AspiringNomad

The next morning, feeling surprisingly fresh we packed our things and set off for Cotopaxi at 10am. Part of the same company, the organisation of this trip was very good! We arrived a couple of hours later to a beautiful place surrounded by volcanoes, cows, alpacas and grassland. Without any phone signal, 4g or WiFi we were free from all the noise of social media and had 3 days to take in our surroundings!
After an hour to relax we joined the waterfall hike. During this hike we took a dip in the freezing cold water at the foot of a waterfall! Absolutely soaked from the rain and the swim, we warmed up back at the hostel. Reunited with some friends that we made during the infamous karaoke night. We sat around playing card games and chatted about where we were from. I realised how small the world really is when one of my friends announced he had been living in Norwich for the last 5 years! We chatted about our home towns over a game of ‘Whot’ which is self-proclaimed to be ‘The original British Favourite’. It was essentially a poor mans UNO, but it’s now a solid favourite of ours, so maybe there is some truth in the slogan! We took the mick out of Chesterfield until our ribs ached (poor Dom) and headed to bed.

An early 6:30am start meant that it wasn’t a late night. All geared up, we bundled in the little and very bumpy bus to the Cotopaxi volcanoe. At an altitude of 4700m above sea level the breathlessness was a real struggle! We hiked up to the glacier and the base camp at 5000m above sea level and despite the slow walking pace we were all completely out of breath. The views were unbelievable!
Before heading all the way back, we had the opportunity to mountain bike down the volcanoe for a little bit. All excited, I mounted my bike, helmet on and phone in one hand ready to film as I cycled down. Unfortunately, I misjudged quite how bumpy the terrain was and I lasted about 100m with one hand before I completely fell off my bike! In disbelief and shock, I brushed off the dirt and got back on to my bike. It was at this moment that I turned around to see the whole rest of our group laughing hysterically at my misfortune! It was rather colossal, and the video on my phone has made me laugh many times over since!
I continued on and about 2 mins in the heavens opened. We were caught in a full on hail storm! I have never been so soaked through than after that cycle ride. As the hail came down and pounded on my face, the lightening bolts lit up the clouds with the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard! It was a very dramatic decline down Cotopaxi and as much as I really wasn’t having a good time whilst doing it, in hindsight, I wouldn’t change it one bit!
We returned to our hostel and I checked over the damaged from the fall! Fortunately, just a couple of grazes and some bruises on my legs!
As we stand looking out at the Volcanoes we hear some more familiar voices calling us! It’s more friends from Quito!
The squad was back together again!
We decided to enjoy some patagonian wine with our dinner and one shared bottle turned into a bottle each and eventually we were playing Warewolf/Mafia with the volunteers well into the night. At about midnight we decided to make use of the jacuzzi and warm up before eventually going to bed!

The next morning, Cindy, Max and I decided to make the most of the tranquility of the Secret Garden, Cotopaxi. We all cuddled on the sofa in our ponchos chatting to one another. Max was meant to be leaving us this day but as we discussed what our plans were over the next few days he decided at the last minute to come with us to Banos.

We arrived in Banos at 7pm on Saturday. Due to a tiresome week, we decided to call it a night after getting something to eat. Banos is known for being a thrill seekers paradise. There are tours for everything; paragliding, canyoning, ATV tours, white water rafting etc etc!
Cindy, Max and I had booked to go white water rafting. Mariam who was in our dorm also decided to come with us, so at 9am we were off out heading further east to the river.

As you can imagine, the white water rafting didn’t disappoint! It was so much fun and it included lunch all for $20!
That afternoon, I had already decided that I wanted to do the ‘sketchy’ bridge jump swing which is walking distance from our hostel in Banos (also 20$). Max and Cindy both agreed to do it until we got to the bridge and they soon backed out, leaving me to take the jump on my own!

I checked out how it was all rigged up and what I would be harnessed to then, before I knew it, I was standing on the edge of the platform looking down at a very, very big drop below.
I shouted ‘I’m ready!’ And leant forward to what could have quite possibly been my death! It would have been a spectacular way to go but fortunately, I live to tell the tale and since I jumped, Max, Cindy and a few others decided to jump too!
It was brilliant and I honestly haven’t felt more alive than after jumping off that bridge!

Once everyone had a go at tempting fate, we grabbed a coffee and wandered around the shops before getting ready for our last night out together. I spent the night with my fellow English friends and Max (Canadian). The less I say about this night, the better! Too much alcohol was consumed. We had a mini party in one of the rooms at the hostel, we played Sardines in the Enchanted Forest where I asked two of the employees to hide me behind their counter, we ended up at a friend’s Air bnb and I am pretty sure I did a solo rendition of high school musical.
The hangxiety of the antics from the night before was heavy on my shoulders in the morning, but it was a great send off with just some of the amazing people who I have met this week.

I spent my last few hours in Banos cruising around in a hired Jeep visiting all the waterfalls in the area. The hikes down to the waterfalls did mean we had to hike back up again, but it was worth all the blood, sweat and tears.

Having too much fun in the jeeps, I missed my bus to Guayaquil at 5:30pm so I opted to get the 7:30pm bus instead. It entails a 6hr bus trip to the west of Ecuador so I can catch my flight to the Galapagos on Tuesday morning. I had food and a couple of drinks with my friends from Quito/Cotopaxi and we had a very tearful goodbye. Max, Cindy and I have spent the last 7 days together and none of us could have imagined the amount of memories we have shared! The hikes, the hangovers, the friends, the views and all the trials and tribulations that come with travelling have all been endured together. I will miss them both very much but it was time for me to move on to the next part of my trip.

Unfortunately the trip to Guayaquil wasnt quite as smooth as I hoped. The 7:30pm bus to Guayaquil was full and so I had to get a bus to Ambato and change there for Guayaquil. I managed to get a boleto with 2 mins to spare. Typically, the bus from Ambato to Quayaquil ended up being about 7/8 hours long! I tried to sleep but the stress of arriving at 3am in a sketchy city was keeping me awake.
To put it in perspective, I felt more unsafe walking out of the bus terminal in Quayaquil than I did jumping off a bridge!
The taxi man was driving around for at least an hour trying to find my hostel!
After a few phone calls and stops for him to ask dodgy men where my hostel was (I wasn’t pleased about that) we eventually ended up at the right place and I had a solid 4 hours sleep to prepare me for what I hope is a smooth journey to the Galapagos!

Pleased to leave Guayaquil, I am now in the air over the Pacific Ocean. Next stop, San Cristobal!