Martin said, he couldn't even see a thing at the summit, not even the crater, because of the strong winds.

feeling defeated; walking back down the mountain

 It was still a wonderful experience for me. I have never challenged my body this hard before.  It is often rare that I "give up", as well. It was interesting to see just how much I could push myself, before throwing in the towel.  

Also, it shows, mother earth, wins. The power of mother earth is sometimes underestimated. She is stronger, bigger, and more powerful then any of us and we just can't compete.  It was not my time to be on the top of the world's most active volcano.  Cotopaxi, you will remain on my bucket list.

Quilotoa Loop

The Quilotoa Loop is a 3 day loop through mountains & indigenous villages that ends at a volcano crater (if chose to begin it in Isinlivi like me). The lady in the hostel in Latacunga, Hostal/cafe Tiana recommended that I start in Isinlivi and end at the lake in Quilotoa to help with the acclimatization. I plan on hiking Volcano Cotapaxi here so I decided I better take her advice. [Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world @ 19,400 feet (5,897 meters)].

 I am glad I did it this way, not only to help with the acclimatization, but because we ended the 3 day hike at a beautiful lake in a volcano crater. The struggle up the mountains makes the destination that much better.

fresh milk off the street of Latacunga

 This hike is is something I really didn't want to do by myself, as I heard many stories of people getting lost (guides are constantly taking down signs so that they get more business). At the hostel in Latacunga I lucked out and met an awesome girl from San Fran, Julie, who was looking to do the hike the following day.

Julie and I at an "Inca look out spot" in Isnilvi

We woke up early Wednesday morning to head to the market in Pujili with another guy from the hostel (Carlos, who went to high school in Danville. Small world.) We spent a few hours there before taking a bus back to Latacunga.  From Latacunga, we took the 12:15 bus to Isinlivi, which took 3 hours (a long, bumpy, windy road).  In Isinlivi, we stayed at Llullu Llama, which was great!

the hostel Llau Llama in Isnilvi

It was nice to spend an afternoon and night there, sharing stories around the fire, and resting for a big hike the next day.  At the hostel we met 3 guys (Ben from U.K., Martin from Germany, and Roger from Switzerland), and the 5 of us ended up doing the whole trek together.

After a great breakfast of homemade bread & jam, eggs, fruit salad and granola, we started our hike at 9:45 am. With a good map and track notes from the hostel, Roger took on the role of guide, and did a great job.  We only took the wrong path once which led us over a 2 log bridge and through a field of electric fences (I think everyone got shocked at least 4 times).

If we would have stayed on the path for another 20 minutes we would have crossed at a more pedestrian friendly bridge with handrails and no electric fences. Owell, just adds to the adventure I guess. 

The best part (besides the volcano crater) were seeing all the local villages and meeting some local people. We arrived at our destination of Chugchilian at 3:00.  Here we stayed at Cloud Forest for $12 a night (breakfast and dinner included).

On the third day, we began our trek for Quilotoa at 9:00 am from Chugchilian.  I can see why most people choose to do this trek the reverse of what we did. This day involved some major mountain climbing. I just kept telling myself, this struggle will make the final destination of the volcano crater that much more rewarding. 

Halfway through the hike, we stopped in Guayama (a local village of maybe.. um.. 30 people.) Here we rested a bit, until we heard fireworks (which usually signifies some type of community event that is about to happen.)  As we were walking out of the village, we saw the crowd of people (maybe 15) gathering around a cow they were planning on butchering for the fiesta the next day. This was a huge cultural experience for us, so we decided to stop and watch.  Everyone but me. I've seen pigs being killed. I've even killed chicken and hens. However, cows are different for me. I just couldn't stand to watch it being killed. This is why I choose not to eat them. I think everyone should be able to watch where there food comes from in order to be able to eat it.

At around 3:00 in the afternoon we finally arrived at the volcano crater.  I'm not sure if it was our 2 days straight of basically uphill walking or its stunning beauty, but I certainly felt at peace when I arrived to the top. We spent a bit over an hour walking around the crater. Near the top/end of the hike we got stuck behind a lady with her group of over 30 sheep. I didn't mind, I enjoyed taking photos of it along the way.

In Quilotoa we stayed at Hostel Chositas ($10 a night with breakfast and dinner included). Here our night consisted of resting and visiting the local tienda to buy all the junk food we could get our hands on (chips, cookies, liter of coca cola)

the end to our beautiful 3 days. On way to Zumbahua

What a great trek with a great group of people. Thanks Julie, Martin, Ben, and Roger!

Next stop: Hiking Volcano Cotopaxi.

Cotopaxi, here I come

i

The beautiful markets of Ecuador

If you go to Ecuador be sure to visit to a local market.  Whether it be a fresh food market sold by the indigenous people, an animal market, or a market full of "artesenias" (hand crafted items by locals), it is a cultural experience that one should not miss.

These markets are colorful, crowded with indigenous people, and have endless options for fresh fruits and vegetables.  Not too mention, live animals.  They also give you an insight to all the cultural diversity that this small nation enjoys.

if you wonder where our clothes come from..

  I went to two markets close to Latacunga.  The first one was a small market which is on every Wednesday in Pujili. It was a relatively small market, but we stocked up on some fresh fruit (granadillas and oranges) for our upcoming 3 day hike (Quilotoa Loop).

 If you are planning on visiting Ecuador anytime soon, please refer to this:

LIST OF OPEN MARKETS IN ECUADOR

• Sunday: Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Cuenca
• Monday: Ambato
• Tuesday: Latacunga, 
• Wednesday: Pujili 
• Thursday: Saquisili, Riobamba, Cuenca
• Saturday: Otavalo, Park El Ejido (Quito), Zumbahua

 The most famous handcraft market is in Otavala, which is held every Saturday. I plan on going there in a few days. 

The bought sheep have to get home somehow...

Tena

guinea pig (cuy) in Banos

After a great experience in Banos, I decided I wanted to spend a few more days in the jungle, so I headed east to a town called Tena, which is 4 hours from Banos.  The town isn't super impressive, but I did eat at a restaurant on the main street which sold really yummy crepes. I spent the night in Tena and went the following morning to another smaller town called Misahualli, which is about 45 minutes from Tena

the drive from Banos to Tena

capybara; world's largest rodent

From a museum, I took a canoe into the town.  The town of Misahualli is known for the monkeys  that hang out in the central park.  Monkeys are always a cute animal when you first see them, then you realize how bad they can be. These particular monkeys come up to the people with their hands out wanting food, and if you don't have anything they will just take something from you that is easy to grab (such as your camera, bracelets, necklaces, etc.)

After spending a moment with the monkeys, and  laughing at all the stuff they stole from people , I waited about an hour to catch a bus to "La cascada latas", a nearby jungle waterfall hike.

"La cascada latas" - an hour hike outside of Misahualli

It was about an hour walk in to get the waterfall. It was a beautiful walk with ginormous trees, and beautiful colored birds and butterflies.