Chimborazo Mountain Biking - 2nd of October 2006

Today was awesome. We managed to orgainse a bike ride down Chimborazo - oh the joys of the internet and cell phones. We started off with a drive up to the first refuge (4800m) and then we walked up to the second refuge (5000m) before biking down. I was surprised at how good I felt at that altitude. It was pretty chilly when we started, but it was such an awesome day, possibly one of the best I´ve had since I started travelling with mum. It was just such an awesome ride! I thoroughly enjoyed every section of the ride and I think I had a huge grin on my face most of the way (except when I was concentrating too hard :) ).

We didn´t get the best views of the mountain as it was a bit cloudy (I think the guide was more upset about this than we were), but we had awesome views of the surrounding hills and valleys - complete with patchwork fields on slopes that should be too steep to farm. Apparently the flattest and lowest (ie best) land belongs to descendants of the original hacienda owner and the patchwork hills belong to the indigenous communities. There were also some impressive cliffs (apparently the best rock climbing in Ecuador) and some very colourful volcanic layers beside the road which added to the Desert Road feel.

We were lucky enough to see Vinuñas (very close) and they are soooooo beautiful, they are kinda like a llama, but auburn (like a deer) and so graceful. There were also a couple of low flying Caracara, a bird from the Condor family - similar to a falcon, although no-one could agree what colour the last one was, let alone what type of bird it was (other than a big one). It was a great day and it´s nice to be out and doing stuff again after a few very relaxed days. It looks like the next couple of days may be fairly full as well, so I will be ready for a rest by the time I get back. We´ve only got 2 days left here, so we have to make the most of that time - we can sleep on the plane :P

Devil´s Nose Train trip and to Riobamba - 1 October

I had a great birthday. Most definitely a memorable one. The 2 hour Devil´s Nose trip was on a fairly packed rooftop and quite spectacular. We did a falling leaf pattern down to the valley floor. You hire cushions to sit on the carriage roof which is basically corrugated iron with a central flat section and a low guard rail around the edges. I don´t think that osh would approve.

During the journey the guards wander up and down and like most in Ecuador multi task by collecting tickets, selling cushions, applying brakes at appropriate times and selling souvenir teeshirts or guards hats. Food sellers also plied their way up and down the carriage roofs and were pretty nimble footed. The train frequently came to abrupt halts or starts and it didn´t pay to be standing up at the time.

I think that the return trip to Riobamba was even better than the Devil´s Nose trip. Most people got off at Alusi so there were only about 20 of us on the 4 carriage roofs. The scenery was great and perhaps the most exciting part was when the engine and the next 2 carriages came to an abrupt stop (We were on the second carriage) and we watched with dismay as the next 2 carriages and caboose became unattached to us and proceeded to go back down the track we had come along! The startled expressions on the peoples faces on the runawway carriages said it all and later one of the guys said that he was mentally deciding which way to jump. He had the option of a rock face or a cliff. There was some pretty fast action by the guard who hand turned a large wheel on the roof to stop the runaway carriages a 100 metres down the track.
A second guard was busily filing a handwritten report of the incident and we finally worked out that in fact the engine had partially derailed, hence the abrupt stop. This is apparently not uncommon and with the application of a few logs, a heavy hammer and tape measures to check that the guage was right we were finally off and crept our way over the repaired section.
We were later told that derailments are a common occurrence on the track and especially in the wet.

We passed through spectacular gorges and scenery. Alot of cacti and then carefully cutivated crops alongside the river. We passed through several indigenous townships and as the day went by we were soon wrapped up in all our warm gear. We were pleased when Chimborazo. (6000m peak) and Riobamba came into sight.

All in all an awesome birthday.

Frances

Cuenca and Cajas

Time is flying bye and we have just arrived in Alausí. The bus trip here was fairly impressive with some very steep country.

Yesterday I went to Cajas with a group of Belguims and a Canadian girl and it was nice to have a walk at 4,200m, although it wasn´t a particularly long walk and suprisingly the guide struggled the most. Cajas means cold in Quichua and the park certainly lived up to it´s name - and we had a great day. In the sun and out of the wind we roasted, yet in the wind it was cold even with woolen layers and jackets. It was the first time i have seen scenary that really reminded me of NZ - the park has 235 lakes (tarns in my opinion) and all that grows is tussick and something like spaniard grass. I have a photo that could just about be Lake Angelus. We were amazingly lucky to get a fine day as it is ofton so misty you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. They are a bit parranoid about people getting lost due to the mist and cold and your chancess of survival aren´t too high. It was actually a really fun group and we went to the hot pools with them in the evening.

Hazel :)

Alausi 30 September

We just travelled four hours in the bus from Cuenca to Alausi. An interesting trip as we had smoke pouring from under the bus and made several unscheduled stops to check under the bus. It was with some relief that we arrived safely in Alausi. The trip had been through high mountains and the road at times zig zagging up and down with reasonable drop offs. The Sierra is yet another contrasting area of Ecuador and quite magnificent with cloud shrouded peaks. The land is a patchwork of cultivation on what seems impossible slopes reaching high up the mountains.

Alausi is quaint and small with cobbled streets and a laid back cowboy attitude. The railway line passes through the centre of the town. Tomorrow we catch the Devils Nose train trip and will return to Riobamba. This will be a suitably interesting birthday excursion with a difference.

We had a couple of unscheduled days in Cuenca when I managed to pick up a delibeli problem and so ended up laying low in a hostel. Fortunately Hazel was able to do a day excursion to the nearby mountains which she reports are just like Nelson Lakes. Later that day we visited nearby Baños for a very therapeutic (no spell check in evidence) swim in the hot pools.

Cuenca
Cuenca is reminescent of Cusco with the central plaza surrounded by churches and amazing eateries. Ice cream parlours, cafes and restaurants. The old city roads are all cobbled and the buildings all brick with the half round tiled roof. The artesania is strong here and we have put our barganing skills to good use and have had to buy another bag to accommodate our purchases! - so much for travelling light.
The road between Guayaquil and Cuenca ascends throught the mountains and is really pectacular with constantly changing vegetation. Cuenca, over 2,000 metres, is nice and cool which is a relief after the coastal area.

A few observations

• Cars - In Cuenca they are Chevrelots, Galapagos Islands they are Toyota pickups, Guayaquil the taxis are ladas and Manta the cars are Datsuns.
• Cars do not under any circumstances give way to pedestrians even if they are on a pedestrian crossing.
• families ride on scooters. Dad driving, mum behind usually holding a baby under her arm whilst the older child sits between the dad´s knees.
• Any number of people can be transported in a car or pickup where you might see up to 10 people perched on the back.
• Buses are comfortable to travel in and usually have a loud violent video playing. Often air conditioned to the point of being cold.
• The daughter of the family that we had been staying with was recently married. Common wedding gifts are rice makers. She had recieved seven as presents.
  

Guayaquil and Cuenca – Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

It´s been a fairly busy few days, or at lest we haven´t stopped much and I don´t know where the time is disappearing. The last day in the Galapagos flew by and before we knew it we were in Guayaquil and it was Sunday afternoon. After a quick trip to find a bed for the night we headed for the Parque Historico, whcih I really loved. We got to see lots of animals from the area as well as traditional (colonail) dress and architecture. We had a great guide, which makes all the diference and it was hard to believe that the tour was 2 ½ hours long.

On Monday we covered the main tourist sites of Guayaquil – Las Peñas (a sector of brightly coloured, restored houses), El Malecón 2000 (the recently developed boulevard with amazing green areas and shopping malls), El Parque Semenario (a park in the middle of a huge city with iguanas running around, you just have to be careful walking under trees as they like to climb). 24 hours is about the right amount of time to stay in Guayaquil and we caught the bus to Cuenca in the afternoon. I finally got to see the Cajas route (shorter and more scenic) and mum spent most of the time with her nose to the window taking in the views as we passed banana plantations, fruit markets, small towns and finally climbed over 3000m to go over the pass to Cuenca. The trip takes 4 hours and the first 2 hours are on the flat, so the climb is pretty steep and spectacular – especially with the mist. I have become a bit blazé about the scenary around here (there´s a limit to how long you can be amazed by banana plantations and ferns and dry forests) but it´s neet seeing someone else see it all for the first time and it really is spectacular.

Today we explored Cuenca and I love this city – it´s great to be back here. Everything feels so familiar and so safe. It´s the first city we have felt comfortable walking around at night and we´ve found a great restaurant on the main square that has a really awesome light shade made out of broken crockery.

Will add photos soon.

Smile
Hazel :)

Galapagos Boat Trip 20-23 Sep (By Frances)

We are back in Puerto Ayora enjoying hot showers and a bedroom bigger than a closet (see photo). Our boat the Posidon was at the budget end of the scale but as Hazel mentioned at one point it was better than going with the grey American brigade that had 16 or more people per boat. Our fellow travellers were predominantly young and from Switzerland with one couple from Holland on their honeymoon. The Poseidon chugged along and we saw all the visitor sites.



The sites are strictly controlled with only designated areas for walking and definitely no touching of the animals. The tameness of the birds and sea creatures is truely amazing. The blue footed boobies look comical with their bright blue feet, the sealions bask in the sun suckling their young or frolic in the water with you. Its a good idea to avoid the territorial males who bark their way up and down the beach incessantly and are somewhat intimidating. We saw several sea turtles when snorkling as well as a meriad of colourful fish and sharks. We even stood in the shallows with sharks swimming around our feet, as you can see in the photo below. The Sea turtles were probably the highlight of the snorkling experience (and the Galapagos trip) and are so graceful.




The black and quite ugly looking marine iguanas loll around in the sun sleeping on top of each other. From our Panga (small boat) we saw sharks and a variety of rays amongst the mangrove swamps and I was pleased not to encounter the rays while snorkling. The frigate birds, with a 1.5 metre wingspan glided above the boat catching a free ride between islands. The blue boobies have an agressive group dive bomb fishing technique and are very impressive to watch.

Galapagos Boat trip - 20-23 September 2006

3 days on a small boat and lots of animals. We have seen:

• Marine Iguanas
• Flamingos
• Sea Turtles (so graceful - my favorite by far)
• Sally - lightfoot crabs (they fascinate me in a way I never expected to be fascinated by crabs)
• Lots of birds including Blue Footed Boobies, lava herons, finches, stalks, frigate birds and penguins
• rays (sting rays, eagle rays and golden rays
• sharks (white tipped and black tipped)
• some amazing views
• lots of swiss people
• sea lions (amazingly graceful and playful in the water and real posers on the beach)
  

Rio Muchacho 15-17 September

Note that this is out of order and Galapagos details are in next entry below
Rio Muchacho, an organic farm just out of Canoa revolves around Poop. Nicky(an ex kiwi) and her Ecuadorian partner, Dario, live the organic and recycling of Poop message. They run the Ecuadorian version of the Wanganui river Flying Fox. It´s a restful place ( with the exception of the roosters and pigs and cows that I think wake to a different time zone), with heaps of character, excellent food, and teach alot of local knowledge in food production and handicrafts.

All waste (even we contributed with the composting loos) is used to fertilise their amazing garden. It is probably a gardeners dream with about 30 different vegetables, fruits and herbs. It seems that you plant the seed, add lots of fertiliser, water, care and volunteer labour and you can produce vegetables that rival any A & M show winner.

The local guide who was great helped us to make chocolate and coffee from the bean to the cup, making cheese from milking the cow to eating the cheese. We decorated mate gourd bowls, created tagua(vegetable ivory) necklaces from the tagua nut, and rings from the royal palm pod.

A horse trek took us into the lusher semi jungle area where we swam in a pool and spotted howler monkeys. The last afternoon was spent catching freshwater crayfish (cameron) and eating them.

All in all a great few days and the food and fellow travellers company was great.

Galapagos Islands - Puerto Ayora - 18-19th of September 2006

Wow. Today we saw giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue footed boobies and lava tunnels. The tortoises were the most impressive. We decided to bike to the inner part of the island with the intention of getting to the lava tunnels and tortoise farm. Just as we were despairing that all the bikes here were an absolute disaster we found some bikes that mum approved of and set off inland - most of the bikes failed on brake tests and tread. The bike guy suggested taking the local bus to the high point of the island where the twin sink hole are and riding back from there. It seemed like a reasonable suggestion, so we gave it a shot, but the bus operator didn{t like the idea of taking bikes so we set off on our own instead. It was actually a very pleasant ride (decidedly uphill) with a nice misty rain most of the way. Mum wasnt keen to ride all the way to Santa Rosa where the tortoises were, but we made it.
















The road (very long driveway) at the tortoise farm was great fun to ride down although a bit harder to ride back up. I was quite worried for a moment when mum suddenly gasped, I thought the chain had come off her bike but when I looked up I saw a huge tortoise in the middle of the road. After multiple photos we continued down the road only to find several more tortoises on the road including one huge one and at the farm itself they were everywhere. They have really cool necks (really long) and they hiss at you when you get too close.

We eventually left there and got 2 offers for rides back into town (after not getting any on the way out) and accepted the second one as it was getting later and $1 each seemed like a bargain. Mum got a seat inside with about 5 kids, 2 mothers and the driver and I jumped on the back with the bikes, and a guy from the tortoise farm. We we then joined by 2 more people along the way and it was the fasted I have ever travelled on the back of a ute - kinda freaky actually.

After a very quick trip to the hotel to get togs and clean legs we headed for the beach . Tortuga bay. Walking between the 2 bays we just about walked on a group of marine iguanas (see photo) beside the path and for the second time today mum was completely shocked and couldnt believe that they were actually right there. You really can get close to the wildlife here. We also saw a Blue Footed Boobie (in the photo) and some very friendly little birds on the beach. Everyone has raved about how amazing Bahia Tortuga is and it lived up to its reputation - the fine golden sand and completely shelted bay are just amazing. We didnt manage a swim as it was getting late and not all that hot, but we will be back to swim and hopefully explore a bit by kayak.