Dragging a granny up a mountain!

Week 3

21st September - 27th September

It has been a busy week for us over here in Ecuador. We have been to the basillica (risking life and limb on the insane ladders), visited the middle of the earth 'Mitel del Mundo', kayaked in a volcanic lake and climbed up a 5897 meter high mountain to 4800meters! 

The Basillica in the old town of Quito is very beautiful (but not as stunning as Salisbury Cathedral). We climbed up to the bell tower via the rickety spiral staircase and finally up a thin metal ladder which when wearing flip flops was not the safest option but not to fear as a lady managed to climb up in massive killer heels (the extremes of Ecuadorian fashion). You could then walk on a rickety bridge across the length of the Basillica to the central tower where you had to climb up a very thin ladder. For those who are insane enough (Lizi, Robin and I) you could then climb on a ladder which leans out of the building so you are literally climbing on thin air. I then proceeded to panic at the top as to get down you had to put your feet out into the sky of Quito to find the first rung of the ladder. Thankfully Lizzi managed to coax me down. Legs wabbling from the fear and andrenaline I was delighted to touch the ground again. We also went to visit La Compañia a Jesuit church which is covered in 7 tonnes of gold. Quite the sight! Although you have to wonder if the gold would have been better spent elsewhere.

I have attained my first mosquito/ fly bite and after an intial panic that I had manged to pick up a tick in La Carolina park (only to find out it was dried blood) it is now very itchy and red. Spanish lessons continue in their usual manner with many many mistakes! For our spanish class on friday the 23rd of September we went on a trip to the middle of the earth 'Mital del Mundo'. Unbelievably we managed to visit the middle of the equator on the equinox when the sun follows the exact equator line which only happens twice a year (on the 23rd of September and 21st March). Unlike the rest of the year on these two days there are 24 hours in a day usually it´s actually 23 hours and 59 minutes! Therefore at 12 midday for the first time in my life I lost my shadow as the sun was directly above us. This also meant the sun was extremely powerful and it was very hot. The museum had three great tests to prove the power of the equator. The water test when you fill a sink full of water and pull the plug out when the sink sits directly on the middle of the equator the water falls straight out without swirling, if you move the sink to the north or south of the line the water flows out swirling in one direction and another for the south. The egg balancing on a nail test (the name says it all) apparently there is less graviational pull in the middle of the equator so you should be able to balance an egg on a nail. The strength test if you stand to the south of the middle of the equator and get someone to push down on your arms it is harder than when you stand in the middle of the equator again due to gravity. Also rather joyously you also loose 1kg in weight just by stepping onto the middle of the equator. Unfortunatly you do gain it back when you step of it! Due to the weaker amount of gravity at the middle of the equator you balance is effected. When asked to perform a alcohol test (putting one foot infront of the other head back and eyes shut) no one managed to walk in a straight line except Nina one of the spanish teachers who was lunging her way forward. Nina had been 'accidentally' pushed into a cactus earlier by Robin and got a cactus thorn stuck in her arm! Have we mentioned what a great impression we have made on our teachers so far!
We were also shown the delightful process of shrinking heads to be worn around the neck as a necklace! Due to the equinox there was also a music and dance performance by the indigenous people which was great to watch.
 If that was not enough we then went to lake Quilatoa and Cotopaxi mountain at the weekend! We started early at 5am and began our journey to Quilatoa a beautiful luminous blue lake which sits in a dormant volcanoe at 3821 meters up. Our journey to the lake involved steep winding roads up the mountains, spotting several lamas, seeing tones of stray dogs and even a few piglets out sunbathing as well as the amazing mountains surrounding us as we travelled in the valley of the volcanoes. We stopped at Zumbahu where the  indigenous Quechuan people run a market every saturday I purchased a set of alpaca gloves and hat for $4 in preparation for the cold mountainous heights. Arriving at the top of lake Quilatoa is breathtaking its the most exquisit colour´s of blue and completely surrounded by the walls of the volcano. Robin and I climbed down the mountain to the lake below and took a kayak out onto the tranquil lake which looks green up close. Robin later went for a dip in the lake (a very brave move as it was as cold as the english sea in january)! What had been a gloriously sunny day suddenly turned dark and cloudy and it began to rain/ hail. Down at the bottom of the lake our the local people trying to entice visitors to get a mule back up the mountain. I decided to take an old lady up on the offer. Big mistake in my naivety I assumed when she had saddled up two mules I would get on one and she would get on the other. Apparently not! As I traveled on the mule the old lady deffinitly old enough to be my gran walked up the mountain dragging the mule behind her! I was fine if a bit wet from the rain but this old granny was panting and clutching her chest, I thought I was potentially killing her! Somehow I had managed to drag a granny up a mountain. The mule I was on didn´t help matters, acting as a 'donkey on the edge' always preffering to walk on the edges of the sandy (sheer cliff) path and whenever it spotted some shrubbery just off the verge it would lean over to try and eat it! Three times I let out a terrified wimper as it lent over the edge to eat!

The next day we visited Cotopaxi standing at 5897 meters we can normally see it's white capped summit from our apartment in Quito but today it was totally covered in thick white clouds. We stopped to drink some matte coco tea which apparently helps with altitude. It must of worked as neither Robin or I got headache´s or got dizzy. The road up to the car park at 4500meters was more like a dirt track and was incredibly bumpy and the poor minibus had to cross two rivers/ fords as well. Cotopaxi national park is also stunning with no towns in sight for miles nothing but the mountainous valleys and lakes. When we arrived at the car park, which was scattered with snow, we began our ascent up the mountain to the refuge which is 300 meters higher than the car park at 4800meters. It took us an hour to climb up to the refuge using the zig zag technique  to help us rather than attempting to go straight up. I needed to stop every few minutes to catch my breath back. I could hear my heart pounding and as oxygen is pretty thin on mountains it made the task even harder but Robin helped me and together we made it to the top! When at the refuge we spotted a pack of mountain foxes. Robin went over to take a picture of four of them not realising there was one on a rock right behind him looking down at him. We then went across to  the glaciers where those wanting to climb cotopaxi to the summit go and practice. As we traveled to the glaciers we walked through snow that was up to my knees (Bindi´s shin´s). We climbed back down cotopaxi to the car park where we got on mountain bikes and cycled 20km down the mountain to the restaurant for lunch. My bike´s breaks didn´t work which I luckily noticed just before the hairy descent. The bike ride was fantastic! An exhilerating cycle down was very bumpy and we were on our breaks the whole time expecially at the top where it was exceptioanlly. The views were great and Bindi manged to get back to the restaurant first! I of course came last out of our minibus clan. Exhausting but a fantastic weekend even though the clouds never shifted so we could see the summit!!

We are hoping for a more relaxed week this week and will be focusing hard on our spanish lessons!
Please continue to pray for us to be able to pick up the language quickly!

With lots of love from Ecuador xxx

p.s I am hoping to put some pictures up soon!