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