You can now add comments to Jo's Blog.
How?
Below each post click on the comments link, you will taken to a new page which is relevant to that post only. Here you can post a comment.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
