Travel Bugs

One of the cities we spent quite a lot of time in was Quito. After Peru, we flew to the capital of Ecuador and checked into one of the swankier hotels we’ve been in this year. We were feeling mostly better from our food poisoning in Cusco and were looking forward to resting in a nicer hotel. We also had a mission: I needed another pair of shorts, since the next destination would be quite hot, and, we both needed snorkel gear.

We didn’t do much in Quito for the first few days we were there, as it was time to rest, get gear, and prep for the Galapagos. After our 11 days touring three islands, we returned to Quito for another five days or so, and it was a good thing we did, because I got food poisoning! Again! And this time it was really bad. I do not know how or why I got it, but it flattened me for a full 24 hours and then some. We had to make very conservative plans because of this and change other plans we had made.

Once I felt better, we did spend one day looking around the old city, stumbled on an artisan market, wandered through the historic centre and visited Basílica del Voto Nacional (the Basilica of the National Vow). This Roman Catholic church is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas and I enjoyed views of Quito from the top. Interestingly, by chance we visited the church during a large graduation ceremony of seemingly hundreds of young dentists. The church was just as impressive on the inside as the outside, which is not always the case, as oftentimes we’re underwhelmed by the interiors of fabulous buildings. It was a worthwhile visit.

We also went on a day tour to try and see the volcano whose name is blazoned on my hat that I brought on this trip: Cotapaxi. This is a volcano that is often shrouded in cloud, but we were optimistic and hoped to see it up close and personal. Our tour included being picked up from our hotel at 7am, which was very annoying since breakfast was served from 7am so we had to bother the hotel staff by grabbing some coffee and toast at quarter to. It’s a good thing we did, since the tour operator and guide was pretty much right on time. That’s what we noticed about Ecuadorians: they are either really early for things, or right on time.

We were on a small minibus with about 10 other people, and we went on a long drive to see the famed volcano. Before we started our ascent (at 4600 meters above sea level), our guide noticed that a third of the volcano was not covered in cloud and got the driver to pull over. He excitedly told us how lucky we were and to “get out, get out! With your cameras! There may not be another chance!” he said. We all obediently left our seats and jumped out of the bus. I dubiously took photos, not imagining that a guide who did this tour multiple times a week would actually know what he was talking about…surely we’d see more of this mountain than just a small piece? The clouds covered a lot of it, yes, but it seemed they were moving quickly, right? Right, they were moving quickly to completely encapsulate Cotapaxi, rendering the rest of our day seemingly useless.

However, we continued, the bus crawling up the road, taking its time around the twists and gravel, climbing higher and higher. Our guide advised we start practicing deep breathing while sitting still. He explained why this was important, since the hike we were about to do would be very difficult. Though it would be less than a km, the way was steep, and the altitude would make us feel very short of breath. Again, I struggled to believe this. Surely I’d be alright! I hiked the W trek! I was in Cusco!

Yet again the guide was proven right. First of all, when we exited the bus at the parking lot, we were almost blown off the mountain and chilled to the bone all in the space of one minute. We bundled up and our guide reminded us to go slow, that each person alone knew their own body, that we should take many rests, and that this climb was not a race.

After only a few steps and a peek of what was to come, I questioned my own sanity. It was cold, windy, the path was loose volcanic rock and sand, and my breath was already short. I soon found that the only way I could keep going was to aim for 100 steps, and then stop, no matter what. No matter how small a step was, I counted it. If I stumbled and had to back track, I counted it. During one of my lots of steps I felt stronger and did 150. I did this only one other time, then realised I was pushing myself unnecessarily. I was out of breath and needing more recovery time before beginning again. I saw many people stop to have a sit, but I resolved not to do this. I knew that if I sat down, it would be even harder to get up again.

When I was nearly at the top, with all the panting tourists resting on the first steps of the refugio looking down at me, I needed another rest. I was only 30 steps from the top, but I had done my 100 and I needed the break! I finally made it and was congratulated by others and by Callum who had been waiting a long time for me. We went inside the refugio and had a hot chocolate and the peanut M&Ms that I had brought up as well, chatting with others in our group and resting before the descent. It took me exactly one hour to hike up 800 meters. The final elevation at the refugio is 4800 meters, which meant we only gained 200 metres in height, but the 800 metres of distance was some of the hardest hiking I’ve ever done.

I should mention that there was zero view to speak of the entire walk up, which was the main reason for doing this hike. There was literally nothing to look at besides the white out fog where a volcano was supposed to be. We were both bummed out—why all this time, money, and effort to see nothing? The others in our tour group had a much better attitude. They seemed to be there for the challenge and were happy they had experienced it and made it.

If you’ve been here for a while and have read my other posts about hiking, you will know that it is not my favourite thing and that I only endure it for the beauty of nature. Someone once explained to me that this is “Type 2 Fun” which is when you’re not having fun while doing something, but you look back on the memory with fondness. That’s my interpretation of the term, anyway. I am not sure I had Type 1 or Type 2 fun on this day. Maybe there’s a third type.

On the way down, I was almost able to ski down the sandier bits on the backs of my heels, leaning back and skidding down quickly. Callum, who had worn his Tevas and socks as he hates real shoes was not so adept. He couldn’t do this skiing technique and had to take it really slow. I caught him frowning and swearing a lot as I patiently waited for him after every 20 meters or so. I struggled on the way up; he struggled on the way down.

When we arrived out of breath back to our tour bus, an enthusiastic and young American tourist was showing off his pictures of a fox. I asked where he saw the fox and apparently, it was just hanging out in the parking lot. We caught our breaths and then ventured back out to climb another little hill to get to another level of the parking lot. We found the fox and I took some great shots of her, my vim and vigour returning to me instantly. There’s nothing like seeing wildlife to perk us up, even if it’s not as natural as we’d like.

After hiking up and down Cotapaxi (just a portion of it, by the way), we drove back down to a lake and went for a little walk to look at some birds. They were just ducks and other common waterfowl, and the weather was quite cold and windy, which kept me from enjoying this part of the excursion. We also saw wild horses (which I was lucky to photograph earlier in the morning), deer, and Cotapaxi peeking out of the clouds one more time.

We were driven to a local restaurant and fed lunch before the long journey back to Quito. It was a long day and not entirely successful, but it was nice to talk amongst other tourists and to experience the true, genuine weather of Cotapaxi.