Cotopaxi...the refuge and the mountain

After a relatively luxurious stay at The Black Sheep Inn, we got a lift to our next port of call - Hostal Valhalla (just outside Cotopaxi National Park). We arrived late in the afternoon and the place was shrouded in cloud, cold and damp. It wasn't the best introduction in the world and was not bettered when the manager was not aware of our booking. After some firm gesticulating (on Simon's behalf) and a few serious phone calls (on his behalf) he finally relented and agreed that we had indeed booked and paid!

Hostal Valhalla is owned by the agency that we had booked for our attempt to climb Cotopaxi (Agency Moggley) and is more functional than beautiful. In fact, it is a large, bright orange/pink concrete block in the middle of the countryside and certainly won't be winning any design awards. Also staying there were a group of English guys who were to be our climbing partners. We only stayed at the hostel for one night and were met by our mountain guides the following lunchtime. They'd returned from climbing Cotopaxi with another group of travellers who were all looking distinctly worse for wear (only 2 of their group of 8 reached the summit) and were turning around and heading straight back there with us! After handing out our kit (ice axes, crampons, glacial goggles, plastic boots etc) we piled into a transit van for the very bumpy hour or so to the final dropping off point for Volcan Cotopaxi. The 'parking lot' is an area of volcanic soil at 4500m in altitude. We then had to drag ourselves and our packs up a further 300m in altitude (on a 45 degree slope) also on volcanic soil...two steps forward and one backwards the whole way. By this time I was really feeling the altitude (as you can probably tell by the grimace on my face in the photo above). My head was pounding and the nausea was beginning to set in. I really had to give myself a good talking to in order to make it to the 'refugio' at 4800m. I did eventually get there but had (during my good talking to) already decided that there was no way that I was going to be able to attempt the climb. I was struggling with the altitude and wasn't really in the right frame of mind. I was also conscious that I didn't want to be the reason that anyone else in my group had to turn around, therefore denying them the opportunity to summit. With that decision made, I concentrated on keeping myself hydrated and warm.

Simon, who had very patiently stayed with me on the climb up to the refuge, was feeling fine. He did not appear to be suffering at all from the altitude and was really looking forward to the experience. Late that afternoon, he went out on to the glacier with the other (by now only two) climbers in our group and the guides. He was shown how to effectively use his ice axe and crampons and climbed a little higher to aid his acclimatisation. After an early and basic dinner we headed up to our bunks on the top floor of the refuge (which sleeps over 70!) and were tucked into our sleeping bags (and in my case all of my clothes too) by 7.15pm - a record even for us!

At 12 midnight Simon and the other climbers got out of bed and readied themselves for the task ahead. After a snack and kit check they hit the mountain. I remember saying goodbye, telling him not to be too macho and to come back if things looked too dangerous. I also remember hearing the wind...it really was blowing a gale out there. For details on the climb itself check out Simon's blog where I'm sure he'll relay the cold hard facts. He arrived back at the refuge at about 7am the following morning looking like a broken man. I don't think I've ever seen him so close to tears as he was that morning. Exhausted both physically and mentally and no doubt by then suffering the ill effects of altitude himself, he really was at rock bottom. Coming down in altitude, rehydrating and forcing himself to eat, slowly enabled recovery and by the time we arrived back at The Magic Bean in Quito in the early afternoon he was getting back to his usual positive self. He has said that climbing Cotopaxi was the most challenging task he has ever undertaken but if I know Simon, by the time he updates his blog, it will also be one of the most rewarding!

Christmas at the Black Sheep Inn

Christmas away from home is always difficult for me. Growing up, Christmas was something that we looked forward to for months and Mum and Dad managed to make it last not just one but several days. I am still such a big kid when it comes to the day itself and really enjoy the process of buying and giving gifts (I'm quite partial to receiving them too!) so this year was always going to be hard. We are not only miles away from home but quite literally in the middle of nowhere here at the Black Sheep Inn. While that is its great appeal we found that it didn't feel at all like Christmas here. We had decided to have a relaxing day as we'd done a couple of long hikes on the days before but with hindsight we probably should have planned an activity as a relaxing day can make for a long one when you're not really where you want to be. Don't get me wrong, we're having a lovely time but I really felt the distance yesterday and I think it dawned on me that we 're going to be away for a really long time.

It was not all doom and gloom though. Simon surprised me with a lovely gift (a gift token for Mallory jewellers to be used on our return) and we had a wonderful dinner with the other guests here on Christmas evening. The dinner was also topped off by a big sing song lead by a very musical family who were staying here. The day certainly ended better than it began!

We decided, after much deliberation, to travel with our laptop and it has really proved it's worth over the past couple of days with both Simon and I being able to call home via Skype to wish our families a happy Christmas. It was wonderful to be able to talk to them all (despite the delay on the satellite line) and it really made our day. I must say that the 'internet cafe' here really beats any I've ever been to before. We sat in the treehouse overlooking the hills and clouds below us to make our calls and check our email. This really is testament to the speed with which technology is making advances...that we can sit in a treehouse in the high Andes of Ecuador and call the UK via a wireless satellite connection! We were even able to lend out our laptop so that another couple here could call home and surprise their families which was lovely.

Today is 'Boxing Day' (although no such thing exists outside the UK) and we decided to go for a long walk to keep ourselves busy and get in some more acclimatisation for our Cotopaxi climb. We walked in a big loop from the Inn, passing through a small village, following the river past an unusual sand bar and gorge to a suspension bridge (which tested my nerve - see Simon's photos) and finally visiting an Italian mission and word work studio. The walk was again breathtakingly beautiful but we were caught out by a huge downpour on the steep ascent out of the valley. The walk was about four and a half hours long in total, with the first hour and a half being all downhill and the last two and a half hours being all uphill! We were both thoroughly exhausted and absolutely drenched by the time we made it back to the lodge at the Black Sheep. A hot shower, some food and a couple of cups of tea later, I feel revived.

We leave the Black Sheep Inn tomorrow morning to make our way to Cotopaxi National Park in preparation for our attempt at the summit of Volcan Cotopaxi on Saturday morning. We are hopefully going to share a lift in a truck to Latacunga and then make our way by bus to Hostal Valhalla tomorrow (that would surely beat the 4am bus out of Chugchilan, which is our only other option). We will sleep at Hostal Valhalla tomorrow (Thursday) night and then meet our climbing group on Friday morning. We then travel together to the edge of Cotopaxi, walking the last 45 minutes to the refuge which is at 4800m in altitude. Friday afternoon is spent doing some basic training in the use of crampons and ice axes on the edge of the glacier followed by some food and a very short nights rest in the bunkroom. We leave the refuge at 12 midnight and climb through the early hours of Saturday morning, hopefully making the summit 6 - 8 hours later! I'll let you know in a few days whether our attempt at the summit was a success (many people fail to reach the top due to altitude and exhaustion - we've been told it's a case of mental strength...not sure where I stand on that one!). Wish us luck.

S

Merry Christmas

We just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas. We hope you're enjoying your day and over indulging as we would be had we been at home. Thinking of you all.

Sarah & Simon x

The cloud forest and fresh milk!

Today we visited the Ecuadorian cloud forest high above Chugchilan. As its name suggests, the cloud forest sits in the clouds high in the hills. It is a very humid environment and the perfect breeding ground for hundreds of different plants. We were hoping to see some orchids and although we're not here at the best time of year, we weren't disappointed. There were many orchids, some of which were in flower, alongside a multitude of other plants. Our guide (a sixteen year old local boy called Rodrigo) was excellent. Even with our broken Spanish he persevered in his explanations until we understood and put up with our rambling attempts to ask questions. In fact I think my Spanish improved a lot today as I was forced to find ways to make myself understood as well as listening carefully and trying to decipher his replies. For more detail about the plants and some great photos, check out Simon's website (he does a much better job of the photography than me and is, as I write this, looking up the correct names for the plants we saw!).

After our tough hike back to the Black Sheep Inn from the Laguna yesterday, we decided to take it a bit easier today as my knees are feeling the strain. We got a lift up to the cloud forest in the back of truck and hiked back down. After our walk through the cloud forest we ate our packed lunch next to a small waterfall, sitting right in the clouds. The walk back down to the village was great too. Much more gentle than yesterday's decent into the gorge with beautiful views. We spent this time finding out as much as we could about the area from Rodrigo and even helping him with his English a little. Halfway down the mountain we stopped to watch a local woman who was milking her cows in the steep field just off the path. She gestured for me to join her which I did...she then asked me to drink some of the fresh milk. Not wanting to tempt fate I decided that it might be more than my stomach could handle. Simon was keen though. The woman proceeded to decant some milk into a tin pot and pass it to Simon. He took a few sips and told her that it was delicious whilst trying to return the pot to her. She wasn't having any of it though. Simon was not allowed to return the pot until he had finished up all of the milk. He thinks it was just over a pint in total - don't forget that the milk was straight from the cow and very warm! The woman thought the whole episode was hilarious and was very happy to have her photo taken.

We arrived back to the Inn to a good cup of tea and a bus load of new guests. I guess these are the people we'll be spending Christmas with. It feels strange to think it's Christmas and we're not at home wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas music and spending time with families. We miss you all but be sure that we're having a wonderful time and you're in our thoughts constantly. We often remark how one or the other of you would 'love this' or 'hate that'. We hope you're enjoying the blogs as much as we're enjoying using them as a way of recording our journey.

Hiking to Laguna de Quilotoa

After a bone shaking four hour bus journey we've arrived safe and sound at the Black Sheep Inn. It's absolutely beautiful here and we are enjoying the relative luxury of the hotel. We arrived to a very warm welcome from the owners and staff and have been enjoying good food and good company ever since. The hotel is set in the middle of nowhere (quite literally) and it feels amazing to sit looking out of the window into the clouds while uploading my blog via wireless internet!!! Our room is really pretty with a wood burning stove which kept us warm during the cold night. We woke this morning to a pancake breakfast and then set off in a large group of 12 to hike around the Laguna de Quilotoa. We rode in the back of a pick-up truck to get up to the lake which was a bumpy but fun hour and a half long! When we got there it felt as though we were on top of the world. The temperature had dropped considerably and we felt very lucky that although it wasn't sunny, there was not rain and little cloud. We were therefore able to enjoy what was a spectacular view of the lake. The hike back to the hotel took us four hours and was at times quite gruelling. The altitude makes what would normally be fairly easy, a bit of a struggle. However some of the climbing that we did would have been challenging at any altitude. It's good acclimatisation for our attempt to summit Cotopaxi in a weeks time though.

We were fairly exhausted when we arrived back at the hotel but had that wonderful post-exercise feeling that we'd really earned our dinner this evening. After a hot shower and a cup of tea, I'm sitting in the lodge of the Black Sheep Inn which really feels like a home away from home.

Tomorrow we plan to visit the cloud forest and hunt for orchids. We've decided to take a truck up to the forest and hike back down - giving ouselves a bit of a break after today's adventure. In the meantime I'm looking forward to a hearty meal served around a big table and getting to know some more people who've just arrived.

Signing off...exhausted but happy.
S

Farewell Latacunga

This view from our hostel window is perhaps a little misleading as far as demonstrating Latacunga to those of you back home. I will admit that in order to take it, I had to stretch out of our 5th floor window and zoom in to exclude the other more common, and less picturesque buildings, in view. Latacunga sits at the base of Cotopaxi and has in fact been destroyed by her eruptions, and subsequently rebuilt, three times over the course of time. The history of the town is therefore not all that old and the buildings that do stand represent a real mix in architectural style an age. Latacunga itself does not feature heavily on the tourist/backpacker trail other than as a gateway to Cotopaxi National Park and the starting point for the treks that are frequently undertaken in the area. Arriving by bus from Banos along the Pan-American Highway, Latacunga appears split both by the highway itself and the Rio Cutuchi river. It is a busy market town that clearly thrives on local trade out of the several bustling markets (see Simon's pictures for a taste of the market in full swing) quite unlike the relaxed and rather touristy Banos.

This time my Spanish had paid off and again we had successfully reserved the correct hostel for the correct number of nights.! The hostel is exactly as described by the Lonely Planet in that it is cheap, clean and the owners are friendly. Predictably though it lacks any sort of character which is a shame after our stay at the very pretty hostel in Banos. What the Lonely Planet failed to point out is the fact that the hostel is in an extremely noisy location and we were kept awake long into the night by car horns, shouting and one very irritating barking dog which even our earplugs failed to quieten.

Luckily we'd picked up a leaflet in Quito about a recently opened backpackers hostel and cafe in Latacunga which we hot-footed our way to immediately after check in. We've spent quite a bit of time there since and it has provided a welcome haven from the hustle and bustle of this town, along with good coffee, delicious cookies and a helpful owner.

I'm sure that this post will differ wildly from Simon's...we really are in the same place, I promise! This is the kind of town that makes me feel a little homesick...not much to do or see and a feeling of treading water until we move on to our next destination.

Latacunga has been interesting but is not somewhere I'd hurry back to. On the plus side...we're off to the Black Sheep Inn tomorrow, where our room has a wood burning stove; there are no roads; we'll eat great vegetarian food (I certainly need that after today's market experience) family style with the other hostel residents; we can take beautiful walks and we can enjoy Christmas. Apparently they do have internet so hopefully we'll be able to write all about it. Stay in touch, I love reading the blog comments and receiving emails.

Sarah x

Website blog back up and running

Just a quick note to say that the website blog is now back up and running so you can access the blog and post comments directly to the site by going to: www.mybigwideworld.com
We are now in Latacunga (just on the edge of Cotopaxi National Park) and we're moving on to The Black Sheep Inn tomorrow. We're not sure if we will get internet access there or not (we're thinking it's quite unlikely) so if not...we hope you all have a very Happy Christmas!
Sarah