NEWS # 017
Hi everyone!
Sunday the 10th and I am awoken by the alarm at 7.00am. Today I have
arranged to cycle down the outside of the highest active volcano in the
world at some 5000 metres!
I leave the hostel at 7.45 and head off to the point where I will meet my
compatriots for the day and the 4X4 transport. I arrive at the rendevous
point and meet two of the girls on the trip and we sit waiting for the rest
of the people. A chap of about fifty comes over to me and asks if I can help
him use the 'phone. He guides me away from the two girls. I have left my bag
next to one of the girls and figure that it should be safe.
The next minute I notice that my bag is gone and the girl has not noticed
that it is missing. Apparently, the guy asking me about the 'phone has an
acomplice who has gone around the back of my friend and picked up my bag and
legged it! I'm gutted as the bag contains my best Goretex coat, about 300
quid and my two cameras, both containing many snaps of my trip. Thankfully,
a passer-by has seen what happened and tells me in which direction the thief
has gone. I decide to go around the block the other way and cut him off at
the pass!
He has gone out of sight by the time I tack off and I figure that I have a
very slim chance of catching him as I have to run around three sides of the
block to his one. However as I round the final corner, there he is, walking
towards me carrying my bag. He is looking behind him, expecting me to come
from that direction. At the last moment he sees me, drops the bag and legs
it! I am so pleased to get my stuff back that I don't bother to give chase,
figuring that I've got what I wanted and I don't want to fight if I don't
have to. I feel that I probably scared the life out of him, anyway!
I walk back to my friends smiling broadly and they seem most impressed that
I managed to catch the chap. I feel that I have learned my lesson and
promise myself to be more careful in future.
The rest of the crew arrive and we set off for the volcano. There are four
English people, including me, a girl from Holland and one from Switzerland.
The driver and our guide for the day, is an American. We drive for about an
hour and a half and enter the Cotopaxi national park which looks rather like
Exmoor with seval large volcanos thrown in!
We climb for about 20 minutes and then arrive at an area where we can get
used to the bikes. They are all front suspension bikes of good quality but
which have obviously seen some action! We are given some directions by the
guide and set off towards the site where we will have lunch. A couple of
kilometres are followed by a kilometre uphill slope, which would be no
problem at home but at 3800 metres above sea level present all of us with a
few problems.
Myself and another guy take the lead but both feel knackered
by the climb. The girls arrive at the lunch site a little later and we all
appear to be suffering somewhat from the altitude.
the downhill is amazing ...
... as is the volcano!
Lunch consists of tuna fish and salad sandwiches (I, being a greedy git, have
five!), followed by watermelon and brownies. After lunch, we all feel much
refreshed.
We then put the bikes back on the truck and set off for the climber's refuge
on the upper slopes of the volcano.
Seeya,
Halesy