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Saturday, 24 April 2010
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Not for the faint hearted.....
So I pulled myself together, got on a bus, and headed to Tena to meet James. The fab thing about buses in Ecuador is, if you get on when you are hungry there is no need to worry because at every stop a banquet of food comes on board. You can buy yucca bread, yucca cakes, yucca crisps, fruit, drinks, hot dogs and chips, peanuts....you name it.
Anyway, our plan was to go on a jungle tour and do Ayahuasca....a hallucinogenic natural medicine that shamans drink and then miraculously can see what is wrong with you, and then they cure you.
So, I met James at the hostel, and he was waiting for a German girl he had met in Banos whilst misbehaving (Claudia) and she arrived and we booked ourselves on a white water rafting trip the next day. It turned out to be AMAZING. Really really beautiful, along the Rio Napo. Fantastic rapids, yummy tortillas for lunch with guacamole and refried beans, that the guide made there and then in the middle of nowhere and it was such a gorgeous day. There was no one else around apart from local kids washing their clothes and swimming on the riverbanks and rafting is great. I love it.
The next day, on our mission to find a Shaman (it was proving harder than we thought) we checked out and got on a bus to Mishahualli where we thought we´d find our Shaman. Cut a long story short, the place was pretty deserted, apart from the horrible Capuchin monkeys in the Plaza that everyone was cooing over until one of them stole a girls teddy, ripped its head off and sat on the top of the bus shelter banging the head up and down and screaming (nasty little fuckers). So, the lady in our hostel recommended a Shaman and off we trekked to the next town and eventually found the Shaman´s house which was a wooden affair (like all the other indigenous homes=, but with all the latest hitech equipment....tv, stereo etc. The place gave me bad vibes and, although he said we could go back there that night (you have to take the ´medicine¨at night, otherwise you dont have any visions) we all decided that what we really wanted was to find a lodge with a Shaman and stay in the jungle and take Ayahuasca.
So we left Claudia in Mishahuallí cos she wanted to see more of the animals and James and I headed back to Tena. Spent the next day walking up and down the main street trying to find out if anyone knew Don Augustin (a reputable Shaman in the area), but it seemed we were on a wild goose chase, so James went back to the hostel (we both felt quite exhuasted with colds) and I went to the internet. Cutting another story short, I was on the phone to Don Clever (Augustin´s son) and he said he was in their jungle lodge and couldn´t come and get us, but his mum was leaving Tena the next day to go the lodge and we could go with her. By this time Claudia had reappeared and we had accumulated a Russian (who was slightly bonkers) and the next morning we headed off to the lodge.
It was beautiful, right in the middle of nowhere, by the river and, even better, the whole extended family was there, with all the kids, because it was Easter holidays. The lodge is owned by Don Augustin, he has about 12 kids and most work and live there. They are an indigenous family who speak Quichua as their first language, so it all felt very authentic. We spent the first day walking through the rainforest, with our guide (Don A´s son) explaining various plants and how they are used as medicines, saw ants that you can rub onto your skin as mozzie repellent, ate the cacao fruit (delicious) and went swimming in a lovely waterfall. Got back to the lodge and were shown how Ayahuasca is prepared. Its a vine and they strip the bark, chop it up, mix it with water and reduce it down to a bitter tasting liquid. Then we had a talk about its spiritual qualities, how it opens your heart and mind and once you take it your life will have a new beginning. All very positive....HOWEVER, you have to be prepared to vomit, its part of the process of purging all the badness and sins you have inside of you, and then you are likely to have all kinds of epiphanies and your life with start afresh.
So, with no dinner permitted I went to sleep for 2 hours and then it was Ayahuasca time. I was a bit nervous, but there were other people who had been there a few days and taken it, and they said all would be fine.
So I downed the revolting tasting cupful I was given...and waited....all the lights were turned out and mattresses were brought out and we all got comfy. About half an hour later my arms started tingling and my head was buzzing. The sounds of the jungle (loud anyway) were massively magnified and then pretty much everyone around me started puking (charming I know). I lay there, feeling a bit all over the place, but I felt OK, no nausea....waiting to be sick....nothing. I started having conversations with myself, about myself in my head, couldnt really decide who was the real me, gave up and decided to stare out at the trees, which kept turning into giant spanners. I kept thinking things were crawling all over me (to be fair, we were outside in the jungle, so to this day I dont know if I was imagining it or not).
James said later that when he was throwing up over the balcony (the designated puking area) he kept thinking there was an old lady looking up and offering him water, and all he wanted her to do was move out of the way cos he wanted to puke, but he didnt want to say anything out loud because he was worried everyone might think he was mad....this is the insania that Ayahuasca brings....!
Poor Claudia was terrified, but she had moved away from me to be sick over the balcony and my legs were too wobbly to walk and it was soooo dark and my head was all over the place, but it was really frustrating cos I knew the feeling would pass and I just wanted to tell her that, but I couldnt get over to her. So I just lay there....waiting to be sick....still nothing. I started to worry, surely this was abnormal?
Now readers, you mustn´t be concerned whilst reading this, because all the time this is how I felt....one Jo (lets call her Jo (a)) was imagining her liver was broken (hence no vomiting), Jo (b) was telling Jo (a) to get a grip and not be so stupid and Jo (c) thought the whole thing was really very funny and quite ridiculous, oh and Jo (d) didnt really have a clue what was going on. And so it went on....
Then one of Don A´s sons came over to me to take me over to the Don for the cleansing ceremony. I had no idea what was about to happen and managed to get up on the wobbliest legs ever and, clinging onto him for dear life, was delivered to the Don. I was sitting on a cushion and in front of me was the Don, frankly it may as well have been a bear for all I knew or all I could actually see. He began chanting and passing what felt like torn up bin bags over my face and arms. I tried to rationalise....these were probably sacred chicken feathers or similar...and once again was trying to work out what was going on, but also trying very hard not to laugh (after all, this was a sacred ceremony scenario, with an epiphany at the end).
The Shaman was blowing on me and making ¨coughing up greener¨ sounds (all very disconcerting) and my head was here, there and everywhere and still no puking. I was taken back to my mattress and started to remind myself that this feeling was precisely why I hadn´t taken acid for years....mind you, this had the added bonus of vomiting...bring on the size 0!
FINALLY, 2 hours later, when most of the effects of the "medicine" had passed, I made a half hearted attempt and was a bit sick...now I am sorry...this is VILE, but I vomited up thee most disgusting sick ever, soooo bitter and horrid and, to add insult to injury, I didnt even feel that relieved afterwards.
I took myself off to bed, reminding myself never to take anything like it again. No epiphany, no proper purging, NOTHING, perhaps I am sinless after all.
I lay in bed utterly relieved and had a lovely sleep. Felt a bit tender the next day, but in general OK and went off with James to cover ourselves in purifying mud....
Well, I know I am soooo far behind with this blog, as I am now in Colombia (Popayan, its beautiful, lovely coffee, lovely buildings and amazing clothes shops!), but I will continue with the story of the Shaman in the next chapter because there is more to tell....
Oh and by the way, cleansing your sins MY ARSE. Clearly you vomit because your liver is utterly horrified at what you have just imbibed....The only epiphany I had was that I am never taking ayahuasca again, give me a pill with a smiley face on it anyday....
Anyway, our plan was to go on a jungle tour and do Ayahuasca....a hallucinogenic natural medicine that shamans drink and then miraculously can see what is wrong with you, and then they cure you.
So, I met James at the hostel, and he was waiting for a German girl he had met in Banos whilst misbehaving (Claudia) and she arrived and we booked ourselves on a white water rafting trip the next day. It turned out to be AMAZING. Really really beautiful, along the Rio Napo. Fantastic rapids, yummy tortillas for lunch with guacamole and refried beans, that the guide made there and then in the middle of nowhere and it was such a gorgeous day. There was no one else around apart from local kids washing their clothes and swimming on the riverbanks and rafting is great. I love it.
The next day, on our mission to find a Shaman (it was proving harder than we thought) we checked out and got on a bus to Mishahualli where we thought we´d find our Shaman. Cut a long story short, the place was pretty deserted, apart from the horrible Capuchin monkeys in the Plaza that everyone was cooing over until one of them stole a girls teddy, ripped its head off and sat on the top of the bus shelter banging the head up and down and screaming (nasty little fuckers). So, the lady in our hostel recommended a Shaman and off we trekked to the next town and eventually found the Shaman´s house which was a wooden affair (like all the other indigenous homes=, but with all the latest hitech equipment....tv, stereo etc. The place gave me bad vibes and, although he said we could go back there that night (you have to take the ´medicine¨at night, otherwise you dont have any visions) we all decided that what we really wanted was to find a lodge with a Shaman and stay in the jungle and take Ayahuasca.
So we left Claudia in Mishahuallí cos she wanted to see more of the animals and James and I headed back to Tena. Spent the next day walking up and down the main street trying to find out if anyone knew Don Augustin (a reputable Shaman in the area), but it seemed we were on a wild goose chase, so James went back to the hostel (we both felt quite exhuasted with colds) and I went to the internet. Cutting another story short, I was on the phone to Don Clever (Augustin´s son) and he said he was in their jungle lodge and couldn´t come and get us, but his mum was leaving Tena the next day to go the lodge and we could go with her. By this time Claudia had reappeared and we had accumulated a Russian (who was slightly bonkers) and the next morning we headed off to the lodge.
It was beautiful, right in the middle of nowhere, by the river and, even better, the whole extended family was there, with all the kids, because it was Easter holidays. The lodge is owned by Don Augustin, he has about 12 kids and most work and live there. They are an indigenous family who speak Quichua as their first language, so it all felt very authentic. We spent the first day walking through the rainforest, with our guide (Don A´s son) explaining various plants and how they are used as medicines, saw ants that you can rub onto your skin as mozzie repellent, ate the cacao fruit (delicious) and went swimming in a lovely waterfall. Got back to the lodge and were shown how Ayahuasca is prepared. Its a vine and they strip the bark, chop it up, mix it with water and reduce it down to a bitter tasting liquid. Then we had a talk about its spiritual qualities, how it opens your heart and mind and once you take it your life will have a new beginning. All very positive....HOWEVER, you have to be prepared to vomit, its part of the process of purging all the badness and sins you have inside of you, and then you are likely to have all kinds of epiphanies and your life with start afresh.
So, with no dinner permitted I went to sleep for 2 hours and then it was Ayahuasca time. I was a bit nervous, but there were other people who had been there a few days and taken it, and they said all would be fine.
So I downed the revolting tasting cupful I was given...and waited....all the lights were turned out and mattresses were brought out and we all got comfy. About half an hour later my arms started tingling and my head was buzzing. The sounds of the jungle (loud anyway) were massively magnified and then pretty much everyone around me started puking (charming I know). I lay there, feeling a bit all over the place, but I felt OK, no nausea....waiting to be sick....nothing. I started having conversations with myself, about myself in my head, couldnt really decide who was the real me, gave up and decided to stare out at the trees, which kept turning into giant spanners. I kept thinking things were crawling all over me (to be fair, we were outside in the jungle, so to this day I dont know if I was imagining it or not).
James said later that when he was throwing up over the balcony (the designated puking area) he kept thinking there was an old lady looking up and offering him water, and all he wanted her to do was move out of the way cos he wanted to puke, but he didnt want to say anything out loud because he was worried everyone might think he was mad....this is the insania that Ayahuasca brings....!
Poor Claudia was terrified, but she had moved away from me to be sick over the balcony and my legs were too wobbly to walk and it was soooo dark and my head was all over the place, but it was really frustrating cos I knew the feeling would pass and I just wanted to tell her that, but I couldnt get over to her. So I just lay there....waiting to be sick....still nothing. I started to worry, surely this was abnormal?
Now readers, you mustn´t be concerned whilst reading this, because all the time this is how I felt....one Jo (lets call her Jo (a)) was imagining her liver was broken (hence no vomiting), Jo (b) was telling Jo (a) to get a grip and not be so stupid and Jo (c) thought the whole thing was really very funny and quite ridiculous, oh and Jo (d) didnt really have a clue what was going on. And so it went on....
Then one of Don A´s sons came over to me to take me over to the Don for the cleansing ceremony. I had no idea what was about to happen and managed to get up on the wobbliest legs ever and, clinging onto him for dear life, was delivered to the Don. I was sitting on a cushion and in front of me was the Don, frankly it may as well have been a bear for all I knew or all I could actually see. He began chanting and passing what felt like torn up bin bags over my face and arms. I tried to rationalise....these were probably sacred chicken feathers or similar...and once again was trying to work out what was going on, but also trying very hard not to laugh (after all, this was a sacred ceremony scenario, with an epiphany at the end).
The Shaman was blowing on me and making ¨coughing up greener¨ sounds (all very disconcerting) and my head was here, there and everywhere and still no puking. I was taken back to my mattress and started to remind myself that this feeling was precisely why I hadn´t taken acid for years....mind you, this had the added bonus of vomiting...bring on the size 0!
FINALLY, 2 hours later, when most of the effects of the "medicine" had passed, I made a half hearted attempt and was a bit sick...now I am sorry...this is VILE, but I vomited up thee most disgusting sick ever, soooo bitter and horrid and, to add insult to injury, I didnt even feel that relieved afterwards.
I took myself off to bed, reminding myself never to take anything like it again. No epiphany, no proper purging, NOTHING, perhaps I am sinless after all.
I lay in bed utterly relieved and had a lovely sleep. Felt a bit tender the next day, but in general OK and went off with James to cover ourselves in purifying mud....
Well, I know I am soooo far behind with this blog, as I am now in Colombia (Popayan, its beautiful, lovely coffee, lovely buildings and amazing clothes shops!), but I will continue with the story of the Shaman in the next chapter because there is more to tell....
Oh and by the way, cleansing your sins MY ARSE. Clearly you vomit because your liver is utterly horrified at what you have just imbibed....The only epiphany I had was that I am never taking ayahuasca again, give me a pill with a smiley face on it anyday....
Mighty Cotopaxi cont.....very very belated
Oh god, so much has happened and now I am in altitude in Quito and my head is in the clouds and I cant think straight (which is weird, cos was here only a few days ago and was fine with it...perhaps the semi excessive partying in Montanita hasn´t helped ;)). ANYWAY. So Nikki and I met American Dan and pilot Jasper who both wanted to walk the Quilotoa Loop too, so we all headed off on the bus in the morning and got to the lake an hour later, and its STUNNING and ENORMOUS and quite high up and was going to be good for acclimatising for Cotopaxi. So we walked down to the water´s edge, which only took about half an hour and it was lovely and peaceful and there was no one else around, and then we walked back up, which, in that altitude, was difficult and made us all breathless and took about an hour, but you could only take a few steps before puffing and panting.
It was good exercise though and really very beautiful. Its the remnants (that´s my geological definition) of a volcano and the locals believe its bottomless. When we got back to the hostel Jasper taught us how to play the card game arsehole and we had lots of lovely food and a few beers and went to bed in a toasty room with a double bed (first one had been in for year I think)...alone I hasten to add....and got up the next morning early for our 6 hour walk or, now that I have been travelling, should I say hike, or is that showing off?
Either way, it was LONG and HOT....something I had not experienced for a while ;)....but it was brilliant. Nikki kept us totally entertained with her brilliant naivety and ditziness....quotes of the day, in her lovely Dutch accent ¨I cant understand it, this rucksack is so light when its empty, its only when I put stuff in it that it gets so heavy¨, or ¨last year my lips fell off¨, or whilst we were all discussing how much we think during one day Nikki said ¨I never have any thoughts, at all ever¨. She is sooooo funny, without even trying to be.
Turned out we made a fantastic foursome, all got on really well and the boys were amazing because the route really wasn´t obvious and there were times we could easily have got lost. I hate to admit it, but we really couldn´t have done it without them. Quite frankly Nikki and I would still be out there now had it not been for their boy conversations which meant we found the way (along with Jasper´s piloting skills, helped along by Nikki´s two dollar compass)....Plus they were fun and we had a lovely day, even though it was difficult and I am STILL not a size 0, although my legs are marginally thinner than they were (thank god).
So we got to a really pretty hostel and played more arsehole and drank more beer and by this time Dan had started to think that he might climb Cotopaxi too and we were all shattered and went to bed, not without lots of laughing cos Nikki was being hilarious about her lips falling off and Dan stole the best pillow in the room (not strictly true) and I ended up with the worst bed in the room and was considering how appropriate it would be to actually get into bed with Dan, but then decided perhaps it wasn´t appropriate, so went to sleep instead.
And the next day we got a lift in the bumpiest of lorries back to Latacunga with the most amazing views of mountains that look like King Kong and ladies´faces and a man lying in a hammock in the back of the lorry in front of us....will try and attach the picture soon...along the bumpiest and windiest road ever with a moth clinging onto my glove for dear life. And so we got back to our hostel for rest and an early night in preparation for the mighty Cotopaxi (and I think it was that night that we went out for delicious steak) and Jasper, who was supposed to be on his way to Peru, decided he would stay and do the climb with us too, which was great, cos it would have felt wrong if he had left.
So the next day we woke up and went next door to be fitted out with our super warm clothes, crampons, ice picks etc for the climb and we were all privately a bit scared I think. I felt a bit sick in my tummy and we all got a bit stressed out trying on various boots, trousers etc etc whilst worrying that they had to be comfortable because the climb started at 1am and was likely to last 6 hours (and that was just going UP) in the freezing cold and dark. In usual Ecuadorian style it took forever to get everything sorted and eventually we left, but then the fucking car broke down and we all felt doubly sick and thought we would never make it and perhaps we were doing the wrong thing in the first place. But the car got fixed and so we headed off and two hours later were at the car park at the foot of the volcano which is about 4800m above sea level and we had to carry the heaviest rucksacks up a slope that frankly would take about 15 minutes to climb normally, but cos of the altitude was beyond difficult and Nikki nearly fainted. So an hour later we arrived at the refugio and I was worried about Nikki doing the climb up the mountain, cos she felt so sick (please note, I had NO IDEA what we were about to let ourselves in for and probably should have been worried about me too, but ignorance is bliss....thank christ).
We couldn´t see the summit at all because of the clouds, and it was freezing cold, but we had a lesson in how to walk with crampons, and how we were going to climb (two people to one guide) and that it was going to be dark and cold, but amazing. Went to bed and got woken up at midnight and to be honest the whole thing is still totally surreal.
Had breakfast and set off. Well, I cannot really describe to you what it was like. It was cold and dark and I was struggling a bit with nausea to do with the altitude, but I also think I wasn´t as fit as the others. But somehow your brain goes into a place where you become a bit of a machine and you just put one foot in front of the other, and the guide was amazing cos he obviously understands how capable or incapable you are quite quickly and then we just went at a very very slow pace (which I am still very grateful to Nikki for, because I really did hold her up, but once you start going up you can´t go down alone, so your group of three has to stay together no matter what). And so we climbed and climbed, and the wind and hail whipped round your face and you could see nothing apart from the person in front of you, and time just passed. With hindsight I realise just how unlucky we were with the weather, because had it been clear the stars would have been truly amazing. Every so often I honestly thought I could go no further, but you just sort of say to yourself that you can do another ten minutes and eventually we stopped in a cave for some tea and chocolate and by this time, god only knows how, it was 5am. I was feeling emotional to say the least and a bit tearful, but happy in a fucked up kind of way.
I so wanted to get to the top, but the fact it was 5 and we were only halfway up I sort of knew it wasn´t going to happen. Nikki was amazing, cos she not only felt fine, but was patient and I know it was frustrating for her going at the pace we were going. And so we carried on and it started to get light, but the wind and rainy snowy stuff really didn´t let up and then we had to cross this bloody deep cravass by walking over the most pathetic metal ladder I have ever seen and my body started to be very very tired and I started to worry a bit. We had another break, by this time it was 630am and our guide said if we made it to the top the visibility would be crap, plus, although there was only another 400m to climb, it was soooo steep that it would take at least another two hours (the volcano is 5900m and we had made it to 5550m)and by then I just thought I wanted to go down. This was compounded by the fact that Kriss, who is a regular climber and used to all this kind of extreme activity (or, should I say, extreme insanity) was on her way down having not made it to the top...and then I just knew it was time to go back. Bearing in mind the climb down is just as hard in a different sort of way. Nikki agreed and we started going down and it was because it was difficult, my legs were exhausted, but it was beautiful because the cravasses were so stunning (a bit bloody scary too, bearing in mind we had probably passed within inches of them on the way up...health and safety non existent....) and I lost my sense of humour about 500 times and wondered why the hell a chair lift hadn´t been installed...but at the same time I was having an incredible time and Nikki was great and so was our guide and really this is why it is soooo hard to put into words!
So the way down made me also realise that walking on snow with crampons is fine, but on ice really isn´t fine, well not for me anyway, but we made it, and what an achievement. And an hour or so later the boys arrived, and they had made it to the top and they were utterly shattered, but overwhelmed all at the same time and it was such a shame we had been sooooo unlucky with the weather cos I have since seen other people´s pictures of clear climbs up Cotopaxi and it just looks out of this world. When you look at the photos of the boys on the summit you can hardly even see them cos the visibility is so poor.
So that was Cotopaxi, and what an experience it was and we all wanted to have lots of beers when we got back but a)we were shattered and b)we were staying in a strict hostel who made us all go to bed at 10pm which was a shame and the next day we all went our separate ways and I nearly cried.
It was good exercise though and really very beautiful. Its the remnants (that´s my geological definition) of a volcano and the locals believe its bottomless. When we got back to the hostel Jasper taught us how to play the card game arsehole and we had lots of lovely food and a few beers and went to bed in a toasty room with a double bed (first one had been in for year I think)...alone I hasten to add....and got up the next morning early for our 6 hour walk or, now that I have been travelling, should I say hike, or is that showing off?
Either way, it was LONG and HOT....something I had not experienced for a while ;)....but it was brilliant. Nikki kept us totally entertained with her brilliant naivety and ditziness....quotes of the day, in her lovely Dutch accent ¨I cant understand it, this rucksack is so light when its empty, its only when I put stuff in it that it gets so heavy¨, or ¨last year my lips fell off¨, or whilst we were all discussing how much we think during one day Nikki said ¨I never have any thoughts, at all ever¨. She is sooooo funny, without even trying to be.
Turned out we made a fantastic foursome, all got on really well and the boys were amazing because the route really wasn´t obvious and there were times we could easily have got lost. I hate to admit it, but we really couldn´t have done it without them. Quite frankly Nikki and I would still be out there now had it not been for their boy conversations which meant we found the way (along with Jasper´s piloting skills, helped along by Nikki´s two dollar compass)....Plus they were fun and we had a lovely day, even though it was difficult and I am STILL not a size 0, although my legs are marginally thinner than they were (thank god).
So we got to a really pretty hostel and played more arsehole and drank more beer and by this time Dan had started to think that he might climb Cotopaxi too and we were all shattered and went to bed, not without lots of laughing cos Nikki was being hilarious about her lips falling off and Dan stole the best pillow in the room (not strictly true) and I ended up with the worst bed in the room and was considering how appropriate it would be to actually get into bed with Dan, but then decided perhaps it wasn´t appropriate, so went to sleep instead.
And the next day we got a lift in the bumpiest of lorries back to Latacunga with the most amazing views of mountains that look like King Kong and ladies´faces and a man lying in a hammock in the back of the lorry in front of us....will try and attach the picture soon...along the bumpiest and windiest road ever with a moth clinging onto my glove for dear life. And so we got back to our hostel for rest and an early night in preparation for the mighty Cotopaxi (and I think it was that night that we went out for delicious steak) and Jasper, who was supposed to be on his way to Peru, decided he would stay and do the climb with us too, which was great, cos it would have felt wrong if he had left.
So the next day we woke up and went next door to be fitted out with our super warm clothes, crampons, ice picks etc for the climb and we were all privately a bit scared I think. I felt a bit sick in my tummy and we all got a bit stressed out trying on various boots, trousers etc etc whilst worrying that they had to be comfortable because the climb started at 1am and was likely to last 6 hours (and that was just going UP) in the freezing cold and dark. In usual Ecuadorian style it took forever to get everything sorted and eventually we left, but then the fucking car broke down and we all felt doubly sick and thought we would never make it and perhaps we were doing the wrong thing in the first place. But the car got fixed and so we headed off and two hours later were at the car park at the foot of the volcano which is about 4800m above sea level and we had to carry the heaviest rucksacks up a slope that frankly would take about 15 minutes to climb normally, but cos of the altitude was beyond difficult and Nikki nearly fainted. So an hour later we arrived at the refugio and I was worried about Nikki doing the climb up the mountain, cos she felt so sick (please note, I had NO IDEA what we were about to let ourselves in for and probably should have been worried about me too, but ignorance is bliss....thank christ).
We couldn´t see the summit at all because of the clouds, and it was freezing cold, but we had a lesson in how to walk with crampons, and how we were going to climb (two people to one guide) and that it was going to be dark and cold, but amazing. Went to bed and got woken up at midnight and to be honest the whole thing is still totally surreal.
Had breakfast and set off. Well, I cannot really describe to you what it was like. It was cold and dark and I was struggling a bit with nausea to do with the altitude, but I also think I wasn´t as fit as the others. But somehow your brain goes into a place where you become a bit of a machine and you just put one foot in front of the other, and the guide was amazing cos he obviously understands how capable or incapable you are quite quickly and then we just went at a very very slow pace (which I am still very grateful to Nikki for, because I really did hold her up, but once you start going up you can´t go down alone, so your group of three has to stay together no matter what). And so we climbed and climbed, and the wind and hail whipped round your face and you could see nothing apart from the person in front of you, and time just passed. With hindsight I realise just how unlucky we were with the weather, because had it been clear the stars would have been truly amazing. Every so often I honestly thought I could go no further, but you just sort of say to yourself that you can do another ten minutes and eventually we stopped in a cave for some tea and chocolate and by this time, god only knows how, it was 5am. I was feeling emotional to say the least and a bit tearful, but happy in a fucked up kind of way.
I so wanted to get to the top, but the fact it was 5 and we were only halfway up I sort of knew it wasn´t going to happen. Nikki was amazing, cos she not only felt fine, but was patient and I know it was frustrating for her going at the pace we were going. And so we carried on and it started to get light, but the wind and rainy snowy stuff really didn´t let up and then we had to cross this bloody deep cravass by walking over the most pathetic metal ladder I have ever seen and my body started to be very very tired and I started to worry a bit. We had another break, by this time it was 630am and our guide said if we made it to the top the visibility would be crap, plus, although there was only another 400m to climb, it was soooo steep that it would take at least another two hours (the volcano is 5900m and we had made it to 5550m)and by then I just thought I wanted to go down. This was compounded by the fact that Kriss, who is a regular climber and used to all this kind of extreme activity (or, should I say, extreme insanity) was on her way down having not made it to the top...and then I just knew it was time to go back. Bearing in mind the climb down is just as hard in a different sort of way. Nikki agreed and we started going down and it was because it was difficult, my legs were exhausted, but it was beautiful because the cravasses were so stunning (a bit bloody scary too, bearing in mind we had probably passed within inches of them on the way up...health and safety non existent....) and I lost my sense of humour about 500 times and wondered why the hell a chair lift hadn´t been installed...but at the same time I was having an incredible time and Nikki was great and so was our guide and really this is why it is soooo hard to put into words!
So the way down made me also realise that walking on snow with crampons is fine, but on ice really isn´t fine, well not for me anyway, but we made it, and what an achievement. And an hour or so later the boys arrived, and they had made it to the top and they were utterly shattered, but overwhelmed all at the same time and it was such a shame we had been sooooo unlucky with the weather cos I have since seen other people´s pictures of clear climbs up Cotopaxi and it just looks out of this world. When you look at the photos of the boys on the summit you can hardly even see them cos the visibility is so poor.
So that was Cotopaxi, and what an experience it was and we all wanted to have lots of beers when we got back but a)we were shattered and b)we were staying in a strict hostel who made us all go to bed at 10pm which was a shame and the next day we all went our separate ways and I nearly cried.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
The mighty Cotopaxi
Arrived in Latacunga to a lovely, but very quiet hostel. Pretty deserted. So went on a city walk, first to the cemetery which totally freaked me out, think the lack of sleep and too much booze had given me the Vulnerable Effect. Then to the market where the locals play volleyball for money, and then to the museum of culture, which was closed but you could walk around the small gardens. This I did, only to come back to the gate to find it CLOSED and LOCKED. Well, due to the claustrophobic issues I have, along with the fact it was a Sunday, I tried really hard not to panic, but after 30 seconds I was screaming out to passing cars with my hands waving through the iron gates. NO ONE stopped and my panic increased as I realised I wouldnt even be able to climb over the railings cos there were spikes, plus, it being Sunday, who on earth would know how to contact the owner of the keys?
My face was getting hot and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Then, about a minute later, I leant on the gate and it opened ;) JESUS. OK so the interior door of the gate was the part that was locked, the gate itself had just been pushed to....I was shaking for about half an hour afterwards ;). Think I need vertigo and small space therapy.
So, got back to the hostel and got chatting to a Dutch girl called Nikki and a couple Kriss and Will. I wanted to walk the Quilotoa Loop, but James had said for me not to do it on my own. Disappointingly Nikki had already done it by bus and Kriss and Will weren´t planning on doing it. What was lovely was that Nikki said to me, oh I wish you had been here a day or two ago we could have done it together. She is such a lovely person and the way she said it was so sweet.
Anyway the next day we got chatting again and she said she was having a lazy day cos she wanted to rest before she climbed Cotopaxi. I said there was no way on earth I would be doing that and she looked at me and said "but you have to try, if you dont make it, it really doesnt matter" and that was it.
From there everything sort of fell into place. She was planning to climb it the following day, but needed another person to go with her (if you go alone with a guide its more expensive), but I wasn´t acclimatised enough to go. So we agreed if no one else came along, she would come back to Quilotoa with me to walk part of the loop and then we could climb Cotopaxi together.
We spent the day watching movies and fantastically no one else came along to climb Cotopaxi with her, so we agreed we would leave early the next morning to go to lago Quilotoa. In the meantime American Dan :) and pilot Jasper checked in and the next morning we all got on the bus....
More later as have to sort out our guide for our jungle trip ;)
Behaving badly in Baños
Well I arrived in the pissing rain (a theme appears to be ocurring here) and was unsure what everyone was raving about. Very touristy and very cloudy was all I could conclude. No one in my tiny dorm apart from a teetotal American lady who I obviously had nothing in common with. Found a cafe for dinner where they showed Last King of Scotland and booked myself on canyoning, which was terrifying me a bit cos I had no real idea what it actually was, but the man selling it was very enthusiastic so I thought there wasn´t much to lose.
Arrived in the morning and thank god there was only one other girl, Natalie, doing it and she had no idea what it was either. So we headed off with our guide and it turns out that canyoning is abseiling down waterfalls, which is great! Really loved it, although its very scary and you have to put a whole lot of faith into the rope and the guide. Its not a good idea, halfway down, to start thinking....what if the rope snaps, will I die etc etc. Better to think, this is amazing, this guide has done it hundreds of times and if I let go I really really wont fall...look no hands!
Natalie was great, loads of energy and although we hated the first couple of waterfalls, we really loved the last ones despite the fact we were going down ridiculously slowly, only to be shown up by the guide who came down head first.
On the way back to town the guide was talking about paragliding. It terrifies, but fascinates me and within about 10 minutes of discussing it I thought, fuck it, am going to do it....and so did Natalie...
So, two hours later I found myself on the edge of a cliff, absolutely bricking it, waiting for my turn. Dan, the head of watches in Harrods ;), went first and loved it. He came down buzzing. I, on the other hand, didn´t have such a lovely time;). JESUS, paragliding is not for me...quite frankly I was terrified....despite saying to myself (whilst millions of miles up in the air, attached to a very professional guide)...the ropes wont break, the guide has done it hundreds of times, if I fall I really wont die...all I was thinking was...for the love of god GET ME BACK DOWN TO EARTH NOW. No matter how hard I tried to conquer my fear, I discovered that my body does not like to feel weightless, it does not like to be floating around aimlessly, it likes to be on the floor or coming back down to the floor ASAP. This all culminated in me coming down to the ground a bit too ASAP and dragging myself and the guide through a potato field. Covered in earth from head to toe and feeling totally peculiar, I then had to pretend to Natalie how amazing it had been in order to not freak her out just before she launched herself off the cliff. Unfortunately I had to pretend for about an hour cos the wind picked up and she wasn´t able to take off safely. She told me later, thank god, that I had successfully lied to her and she had no idea how much I hadn´t enjoyed the experience. Despite all this I would like to add that I still would like to do a tandem parachute jump....reason being....will be hurtling back down to earth quite quickly ;).
Needless to say stiff drinks were in order and I went out for a few and some dancing and finished my night having a pash (new favourite NZ word) with the watch man from Harrods. Stumbled in at 3am and think I thoroughly poisoned the air cos the next day the American lady had checked out and I was sure she was planning to stay for a few more days....oops.
Well, spent the next day DYING and did bugger all apart from blogging and self loathing. Then went to meet Dan and the group he was travelling with for a Salsa class. Turned out Dan had got lost on the way home the night before and then nearly knocked the guide out with fumes of booze the next day. Salsa was cancelled, thank god, so we went out for dinner and then....a few more cuba libres. Why is it hair of the dog works? Its really not fair. Did more misbehaving and rolled home at 5am. Things were deteriorating.
Next day got up and made myself go on a tour of the waterfalls on one of these hideous touristy buses which blast out loud pop music for the duration....just what I needed. But I was brave and tolerated it and it pissed with rain (no comment) and I met a lovely Ecuadorian family who looked after me and fed me crisps.
Was on the internet when I got back and Barbara messaged me to say Scottish Rob was in Baños, so I got in touch with him. He had had his bag nicked from the bus and was in need of a beer (oh god, you can see where this is going). So we met for a beer, and a lovely dinner which he treated me to, and then some wine and then some cubas and then it was 4am and then I needed to get to my bed before more misbehaving occurred.
IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE. Quite frankly I am easily lead astray and I have to remember that I am travelling to enjoy the experience of seeing the country and not getting twatted at every opportunity (Reynolds style).
So I got on a bus to Latacunga....
Arrived in the morning and thank god there was only one other girl, Natalie, doing it and she had no idea what it was either. So we headed off with our guide and it turns out that canyoning is abseiling down waterfalls, which is great! Really loved it, although its very scary and you have to put a whole lot of faith into the rope and the guide. Its not a good idea, halfway down, to start thinking....what if the rope snaps, will I die etc etc. Better to think, this is amazing, this guide has done it hundreds of times and if I let go I really really wont fall...look no hands!
Natalie was great, loads of energy and although we hated the first couple of waterfalls, we really loved the last ones despite the fact we were going down ridiculously slowly, only to be shown up by the guide who came down head first.
On the way back to town the guide was talking about paragliding. It terrifies, but fascinates me and within about 10 minutes of discussing it I thought, fuck it, am going to do it....and so did Natalie...
So, two hours later I found myself on the edge of a cliff, absolutely bricking it, waiting for my turn. Dan, the head of watches in Harrods ;), went first and loved it. He came down buzzing. I, on the other hand, didn´t have such a lovely time;). JESUS, paragliding is not for me...quite frankly I was terrified....despite saying to myself (whilst millions of miles up in the air, attached to a very professional guide)...the ropes wont break, the guide has done it hundreds of times, if I fall I really wont die...all I was thinking was...for the love of god GET ME BACK DOWN TO EARTH NOW. No matter how hard I tried to conquer my fear, I discovered that my body does not like to feel weightless, it does not like to be floating around aimlessly, it likes to be on the floor or coming back down to the floor ASAP. This all culminated in me coming down to the ground a bit too ASAP and dragging myself and the guide through a potato field. Covered in earth from head to toe and feeling totally peculiar, I then had to pretend to Natalie how amazing it had been in order to not freak her out just before she launched herself off the cliff. Unfortunately I had to pretend for about an hour cos the wind picked up and she wasn´t able to take off safely. She told me later, thank god, that I had successfully lied to her and she had no idea how much I hadn´t enjoyed the experience. Despite all this I would like to add that I still would like to do a tandem parachute jump....reason being....will be hurtling back down to earth quite quickly ;).
Needless to say stiff drinks were in order and I went out for a few and some dancing and finished my night having a pash (new favourite NZ word) with the watch man from Harrods. Stumbled in at 3am and think I thoroughly poisoned the air cos the next day the American lady had checked out and I was sure she was planning to stay for a few more days....oops.
Well, spent the next day DYING and did bugger all apart from blogging and self loathing. Then went to meet Dan and the group he was travelling with for a Salsa class. Turned out Dan had got lost on the way home the night before and then nearly knocked the guide out with fumes of booze the next day. Salsa was cancelled, thank god, so we went out for dinner and then....a few more cuba libres. Why is it hair of the dog works? Its really not fair. Did more misbehaving and rolled home at 5am. Things were deteriorating.
Next day got up and made myself go on a tour of the waterfalls on one of these hideous touristy buses which blast out loud pop music for the duration....just what I needed. But I was brave and tolerated it and it pissed with rain (no comment) and I met a lovely Ecuadorian family who looked after me and fed me crisps.
Was on the internet when I got back and Barbara messaged me to say Scottish Rob was in Baños, so I got in touch with him. He had had his bag nicked from the bus and was in need of a beer (oh god, you can see where this is going). So we met for a beer, and a lovely dinner which he treated me to, and then some wine and then some cubas and then it was 4am and then I needed to get to my bed before more misbehaving occurred.
IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE. Quite frankly I am easily lead astray and I have to remember that I am travelling to enjoy the experience of seeing the country and not getting twatted at every opportunity (Reynolds style).
So I got on a bus to Latacunga....
Galapagos continued...
So the next day Fran, Ross and I booked ourselves on a boat to San Cristobal and that morning I sent Barbara an email saying that I hoped she would come to the island when she got back from her trip so that we could celebrate her birthday. Ended up bumping into her before we left and she said she was going to Isabella (in the opposite direction) and that we may not get to meet up. Was gutted, but had already got my boat ticket and wanted to spend last night with Fran and Ross, but also wanted to celebrate Barbara's birthday. Anyway, I worked out it wasnt feasible for me to go to Isabella and San C in the time I had left so we parted and Barbara said she may come over to San Cristobal, but was unsure.
So, the boat ride was bumpy and made us all feel sick but we got to the island and checked into our hostel. Sea lions everywhere and we watched them for a while and had some dinner, but we were all shattered (the heat and the curse of the two day hangover) and went to bed. Next day was their last day and we got up v early to go snorkelling. Was disastrous....sea too choppy (I got in, saw a couple of turtles, but visibility poor and was very rocky), then it started to piss down with rain and we all got the hump and went for breakfast. Fran and Ross left. I was bereft. Went back to the beach to see if the tide had come in and sat in the pouring rain watching their flight take off and waving to the plane...all so tragic, like a scene out of Castaway or similar.
Felt miserable, rain got worse, so went back to hostel for a shower and was forced to have a chocolate Magnum with nuts (NOT peanuts, but walnuts... delicious and dangerous) to cheer self up. Sat watching the sea lions for over an hour cavorting, fighting and barking at each other on the beach, and decided to change my flight for fear of throwing self off the pier in sheer boredom and loneliness.
Was just walking back to the hotel, when who should be walking by but Barbara! Was delighted. She´d changed her flight so she could fit in San Cristobal. Everything was right in the world and I was no longer verging on ending it all. So we booked a snorkelling trip and the next day headed out to Kicker Rock on a shitty and very unsafe boat in the hope of seeing hammerheads. Boat was dangerous, no ladder to get back on, but loved the snorkelling because have never snorkelled anywhere so deep before...no hammerheads to be seen and current was ridiculously strong, but was an experience, despite having to be hauled back onto the boat like a beached whale and nearly losing bikini bottoms in the process. An utter rip off at $50, and ALL of us ended up with food poisoning afterwards. Nevertheless had a nice day and eventually got back on land despite both the motors on the boat packing up.
Next day was Barbara´s birthday and we spent a lovely day on a beach called Loberia. Got there super early and got straight in snorkelling. Saw 5 huge turtles dozing on the bottom of the sea, a real treat, they let us get right up close. Beach was deserted and we ate our salami sandwiches and put the world to rights. Then the beach filled up (only a bit) and we got a lift back to the town and tucked into Mojitos to begin birthday celebrations. So, I got locked in the loo...only for seconds, but its my worst ever fear in the whole world....small spaces, no windows...and had a panic attack for all of 30 seconds before someone heard me banging and let me out. And we met Scottish Rob who had a beer with us and Swiss Harry and went off for dinner, followed by pool and cuba libres. Bought Barbara a badge saying "I love boobies" (v touristy I know, but had to be done in light of the blue footed ones) for her birthday and learnt about the potato famine, some of which is a bit blurry now. Had to say our goodbyes that night as was flying out the next day. Was sad to leave, but have made another very lovely friend, really good fun. So strange when you are travelling how you get to know people so very quickly in a very short space of time and do such cool things together.
So I flew back to Guayaquill, my most unfavourite city quite frankly and spent one night there before getting on a bus the next day to Baños....
So, the boat ride was bumpy and made us all feel sick but we got to the island and checked into our hostel. Sea lions everywhere and we watched them for a while and had some dinner, but we were all shattered (the heat and the curse of the two day hangover) and went to bed. Next day was their last day and we got up v early to go snorkelling. Was disastrous....sea too choppy (I got in, saw a couple of turtles, but visibility poor and was very rocky), then it started to piss down with rain and we all got the hump and went for breakfast. Fran and Ross left. I was bereft. Went back to the beach to see if the tide had come in and sat in the pouring rain watching their flight take off and waving to the plane...all so tragic, like a scene out of Castaway or similar.
Felt miserable, rain got worse, so went back to hostel for a shower and was forced to have a chocolate Magnum with nuts (NOT peanuts, but walnuts... delicious and dangerous) to cheer self up. Sat watching the sea lions for over an hour cavorting, fighting and barking at each other on the beach, and decided to change my flight for fear of throwing self off the pier in sheer boredom and loneliness.
Was just walking back to the hotel, when who should be walking by but Barbara! Was delighted. She´d changed her flight so she could fit in San Cristobal. Everything was right in the world and I was no longer verging on ending it all. So we booked a snorkelling trip and the next day headed out to Kicker Rock on a shitty and very unsafe boat in the hope of seeing hammerheads. Boat was dangerous, no ladder to get back on, but loved the snorkelling because have never snorkelled anywhere so deep before...no hammerheads to be seen and current was ridiculously strong, but was an experience, despite having to be hauled back onto the boat like a beached whale and nearly losing bikini bottoms in the process. An utter rip off at $50, and ALL of us ended up with food poisoning afterwards. Nevertheless had a nice day and eventually got back on land despite both the motors on the boat packing up.
Next day was Barbara´s birthday and we spent a lovely day on a beach called Loberia. Got there super early and got straight in snorkelling. Saw 5 huge turtles dozing on the bottom of the sea, a real treat, they let us get right up close. Beach was deserted and we ate our salami sandwiches and put the world to rights. Then the beach filled up (only a bit) and we got a lift back to the town and tucked into Mojitos to begin birthday celebrations. So, I got locked in the loo...only for seconds, but its my worst ever fear in the whole world....small spaces, no windows...and had a panic attack for all of 30 seconds before someone heard me banging and let me out. And we met Scottish Rob who had a beer with us and Swiss Harry and went off for dinner, followed by pool and cuba libres. Bought Barbara a badge saying "I love boobies" (v touristy I know, but had to be done in light of the blue footed ones) for her birthday and learnt about the potato famine, some of which is a bit blurry now. Had to say our goodbyes that night as was flying out the next day. Was sad to leave, but have made another very lovely friend, really good fun. So strange when you are travelling how you get to know people so very quickly in a very short space of time and do such cool things together.
So I flew back to Guayaquill, my most unfavourite city quite frankly and spent one night there before getting on a bus the next day to Baños....
Things I forgot.....
Firstly, did you know that Panama Hats aren't made in Panama at all? They're made in Cuenca in Ecuador and Simon and I went to the factory and decided we couldnt really tell the difference between the hat that took a year to make and cost $1000 and the one that takes a minute to make (well a bit longer than that) and cost $15. Anyhow, its an amazing art and I tried on a gorgeous one that was out of my price range at $100, but looked lovely from the neck up and not so good from the neck down with my muddy trousers and hiking boots. (need to try and post the picture, will do so after this blogging session).
Another forgotten thing...a very sad moment on the Galapagos when we came across a mummy seal on the beach with her baby. Mum had literally just been attacked by sharks and had a chunk taken out of her bottom, her flipper (you could see the muscle beneath) and her eye. Think she had been protecting her baby and in the process been savaged herself. Anyway, the baby was crying and coming right up to us on the beach, almost asking for our help and the mum was lying in pain, barely able to move. Our useless guide said he thought she may not survive, one of the only times I guess he was right. Anyway, eventually she got back into the sea and the baby followed. Who knows what happened next, but let's hope she was OK. The captain of the boat wouldn't let us snorkel near her, because it was likely she would attract sharks (may I point out here that our guide was very happy for us to go in, but the captain wasnt....more uselessness), so we went round the bay and that's when we found the baby seal who was trying to steal my flippers....
Another forgotten thing...a very sad moment on the Galapagos when we came across a mummy seal on the beach with her baby. Mum had literally just been attacked by sharks and had a chunk taken out of her bottom, her flipper (you could see the muscle beneath) and her eye. Think she had been protecting her baby and in the process been savaged herself. Anyway, the baby was crying and coming right up to us on the beach, almost asking for our help and the mum was lying in pain, barely able to move. Our useless guide said he thought she may not survive, one of the only times I guess he was right. Anyway, eventually she got back into the sea and the baby followed. Who knows what happened next, but let's hope she was OK. The captain of the boat wouldn't let us snorkel near her, because it was likely she would attract sharks (may I point out here that our guide was very happy for us to go in, but the captain wasnt....more uselessness), so we went round the bay and that's when we found the baby seal who was trying to steal my flippers....
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