My host, Chelo, and his family lived a little outside of Quito, so I had to get off the bus at some reference that he had given me earlier and change bus.
The second bus was a smaller bus, and took me through little villages around Quito and stopped literally everywhere.
I was a little unsure where I should get off the bus, but fortunately I found the "puente 8" and Chelo and his father picked me up there and took me to their house. It actually wasn't that far from where the bus stopped, but since it already had gotten dark and I was carrying all my stuff, I gladly accepted the pick-up service.
The whole family received me with open arms, and I immediately felt comfortable. They cared about me like they would have known me forever and were helpful with whatever I needed.
The day I got day there, I didn't do much, but Chelo promised me to show me around Quito the next day.
We left in the morning and took a bus to one of the main stations, close to the historic city center. From there we walked all day long.
Chelo showed me around his dad's former neighborhood, took me to a park with a great view over Quito and from there we walked down to the small streets of the center. Chelo was like my personal tour guide - he told me about the buildings, the history and politics of Quito and Ecuador. My head was getting filled up with information, and I was happy to be with someone who knows his city. There wasn't a single moment where I felt lost or scared, and I started to get an overview over Quito's structure.I especially remember the cathedral, that looks way older than it is and that is still not finished. I loved the statues of all kinds of animals that you can find all around the cathedral!
We passed the main square, where we found ourselves with lots of people (I think it was a Sunday) and stopped from time to time to watch someone dancing or look at some old black and white photographs that were exhibited on the street. We stayed quite a while watching a group dancing the traditional Bolivian dance "Tinku", and I found myself thinking about my time in Bolivia and was fascinated by the colorful costumes the dances were wearing.After that we made our way up to the big virgin, a giant statue on a hill, watching all over Quito.
It was great, and I took a looot of pictures.
When we got back to the house it was like 6 or 7 pm and we had been walking all day long.
Chelo's family supplied us with food, and tired after the long day I feel into "my" bed.
The following day we had planned to go to the "middle of the world", a monument in the North of Quito, which supposedly marks the point 0'0'0 and where you can cross a yellow line which marks the equator. So you can cross from the northern to the southern hemisphere and vice versa.
The monument is the center of a whole complex of museums, restaurants and souvenir shops. It's not the kind of thing I would usually do, but I had planned to make a little photo project for my dad's 50th birthday, that was coming up.
Chelo accompanied me, and helped me to take the pictures - we had to take them with his phone, since I was a typical me and forgot to charge my camera. We got there pretty early, and there were already a lot of people, mainly bigger travel groups or families.
We went to two of the museums as well, one about measuring instruments in the old days, and one photography exhibitions with pictures of the biggest mountains of the world. I loved the pictures, and it was even better see the places where I had been and lived in Peru.
Other than that we didn't spent too much time in the "middle of the world", but soon started our way back to Quito.
There I accompanied Chelo to some kind of office, where he had to pick up some documents. Close to the office we found a vegetarian restaurant, where we had a delicious and healthy lunch.
From there we walked through the business part of Quito, crossed a big park and finally landed in the touristic and nightlife part of the city.
We walked around a little bit, had a fruit juice, and then ended up in one of the bars drinking some beers. It was still afternoon, and I was surprised not to see as many tourists as I expected. It seemed more like an university student bar, since there were a lot of students drinking their after-classes-beer(s).
I actually liked the atmosphere of the bar and we sat outside under a roof watching the rain falling on the street.
Back at the house I checked the weather forecast, since I was still hoping to find a nice day to go to the Cotopaxi volcano. The way from Quito is longer than from Latacunga, but it's not impossible and transport in Ecuador is really cheap and easy to handle (you can hop on and off a long-distance (!) bus wherever you want and Ecuador isn't that big, so you can get anywhere in reasonable time).
The forecast showed good weather for the following day, so I packed some food and prepared my warm clothes. I went to bed early, since I had to get up early and get to the park entrance first.
Cotopaxi
I had to take two buses in the morning - when I was waiting for the first one, it was still dark outside.
Getting to the entrance of the national park was quite easy. I told the bus driver where I wanted to go, and he told me where I had to get off.
The more difficult thing was to find someone to take me to the actual volcano.
So I got off the bus on the side of the highway, which I also had to cross (my most favorite thing of all) and on the other side I found a little hut. There were some pick-up trucks standing around, but it was still early.
I knew I should find a driver and a group, so it would be a little cheaper. And I still wasn't at the actual park entrance building.
I waited there for a while, and neither the gray clouds over my head nor the cold wind disappeared. I was already thinking about going back to Quito, when a car stopped that looked like a park ranger's car. The man were getting into the car, and were about to leave when I went up to them and asked if they knew what I should do. I just wasn't sure if this was the right place to wait.
They were nice and told me they could take me to the actual entrance building where it would be easier to find a group and a guide because all cars had to stop there.
I agreed and enjoyed my short, exclusive ride.
They left me in a parking lot, and I was getting more optimistic. It just had to be possible to find someone. The park rangers also called over a guide who was already there, but since I was alone, he wanted to charge me more. I decided to wait a little bit, and soon cars and people started arriving at the parking lot. I asked around and then found a group of girls sitting in a car and waiting for their guide, while he went to register the visitors. I found him and asked if I could join. He told me the price, and since it was what I had expected to pay, I agreed.
In the car I found out that all of the girls spoke German, and I was happy to have some company.
We drove up, through the clouds, to the last parking place. Almost the whole way we could see the perfectly-shaped, snow-covered peak of one of the most famous mountains of Ecuador.
When we got out of the car, a cold wind received us. We got all of our warm clothes out of the car, and started walking up to the shelter. The trail was a broad sand strip, leading upwards. I enjoyed the fresh, chilly air, but I also started to feel the, by now, familiar effects of the high altitude. On of the girls already wanted to go back to the car and wait for us there.
Soon we got up to the shelter, which was under construction. There another one of the girls stayed behind, while the guide, a Swiss girl, and I kept going. It wasn't far, and our goal was only to get to the beginning of the glacier.
In the end I was the only one who reached it. Even the guide stayed behind and waited for me close to the glacier.
I got there easily, to the border of the snow, to the end of the trail, to the place where one could only keep going overcoming their limits. It felt so good to be out there, and the only thing I wanted was to have my boyfriend with me and climb the Cotopaxi up to the top with him.
I was also thinking in my grandpa, who had actually been one of the main reasons I wanted to do this trip so badly. He died about 2 years ago, and when I was a kid, he always told me about the "volcanoes with the funny names", including the Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl and, for me, the Cotopaxi. I took a picture which I wanted to take to his grave back home.
But it wasn't possible, so I had to keep this thought in my mind and my dreams for the future and start walking back down. We 'collected' everybody that stayed behind and returned to the car.
We left the parking spot and started our way down, where we stopped at a lake and a camp site. We ate the lunch each of had brought with them, and then we already went back to where we started.
The driver dropped me off at the highway, and from there I took the two buses back to the house where I was staying.
I was tired and exhausted, but happy.
On the next day I enjoyed sleeping in and stayed "at home" all day. I did laundry (they even had a washing machine!!!), updated my blog a little bit (haha) and uploaded photos.
In the late afternoon I helped Chelo and his mom in their little paper store around the corner. I just love being in stores like that and my head is always spinning with ideas. I also wanted to thank them by helping out, since they let me stay and eat for free and even gave me the materials for my dad's birthday gift without accepting a cent.
The following day (I was starting to like Quito, I stayed there quite a while) I met up with another guy from CS, a friend of his and a Canadian girl at the cable car station of a mountain called Pichincha.
It's basically still in Quito, and the mountain is one of the many that surrounds the capital like a wall.
We took the cable car, and started a hike from the top station. We walked about 2 hours (I think) and made it to the summit of 4696 msnm. The weather was absolutely shitty, but the trail was great and super diversified. Initially we wanted to take an alternative route over the ridge, but because of the weather it was too dangerous.Still, I liked it a lot, and it always feels so good to go outside and get your body moving, and return exhausted!
After a little break we took the cable car back down again and went to an Indian restaurant in La Mariscal to get lunch. I think it was the only time in my whole trip that I ate Indian food.
We talked for a while, and planned to meet again later for a birthday party/climbing party. Or something like that.
I spent the afternoon with Chelo and a friend of his, and then we met up again with the guys from the hike and drove to the climbing spot.
It had already gotten dark and it's quite a unique climbing spot - next to an old road, on the outside of a tunnel.
From there we had a great view over the lights of Quito, and it was the first time I did some night climbing. The routes were short and easy, but it was fun, and then we had some delicious birthday cake.
After that I went to get some beers with Chelo and his friend, but I was starting to get tired after this long day. At the end I fell asleep on the couch of some of his friends, and just waited to get back to my bed.
The time was passing by fast, and I was already staying in Quito for almost a week. Still, I couldn't get myself to leave, also because I needed a little break from changing place all the time.
So Friday I spent most of the time at the house, doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
In the early afternoon I talked to an acquaintance that I had met once in Antacocha on a climbing trip with my boyfriend. He told me he was going to the climbing gym, and since I didn't want to be that lazy and not leave the house all day I took the bus up to Quito.
I was only half-motivated and even though Chelo gave me clear instructions on which bus to take, I thought I knew it better and took another one. I thought it can't be that far away.
But when the bus came to it's final stop I realized that I actually was kind of far away from the gym, and my motivation sank further. When I started walking it started raining. I had already taken the decision of looking for the next bus stop and take the bus back home. The traffic was horrible, it was cold and rainy and I was already late.
At some point the rain turned into hail, and I think I've never seen it hailing like this in my life before. Within seconds the streets where covered in ice. Everything turned white, the pavements were like carpets of hailstones. I kept walking, in astonishment about the force of nature that could turn a mega city like Quito into a completely different world in just seconds.
I got completely wet, from head to toe, but I think it was the weather that woke me up and made me walk to the climbing gym, even though I had already canceled.
I stayed there for a while, but more bouldering for myself than socializing with the guys that were there.
Waiting for the bus I had a nice chat with a women at the bus stop, and then I enjoyed the bus ride back (I actually got on the right bus this time).
Back to the house and I called it a day.
Family
On the following day there was to be a family reunion at the house of Chelo's grandmother. His family had been talking about it all week long and almost forced me to come with them.
We walked over to grandma's some time between morning and noon, I got to meet all aunts and uncles and cousins and nephews and nieces. They were already working on the grill, and everybody was messing around with some type of food. It didn't take long until everything was finished and I helped serving the plates. And as it has to be at family reunions all over the world, it was a LOT of food. Cooked bananas, different kinds of potatoes, salad, chicharron, sauces...unfortunately I don't remember what else.
But I do remember that it didn't seem that much on the plate, and I almost couldn't finish the meal. I still don't understand how those who ate meat could eat everything. It was incredible.
Since we got there we were drinking beer and when it was time for the cake I already felt a little tipsy.
After cleaning up a little some uncle started to unload his sound system from the car. He had brought microphones, a guitar, and some big speakers.
He put it all up in the living room, and started to sing and play the guitar. From time to time someone joined him, and I felt like listening to all of the most famous latino songs in a row. Everybody was full and relaxed.
After a while he stopped singing and turned on the speakers. It seemed like full volume, and now we were listening to everything. From salsa to cumbia to disco to reaggaeton to some arab songs. The uncle was Colombian, and next to his sunny personality a great dancer. He motivated everybody and even dared to try teaching me some salsa. The family reunion turned more and more into a party as they got out the whiskey and he absolutely rocked it.
When the energy faded, we started eating again. Dinner was soup (I don't know what they do to their soups in South America, but they're always delicious) and the leftovers from lunch. We also cut a second cake, until nobody was able to move from their seat.
We kept talking for a while, and everybody seemed happy asking me questions about my country and my travels.
Then we finally went to sleep, since it had been a long day.
The day after the family reunion was to be my last day in Quito.
I stayed at the house, packing my stuff and organizing some other things. I also enjoyed being able to use a laptop and got into writing my blog again.
The day before I had already checked the bus schedule, and decided to take a night bus to the coast. Apparently there was only one bus company, with service to Bahia de Caraquez and I was had been sure that I would get a seat if I would arrive at the bus terminal three hours before the bus was leaving.
Just to be sure I called the company around noon. The lady on the phone told me that they had only five seats free and that I couldn't make a reservation. Now I was scared I wouldn't get a seat if I didn't leave the house right now and get to the terminal super early.
It wasn't my plan of choice - I was sitting on the comfortable bed, writing, and then all of a sudden I had to finish packing rapidly and say goodbye.
It was a sad goodbye, and I definitely hope I can visit the Herrera family again.
So I took off to the terminal and bought my ticket. There I found out that it wasn't true at all that there were only five seats left, but the whole bus was still empty. I was glad to get a ticket but now I also had to wait in the terminal all afternoon.
I changed place from time to time, read my book, chatted with the security guards and drank some hot chocolate.
Fortunately time passed by, and at 9 pm it finally got time to get on the bus.
Filled with excitement to wake up in an unknown place again, I finally fell asleep when we were driving out of Quito.
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