Arrival in Paradise

I am writing this from my hammock at La Casa Verde in beautiful Banos.

All I can hear is the rush of the river and the wind blowing gently in the trees. It doesn't get much better than this. Although, having said that, two hammocks would be better as I can see Jon and I having to put together a hammock rota in order to avoid a falling out!

Today has been another special day, which I wasn't necessarily expecting given that most of it had been spent on buses.

I've seen pretty much the full spectrum of Ecuadorian everyday life outside the bus window plus some extra surprises due to the New Year celebrations.

The main tradition appears to be to create life-size effigies of people you don't like and then burn these at midnight to symbolise a new start without all the bad things in your life. We've seen literally hundreds today - apparently politicians, footballers and feuding neighbours are popular choices!

The children dress up too and set up road blocks where you have to throw them a few cents in order to pass. This may have slowed us down a bit but made the journey a lot more fun.

And the weather has really come good today. The sun has burnt off the clouds from the peaks of the volcanoes and we've had spectacular views of both Chimborazo and Tungarahua volcanoes. Be warned, I have a lot of bus window photos to bore you all with!

Banos is on the slopes of Tungarahua, one of Ecuador's active volcanoes which last erupted back in May. It's strange to see notices about evacuation procedures everywhere but the main instruction appears to be to run fast!

We've been told that at night you can often see sparks coming from the cone so we hope we're going to be lucky... but not too lucky!

This hostel is just wonderful too. Jon is exceptionally excited about the fact you can flush toilet paper. I'm loving the decor, hot shower and fully-stocked fridge... and the hammock of course!

Well, I think it's Jon's turn so I will close by wishing you all a very Happy New Year! 2011 is going to be amazing - I know it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:La Casa Verde, Banos

On top of the world... almost!

I think someone, somewhere heard that I was writing a blog and decided I ought to have a story or two to tell in it!

We woke this morning full of trepidation about our climb ahead. This wasn't helped by the guide, Pedro, then deciding that due to the amount of ice on the volcano at this time of year that we should all be fitted for crampons and hard hats! Finally, after a lot of procrastination, we were on our way in our 4x4...

... which it turns out ought to have gone to scrapheap heaven a long time ago. I accept that the road was in absolutely dire condition but at about 7.30 this morning we found ourselves thrown out of the 4x4 (which it actually turns out didn't have functioning four-wheel drive at all!) in order to try and dig ourselves out of a rather muddy ditch!

Well, to cut a very, very long story short, having involved half of Ecuador (I have video footage) and carried a lot of rocks down to the truck, the driver was able to back down the hill. At 11am.

Then it was decision time. Obviously we were over 3 hours late starting by this point and the other four people we were with decided to call it quits and try again tomorrow. Jon and I didn't have that luxury due to our timetable, so chose to press on instead with our new target being the refuge rather than the summit. Disappointed, we got on our way again and after some pretty hair-raising driving (and remember, I've been driven in Mumbai and Cairo!), we made it to the starting point.

And, oh my goodness, it was tough. I like to think that I've had some practice walking in the past year but this is like nothing else. The walk is advertised as a 'moderate hike'. I thought parts of the St. Oswald´s Way or the South Downs were 'moderate hikes' but I'm having to completely reframe my experience!

I just can't breathe here! When the guide heard how long I'd been at altitude (1.5 days), he laughed - apparently he would recommend 1-2 weeks with several other climbs in the preceding days but we were only following the description on the website which said 2 days acclimatisation (which I would have had if my flight hadn't been delayed!)

Anyhow, we pressed on as well as we could but it probably counts as the hardest physical thing I've ever done. When the snow started to come down thick and fast about 3 hours in, we had to make another disappointing but inevitable call to cut our losses and start our descent.

Seb Coe will be pleased to hear what happened next as he now has another serious gold medal contender in the 2012 Olympics! Jon says my front somersault down the mountain was practically flawless. I landed on my knees, winded but I figure I've still got some time to work on that before the London Games. Please don't worry though, I was soon back on my feet. The bad thing about being hypermobile is that you have a propensity to fall over; the good thing about being hypermobile is that you have a tendency to bounce!

After a perilous descent and another bone-rattling drive, we were very pleased to make it back to the hostel, where we both climbed straight into bed for a well-earned siesta.

I would like to point out four things:

1. We didn't make it to the top. We didn't even make it to the refuge but we are still immensely proud of ourselves.
2. It is stunning up there. When the clouds parted and we could see the summit of the mountain and the surrounding scenery, it was truly awe-inspiring and like nothing else I've ever seen.
3. It's made me more determined to do more of this sort of thing
4. A half-marathon is going to be child's play now!

Right, that's all for now folks. I wish you all a very Happy New Year's Eve!

Breathtaking... in more ways than one!

It didn't seem to be long enough after our night wander around beautiful Quito last night when the alarm went off at 5am this morning! Still, the early start was more than worth the trouble.

Our guide, Santiago, met us and drove us in his 4x4 the 3.5 hours up to the top of Quilitoa in the midst of Ecuador's highlands. I learnt so much from Santiago during the drive about Ecuador's geography, history and people and then what we saw when we reach our destination totally blew our minds...!

The Quilitoa laguna is a immense crater lake in the middle of a volcano that has been dormant since 1812. It changes colour from dark blue, to deep turquoise to emerald green in a matter of moments reflecting the changes in the weather and is absolutely spectacular.

We began our descent to the lake's edge after a cup of tea with a local indigenous family.

After our struggle with the altitude yesterday, Jon and I were very conscious from the outset of the fact that what goes down must come up and were very sceptical of  Santiago's claims that it would take us half an hour to get down and only an hour to get back up. Still, we decided to trust him and wended our way downwards with frequent stops for photos.

On reaching the bottom, we savoured the beauty of the lake but then turned around to view the full extent of what now awaited us. A climb back up from 3,550 metres to 4,000 metres... in an hour.

In the end, we did it in 1hr 3mins and I'm very proud of myself. Santiago taught me a new approach which seems to work well for me. Walk very, very, very slowly (like pigeon steps) but NEVER stop. It's a tactic I guess the TGB Trailwalkers are very familiar with (!) and it worked wonders for me. The breathing was hard work but I never felt like I'd run out of air completely and the headache, although there, is easier than yesterday.

This is a good job as we're walking for around 6 hours tomorrow to over 5,000 metres - yikes! Still, no vomiting yet!

We then had a yummy lunch and both bought alpaca scarves from some of the local craftspeople. Jon has spotted that I'm already surgically attached to mine so expect to see it in all photos from now on!

We're now at the Papagayo Hosteria and enjoying a well earned rest in front of the log fire before our challenge tomorrow.

I'll be in touch asap to let you know how we get on (and to hopefully post a few photos). Missing you!

Ecuador: I'm glad to see you!

(Written at 11.30pm on Tuesday 28th December)

It's amazing how quickly being able to lie horizontal and eat using real cutlery can (almost) erase the memory of literally bgging the same airline to let you board a plane you can still see on the tarmac the night before.

Yes, I got an upgrade and the world was suddenly a much brighter place! Business class has to feature in my top 10 greatest inventions ever!

I'm so happy to be here in Ecuador. It was wonderful fighting my way through the hoards at Guayaquil airport (with luggage!) to find Jon there waiting for me.

That's not to say that I didn't have fun in Madrid in the end. Valia and I certainly made the best of our unanticipated day and were really lucky to be stuck there on a crisp bu sunny public holiday. Spanish families were out in force enjoying time together and I have to admit to liking the place.

...But not as much as I like Quito. After a cuppa, a shower and a few errands, Jon and I were back at the airport late morning for our short flight to Ecuador's capital city to practice living at altitude before our volcano climb on Thursday.

And practice we did! We got the Teleferico (cable car) from Quioto up to 4,100 metres and set off uphill at a pace... for about 10 metres beffore we both wheezed to a grinding halt!

However, adopting a more sensible pace and stopping every few minutes we managed to go a lot further than we thought possible. We're both quite stubborn so kept challenging each other to reach another milestone!

You kinda get used to the sound of your heart pounding in your ears and the inability to totally focus your gaze on anything. The headache is a bit harder to ignore but nothing a couple of Nurofen and a lot of water can't fix.

And the views! Well, they make it all worthwhile. Totally hypnotic. Coming down just as the sun was starting to set was sunning. I only wish the photos would do it justice.

Right, I must get some kip. Early start tomorrow for the Quilotoa loop. Not sure when I´ll get to post this but hopefully soon.

Buenos Noches!

Silver linings...

(Written at 8.30am on Monday 27th December)

So, last night I wanted to throw things (preferably at Willie Walsh) and cry (the cricket fans amongst you should be grateful that I decided against inflicting that on you as the only ones likely to still be awake!) but I´ve woken up this morning back to my usual self.

Yes, I may have missed my connecting flight due to BA's incompetence but I'm determined to find the silver lining to what last night felt like a very gloomy cloud!

Here goes...

1. I´ve never been to Madrid before and a Russian girl and Finnish guy I was chatting to last night tell me it's wonderful (yes, I do talk to anyone!)

2. This hotel is pretty decent and I'm going to make the most of it by having a long soak in the bath and a HUGE breakfast!

3. I've met a lovely Chilean girl called Valia who lives in London and who also missed her flight (to Santiago) and has also been rebooked for around midnight tonight. We're going to explore together and, as a bonus, she obviously speaks Spanish and has been here before.

4. The sun is streaming through the window and it looks like it's going to be a genuinely beautiful day.

5. I'm in Spain. What's not to love? Great food, friendly people, relaxed culture... I'm going to lap it all up.

6. There are plenty of other reasons to be cheerful, chief amongst them that my dear friend Sabra safely delivered baby Maia into the world at 7.30 CET last night! Congratulations to her and Luca on their very special christmas present!

So, wish me luck for tonight and say a little prayer to the patron saint of lost luggage that mine somehow miraculously turns up in Ecuador!

And Don, if you're sitting there thinking, "I told her to book another flight to Madrid to make sure she didn't miss her connection," I might still decide to throw things... this time, at you!! ;o)

Adios amigos!

Going, going, gone!

I've packed. Whether I have any of the right things is questionable but I figure that as long as I have my passport, tickets, lip balm, tooth brush and a good book to read (which I do thanks to Ricky!), the rest I can buy in Ecuador.

I'm mega excited - in fact so excited that I seem to find it acceptable to use 'mega' in a sentence! And to top it off, I'm just about to eat cold turkey with bubble and squeak for my lunch. Life doesn't get much better!

I had a lovely day yesterday and hope you all did too - thank you to Mum, Dad, Richard and Marie for making it so special and to everyone else who sent cards, presents, texts or thoughts in our direction.

Next post hopefully from Guayaquil where I promise to use fewer exclamation marks!!!!

Twas the night before Christmas...

... and all through the house, there was a lot of last minute preparation going on! No, I haven't packed (yikes!) but the table is laid, the presents are wrapped and the brussel sprouts are ready for the off!

I'm a funny mixture of excited and nervous right now. Looking forward to a lovely Christmas Day tomorrow with Mum, Dad, Richard and Marie but also slightly panicked about what I've inevitably forgotten to do or buy before I can go away. The shops do open on Boxing Day, right?! At least Jon's only request was teabags - now that I can do :)

Weather report for Guayaquil is 28 degrees but heavy rain. This is the biggest packing challenge I've ever faced - leaving London in sub-zero temperatures, arriving in a tropical thunder storm, acclimatising at altitude, walking up (and down) volcanoes, partying in Banos, snorkelling in the Galapagos. And it's all got to fit in a backpack - no wonder I haven't started, I don't know how to!

Well, for now I'm going to go and watch that spooky drama with John Hurt in on BBC2. There's nothing like a bit of Christmas telly with a cup of tea and a box of chocolates to calm the nerves!

If I don't get around to posting anything tomorrow, I wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS with your families.

The power of positive thinking

The photo shows the view outside the window of my tube at 7.30 this morning as it sat stationary for 20 mins due to a signal failure. Then when I got to Pret, they'd sold out of porridge. It's a good job the day improved from that point on!

Spent some time at lunch contemplating buying my own shovel and heading down to Heathrow but opted for the meal deal at The Fig Tree instead! Good choice, methinks...

@heathrowairport on Twitter now sounding marginally more optimistic and so am I. Now just looking forward to spending time with friends and family and getting all Christmassy!

And if it doesn't work out, I can always fall back on the water wings. Thanks Tania!

Go away snow!

So, the 7 day countdown has officially begun! In one week from today I will be in Guayaquil - hopefully having a nice shower and a cuppa at Jon's after my long flight before setting off again for the flight to Quito.

I can't wait, although the news about the flight cancellations at Heathrow has got me feeling a little nervous. I will swim to Madrid if I have to though - I'm getting on that plane on Boxing Day, snow or no snow!

You can keep track of my travels here. I'm not sure how often I will have internet access but will blog as often as I can. Would be great to read any of your comments in return!