Last night Josh had the seemingly great idea to go on a tour to Cotopaxi, a mountain in a national park. The pamphlet said to bring some warm clothes, which Josh and I laughed at. When we´re near the equator? I laughed.
Moments after exiting the car at an altitude of about 14,000 ft, I was sprayed in the face by a barrage of fine sleet, battered by a frosty wind, and disheartened by a steep and barren slope. I felt like we could turn around and drive home and I´d be completely fine with that. But Josh, with the intrepidation of Sir Edmund Hillary, the confidence of Evil Knievel, and the spirit of Casper, pushed upward and begrudingly followed.
Many cold and wet hours later we descended and then rode the rest of the way down on mountain bikes which completely redeemed the previous hike of horror. I did completely wipe out at one turn, but I can assure you that it was completely unavoidable given the terrain. And my camera broke my fault - dented but still works.
We have befriended a couple from Britain and may travel with them through the Amazon in a few days. We´re trying to figure out logistics now.
Also notable: road signs and street lines in Ecuador are not very important. They´re just suggestions here. Since most vehicles we´ve been in have run red lights, it is obvious that they are viewed as governmental annoyances and evaded more commonly than taxes. Lots of close calls.
1 comment:
whew, glad the camera broke your fall,
be somewhat careful & each day decide to die another day.
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