Day 911
The Quilotoa Loop
Leaving Quito we had a dilemma. Which way to go? We were torn, if we took the direct route, we could possibly catch Helene, who had stayed with us in Pasto. We could then celebrate Christmas together. Or we could cycle around and maybe even up Cotopaxi, the massive volcano dominating the skyline. The other option was to take the road loop up to and around Laguna Quilotoa. The Laguna is a picture postcard crater, something I have always wanted to see. It was a difficult decision. We so wanted to see Helene again, but didn’t want to miss out on this part of Ecuador. Reluctantly we let her know our decision and still hope to meet down the road. We decided against Cotopaxi, the weather was poor so the chances were we wouldn’t actually see it, 50% of the time it remains hidden in the mist, and a lot of the route is more hike and bike than ride, and after Las Minas, Tom decided we just didn’t need to punish ourselves anymore.
So Quiltoa Loop it was! The ride took four days. We climbed higher than we have ever been, over 13,000 feet. Each day we rode up for miles, then down again. Landslides had destroyed the route but we got by, pushing up a vertical road for over 800ft at one point. We created a new motto, “This isn’t much fun!”. With the hills, at times poor weather, combined with breathing issues cycling at such high altitudes, plus I had the worst tummy issues of the trip, each day was a struggle. The views were stunning though. Volcanos, canyons, mountains, patchwork fields so reminiscent of home, except they were just about vertical. This was proving to be a tough time for us, my biking friends from home sent lovely messages to keep me strong.
We had been warned about the dogs in Ecuador and they were certainly out in force. Some gave chase, others just watched us pass by. The most heart-breaking were the ones who simply sat patiently by us as we ate, hoping for any scraps. I went without lunch on two days. We stayed in remote villages, met and chatted with the local people. The contrast in lifestyle from the cities to the countryside was a struggle to comprehend. Modern dress was replaced by traditional clothing, the people worked in the fields with no modern equipment to help till the land. It is clearly back breaking work, such a tough life. So many houses appeared to be built from anything to hand and rarely appeared finished. These people are tough. It’s hard to explain my emotions as we cycled by, we were there to experience and enjoy their country whilst so many are clearly struggling to survive the daily grind. We tried to give where we could, spending money in the local community. We were greeted with friendship and interest in our trip wherever we were.
