Ecuador (Part 1)

Highlights from my journal (his will be the closest I get to blogging and it still feels pretentious). Day 1: Total baggage - 49.5 pounds Savings account label changed from "prospective" to " perspective" Writing on a dark airplane blows... Goals: 1) Be Grateful 2) Be Genuine 3) Get Barreled *Never keep the camping pillow in checked luggage

Day 2: Sunrise in Panama City. Met a Frenchman who was genuinely excited for me. No small feat. Song of the day, The Oh Hello's "Second Child, Restless Child". Thank you Jay Petraitis. Trying to interpret for a Haitian who wants Ginger Ale. Good news, I've found someone who speaks less Spanish than I do. Bad news, apparently I speak more French than the entirety of Copa Flight 273 The pilot would be pleased to know he received a raucous Haitian Ovation for the safe landing. Ended up completing six visa applications for this unanticipated Haitian contingent on the floor of the Guayaquil customs receiving room. They're all students...

Day 3: Probably took what will be the best photo of the trip. The look on the daughter's face is indifferent beyond her years. Fastest sunset ever. Sorest shoulders ever. Day 4: Worst farmers burn ever. Apparently the UV index was 13 yesterday. I have no idea what that means or how to track that information, but my calves suggest I find out. Only three in the lineup this morning with clean, nearly chest-high surf. My shoulders are done. Montañita tonight for dinner and drinks. Could get interesting.

Day 5: "El Burro de Nuñes Viaja al Norte". The best way I've found to see Ecuador is sitting on a camping chair in the back of a pickup truck while traversing the five mountains between Ayampe and Montañita. It did get a little sketchy when we came across a donkey in Nuñes heading North, riding the yellow line like bread crumbs. Ran out of water today and my Steri-pen is acting up. Need to find directions on line. Not an auspicious start to my off-the-grid portion of the trip...and I'm currently two steps more adventurous than a Sandals. Should be interesting.

Day 6: Hitch hiked to Puerto Lopez with Gustavo who honks at EVERYTHING. Picked up two more along the way. If one wasn't a hooker she was on her way to an audition. Ended up as the DJ for last night's 80s party at La Buena Vida. Lasted two hours before the crowd was ready to hang someone for meringue. Bon Jovi and Cyndi Lauper look-a-likes doing the meringue...for hours. Hungover bus ride for a phone card...listening to the Avett Brothers. Hammock Fail. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the local flora & fauna before picking a papaya tree.

Day 7: Back to Peurto Lopez for snorkeling and bird watching. I can't explain it, but I officially have Boobie fever. It's like if finding a four leaf clover was hard...but not THAT hard. I thought I liked curling, a new group of Canadians checked in and they knew what material the bristles of the brushes used to be, what they are now, and the effect on the game. Too much...but God if they aren't the most polite people on the planet. Considering skipping Canoa and Mompiche and doing 10 days in the Galapagos. Can't think of anything better than Boobies and waves for your birthday.

Day 8: Clouds, rain, and small surf sealed the deal. Booked a flight from Manta to Quito but had to borrow a dollar from Anna Damsma and Frank Hoogeveen to make bus fare to Manta. Looks like I have to get to Amsterdam to pay them back. Coolest cab driver in Quito history. Talked to señor Orlando about music, broke out the UE Boom, and shared the latest from Estados Unidos. "Musica es mi Vida" Finally found Puerta Azul. Greeted by Cesar and Hermania and actually received a compliment on my spanish. Two of the nicest people, even if they aren't telling the truth, I've ever met. Certainly nicer than the $12 price tag would dictate.

Day 9: Altitude 9,600' and Latitude S 0° 12'? If Quito outlawed whiskey there would officially be zero chance of an Irish expat residing here. Super tourist day, lots of photos and walking around Old Town Quito. Students from a local trade school are learning metal work, to include gold leaf, and have restored a lot of the city to include the historic churches. Most of them had services going on today so I need to get back when the sunburned gringo with a camera won't cause so much of a scene. Turns out it wasn't just Gustavo, all Ecuadoreans honk their horn, all the time.

Day 10: Another Super Tourist day. Went to the middle of the Earth, no big deal. They did a nice job of it with the monument and explanation of the 1760's French expedition to map it. Skipped lunch and went straight to Teleferiqo (gondola). Starts at 10k' and climbs to a little over 13k'. After some photos and a quick chicken empanada with a bottle of water I was about to head home. Overheard an American group celebrating their hike to 15,406'. After learning you can continue to the summit of a dormant volcano at said altitude, my interest was peaked. After finding the trail head I set out at 3:55 armed with little more than my pollo empanada, 20oz of aqua, and little more information than the summit height. 15 minutes into the hike I saw signs to rent horses as well as signs indicating it was either a 14 or 11km hike. Deciding the last thing I needed was another variable in the inevitable language barrier between myself and this Ecuadorean "horse", I continued on foot. 14k' is high. I say 14k' because I'm not sure if I made 15k'. Fog looked ominous by 5:00 and by 5:30 (5k into the hike) decisions needed to be made. Running low on visibility, calories, hydration, ego, and time (especially if it was in fact 14k), I decided to turn around. Should have rented that horse. Had a hilarious dinner conversation with Cesar comparing Bill Clinton with General Parrone and the former Governor of South Carolina. No language barriers there.

Day 11: When undecided or unsure how to prepare local cuisine, fry in bacon fat. 'Merica. In-Bus movie for the trip to Otovalo? Insidious 2. Huge hit although even in Spanish it wasn't hard to figure out Cole Hauser was going to be the semi-bad guy trying to be good (a la Morgan Freeman before he played God in everything). Otovalo locals all wanted a $1 to take their picture. Capitalism at its finest. Tried to sneak a couple but none came out well. Did get a great shot of a baby that should be a baby Sombrero model, who didn't charge. Probably a Venezuelan socialist. Overall huge tourist trap but I was able to practice my spanish through haggling vendors and learning how to play a 12 string ukulele, which was incredibly hard to walk away from. I had to convince myself that YouTube tutorials would be scarce.

Day 12: Apparently the elections are this weekend. Apparently they are also mandatory, and you must vote in your home district. Therefore public transportation is a nightmare and alcohol sales are outlawed. Couldn't find reasonable lodging in Galapagos on this short notice but I did find private transportation, cheap lodging, a mountain bike, and a couple of volcanoes. Looking like a downhill biking/mountain climbing kind of birthday. Not exactly Blue Footed Boobies and waves but I guess it's apples and oranges really. I am a little nervous about Chimborazo at over 20k'. Technical climbing with sketchy conditions, not many summit. In the words of Justin Woodworth, "Fuck it, YOLO". Not until a couple of classes on crevasse rescue obviously but then, yes, "Fuck it, YOLO"

Day 13: 20+ miles of mountain biking at 13k'. I don't know if it was the best single track but it was definitely the most earned. After punishing myself on a rental the owner let me use his $7,000 Cannondale. I don't know if he felt bad for me or just wanted to make me earn it, but after lunch he still let me use his bike and he gave me a lift in his truck for a couple of runs on some decent single track. Hot shower, drinking so much water it's hard to eat. 3:30 wake up to climb Illinizas tomorrow. Highlight of the night was listening to Buena Vista Social club with a native Cuban who some history to the songs.

Day 14: What did I get myself into? Already looking forward to my day off tomorrow before my first cup of coffee today. Just have to climb a mountain first. Since my guide, Fernando, had to get back to vote I expected a brisk walk to start. I think I've had drunken stumbles that challenged this pace. It didn't take long however before we were both breathing audibly (boosting my ego) but soon a "Refugio - 2km" sign began messing with my head. I kept thinking that even at this break-neck pace we should be able to do 2km in under an hour, so I started looking for it. Between the volcanic ash switch-back ridge line from hell and my eyes playing tricks in the dark, morale...could have been higher. As soon as we summited that section however I knew we'd reached a milestone with Fernando's shouts to the valley...and the fact I could see el Refugio less than a 500m flat traverse away. Thirty minutes and a MUCH needed restroom break later we were on our way to the rock scramble to the peak. Even thought he grade was significantly steeper, the fact I was using my brain and upper body was a welcome change. There was also a group that took off 30 minutes ahead of us and, with my ego restored, I wanted to catch them. Although we barely missed them on the way up, we did make good time and there was no need for lead climbing or the harness in general. Just a pair of Solomon's and Mountain Hardwear gloves. Summit pics came out ok, although it looks like I'm doing something awful to the make-shift monument. With hunger in stomach and the summit on film, we began the mad dash of a descent. This was the craziest, steepest, sandiest descent I've ever experienced. We averaged over 100'/minute for close to 15 minutes. Arriving at the truck I inhaled a tuna sandwich that I thankfully left and looked at the mountain. Returned home and passed out for four hours. I have a wood burning stove in my room which they won't let me light myself, nor will they listen to me when I say you can't start a fire with four full logs.#thirdworldproblems

Day 15: Just want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. Had a great morning of horseback riding with wild horses but sadly I'm now fighting a chest cold. Plenty of rest and fluids in the immediate future to have even the most remote chance of summiting Cotopaxi. Wish me luck.

Day 16: Cold remedies tried: 2 servings fresh fruit w/ granola and real yogurt 6 liters of water 10 cups chamomile tea Hot shower Feel-good movie Feel-good book Vegetable soup with chicken broth Birthday cake Last three pro-biotic pills Ecuadorian multi-vitamin Shooting for 10 hours of sleep.

Day 17: Feeling slightly better. Hoping starting my bid early and fresh mountain air will make the difference. Mind over matter at this point.

Day 18: All in all the day was a success. No sleep, ran out of food and water, broke the strap on the Nalgene bottle (sorry Jeff Gardner), but the climb is complete. Met some Israelis who are heading to Baños to celebrate Carnaval and since it looks like they have some class III and IV rapids I will probably join them. New itinerary - Carnaval and rapids with some Israelis for two days, followed by floating the Amazon with a Canuck.