Things didn't quite go according to plan as we arrived in Machachi to be met by two pick ups. For those of you that don't know, pick ups are a bit of a no no with groups. Young people need to have a seat to sit in, preferably with a seat belt, but that is quite an ask in South America. So, after a call back to the Ops room in the UK and the promise that it would be sorted for our return journey, 9 students and myself jumped in the back of one pick up, Steve (my assistant for the week) and Richard the teacher jumped in the back of the other with all 16 bags and the remaining 4 students got seats. The most uncomfortable 45 minutes of my life then ensued as I was sat on the edge of the truck, gripping on for dear life as we bumped up a very unsealed road to the Hacienda del Porvenir.
Thank goodness for the Hacienda del Porvenir. What a sight to behold. We were met with hot sweet tea (from the mint family, but not mint) and mini empanadas before being guided round our luxury accommodation for the night. I have never stayed anywhere quite so posh while on expedition - it was amazing! After a lunch of hot soup we were off for three hours of horse riding. I was actually dreading this part as it is a health and safety nightmare but thankfully they were able to supply 16 helmets, much to the disappointment of the students and much to the relief of Richard and Steve - Richard particularly as the thought of horse riding had made him go rather pale!
The Hacienda sits at 3,600m and we rode up to 4,200m and back down over the course of the afternoon which certainly helped with acclimatisation. We were accompanied by a friendly little dog we came to know as Rocky and who became our permanent talisman for the next few days.That evening, all walking a little like John Wayne and missing our chaps and ponchos, we settled down for a fantastic dinner of soup, followed by chicken, mashed potato and red cabbage. Oh what I would have done for a large glass of Rioja...
After a lovely sleep in a warm and comfortable bed it was up to a delicious breakfast of granola with fruit and yogurt, followed by scrambled egg, bacon and cheese, accompanied by bread rolls and jam. All washed down with a glass of guava juice and a cup of hot chocolate. Now that's what I call a sensible trekking breakfast :)Unfortunately, after all this opulence it was time for a reality check. Dario, our guide (who looked about 14 and didn't speak any English) led us off up the road at a ridiculous rate of knots into the rain on the first day of our trek around Cotopaxi. The wind and the rain was bearable but the lunch of one pita bread with ham and ketchup (oh my god) was not. This was it, I was going to starve to death, surrounded by teenagers, wet and cold and with the taste of cheap ketchup lingering on my tongue. Oh joy. At least there were a few banana chips and a couple of raisins to bulk out the meal...
The rain and the wind continued in spurts but held off just long enough for us to put our tents up at our Santo Domingo campsite (Mother Nature can be nice sometimes). Unfortunately the rain came back with a vengeance when it was time to cook dinner. Poor Becca almost froze to death and then had to put up with Richard, Steve and I moaning about eating cold uncooked pasta with cold tomato sauce. Well, it was pretty shocking and we had to have a good laugh about it. It was that or cry. We had possibly managed to get down 500 calories over lunch and dinner. What was that I said before about starving...?Oh my goodness, I have just realised how much I have been rambling! Long story short: had good night's sleep, woke up to find that my good tent spot had become precariously close to the water's edge following a night of heavy rain, breakfast of porrige (not much) and brown sugar, long day of walking in persistent heavy rain following Dario who didn't always seem to know exactly where he was going, ending up at Hacienda de Tambo to be greeted with more hot (mint but not mint) tea and a roaring fire. Lovely end to a not so lovely day.
After a night of drying out and another good evening meal and hearty breakfast, the sun finally decided to show her face, as did Volcan Cotopaxi! Day 3 was a different kettle of fish altogether as we walked with higher spirits and things to look at other than the person in front's feet while keeping our heads down out of the rain. It was back to the campsite by the lake that night, this time making sure I pitched my tent well away from the water's edge (just in case!). That night Rocky slept in with me - I was hoping he would keep me warm as it was a very clear night but he was a rubbish hot water bottle and I froze (something to do with the bad decision I made about which sleeping bag to take).
Day 4 started with a picture perfect view of Cotopaxi reflected in the lake. Unfortunately, what could have been a fantastic day's walk, was marred slightly by Dario's inability to pick a good route - some dodgy traverses and unnecessary ups and downs made for quite tiring work. Still, we eventually reached our final campsite and lay back to look up at the volcano backed by blue sky and illuminated by the much needed sun. It's quite a stunning sight and definitely one to come back to, without a load of teenagers, to climb at a later date. Another one for the list.
Unfortunately that day one of the students had become ill and was not getting any better that evening. After much deliberating and communication with the Ops room it was decided that she would be better off at the Hacienda. Unfortunately (and I say this with real sincerity...) that meant that I had to accompany her and another student and spend the last night in a warm comfortable bed rather than under canvas. I really am a rubbish camper - give me luxury accommodation any day!! :)Thankfully the young lady in question felt much better in the morning - possibly something to do with the proper toilets, comfy bed, hot shower and hearty breakfast.
So, back in Quito tonight. We finally made it to a local restaurant this evening and had a feast of meat, rice and beans, all for $2.50 a head (can't complain about that!). The kids are all watching a DVD while I sit here, writing this blog, wearing my newly acquired slouchy trousers (I finally gave in and became one of the gang - we all match now) and listening to the hippies play guitar and sing a bit too loudly. Hopefully we will see some more of Quito tomorrow before heading off to Puerto Lopez on Thursday to get started on our project. Adios amigos. Hasta luego :)
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