Quito and the Journey to the Center of the Earth!!

Well after a mostly rainy stay in the small beach town of Atacames we headed off to the capital of Ecuador, Quito (pronounced key-toe), to send off our friend Jay as his trip had come to an end. The bus ride to Quito involved a steady climb up the densely, dark-green forested mountain as we watched a raging river below slowly shrink smaller and smaller until we were encompassed in cloud. As we emerged from the cloud cover we were awe struck with the sheer magnitude of the city of Quito. We were driving on a populated mountain ridge that quickly and steeply dropped off on both sides to show us miles and miles of compact city spreading out in every direction. The ridge continued for a long time before we finally ascended to the bustling capital.

The hostel we stayed at was called the Secret Garden and was full of great people and fun staff. The reception was on the fifth floor where they had a roof top terrace with a phenomenal view of the city, a bar, and gourmet restaurant. When we found out our reservation apparently didn't go through properly they were super cool about it and gave us all a free drink and ended up upgrading our accomodations from dorms to private rooms for the first night to make up for their mistake. Very cool! We enjoyed a delicious meal on the rooftop and took part in a quiz night challenge for some great prizes but came dead last.... By a lot... Apparently we were lacking in our random tidbit knowledge like David Bowie's real name is David Jones. Who knew! Despite poorly representing Canada we had a lot of fun and the other nights were no different (with regards to fun that is). It was lucky we were in somewhat of a rush to head south for Machu Picchu or else I am not sure if we would have been able to leave Quito.

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the telling of our JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH! Well it was really only the Midad del Mundo (middle of the world) but that did not stop me from saying the aforementioned exciting journey at any and every given chance. We took a couple city buses for an hour and a half to a very impressive monument to the Equator. It was so neat to be able to jump from one hemisphere to the other and learn about all the different forces at work at the Equator and the indigenous peoples that lived around the area. The only thing that would have made it better would be if Brendan Fraser was there (he starred in Journey to the Center of the Earth if that reference seemed too obscure for you). The first monument we visited was founded by a team of French scientists who were sent out to measure the size of the Earth via tedious trigonometry but unfortunately, and much too late for the monument, were off by 200m as was later foundd using GPS. We later went to a much more humble equator monument where we were able to conduct a series of experiments to prove that it was indeed the "true" equator.

The grand but wrongly place monument to the equator.

So, things we learned: 1) water drops straight down at the equator because the opposing centripital forces of the two hemispheres created by the spinning of the earth cancel eachother out at the equator. We took the basin to either side and observed the opposing spirals created just feet away from the exact point of the equator. Sooo cool! Apparently this equalizing of forces also accounts for why there are no tornadoes or hurricanes at the Equator either. I was a little skeptical of that point but it could very well be true. 2) The sun dials are perpendicular at the equator with two faces: one for telling time while the sun is in the northern hemisphere and the other for while it is in the southern. 3) During the equinox days Quito is the closest possible community to the sun. 4) The indiginous people there believed in life after death and when you died you were buried in a pot in the fetal position to represent the womb. There were also tools and clothes buried too for use in the next life. The chief would not be buried alone so they would drug the wife with a hallucinogenic cactus and bury her alive! So not cool! They also shrunk heads of loved ones and enemies as it was believed the spirit was kept in the head. They would sow the mouth and eyes shut to make sure no spirit escaped during the process. Why not the nose you may ask, who knows! And finally, not the most interesting but still fun, 5) they were completely naked peoples and the males wore a string around their waste that found its place snugly under the head of the penis holding it flesh against their stomach (punny!) as they thought this was more comfortable. If anyone is interested in this new fashion trend let me know and I will see if I can pick you up some traditional penis string. Needless to say we had a blast even without Brendan Fraser and learned a lot.

Me walking on my hands in both hemisperes at once!


Mitch and I at the true equator site.

We are now in Montañita, a very popular surfing location with no less than 75 surfers out on the water on a busy day and are loving surfing and relaxing. More to come soon!

Good Roads, Crazy Drivers!

After our trek, Matt came down with an illness and was bed ridden for a few days in Santa Marta. Forunately, our room had a great selection of movie channels, so for about 3 or 4 days Brad, Jayson, Matt and I chilled in Santa Marta.
On Sunday, we made the jump to Cartagena. We forgot to take into account that it was Easter Sunday, and we were in the most desired Colombian holiday destination. This being said, upon arrival to the bus terminal, getting a bus ticket looked grim with huge queues and copious amounts of peoples bum rushing the incoming busses. After a long wait in a queue, we managed to get some tickets. Matt and I sat in the VERY front of the bus, next to the driver, whereas Brad and Jayson sat in the VERY back.
After four hours of speeding and swerving around cars, trucks and motorcycles, we arrived in Cartagena and grabbed a taxi to an up-and-coming hotel. It was still under construction, but the brand new beds and pillows were so comfortable! The place also had a pool, restaurant, rooftop terrace with speakers and a bar (under constuction). It was a great place to hang out and most of the guests were from England.
We spent most of our time chilling at the hotel. One day, while I was bed ridden (too much ron), Matt, Jay, Brad and the posh English couple, Alex and Flo went to venture the city looking for a bar to watch the Manchester, Liverpool footy match. Instead, they ate some delicious lunch and proceeded to get lost on the way back home. Apparently no taxis had heard of this new hotel and none of them knew the street name it was on. After taking several taxis to find the hotel with some frustrated passengers, they arrived safe on the positive note that it was a nice way to see the city.
The old city is surrounded by big walls with canons on them, which were built in the 1600s to fend off the pilaging of pirates. It being an important port for South American treasures made it a big target and victim to several pirate attacks.

Yarrr!

Thursday, we decided was time to get out of Colombia. Unfortunate really, but we had to get a move on south. Next destination: Beach in Ecuador.
To get to the border took 48 hours, 3 busses and 3 taxis. We crossed the border by foot and hopped on a fourth taxi to the Tulcan bus terminal.
We decided to go to Atacames to chill on the beach for Jays last week of travel. Getting there took another 3 busses, 10 hours and only cost us 10 US dollars (that is the currency used here).
It is the dry season, but despite the little rain, the sky is often overcast. It is still warm though and the beach is beautiful, long and lined with bars. We have played some beach volleyball, tried some midnight surfing and enjoyed the cheap restaurants.
Right now, we are hunting for a surf shop to buy fins and a leash for the board we adopted. Unfortunately, all we have been able to find is wax. Soon, the surf town of Montañita!

Lost City Trek

6 days of trekking in the Sierra Nevada, jungle of Colombia will beat you up. This is why we have spent the last couple of days lazing about being anything but productive. Matt picked up a stomach flu that hit him right after we got back from the treck, and all of us in our group of 8--two English couples & 4 BC boys--were sore and tired of walking in the heat with big backpacks. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable and incredible experience.

Check stop before heading into the Sierra Nevada.

Our trek started last Friday. We met at the Hotel Miramar at 9 in the morning, but didn´t depart until closer to 10:30. Our group included Karen & Steve, the English couple we dove with; Alex and Flo, another, younger English couple; Brad and Jayson, from B.C.; and of course Matt G and Mitch B! Anyway, we started by taking a land cruiser from Santa Marta to a small village in the Sierra Nevada. After a basic but delicious lunch, we met one of our Guides. His name was Gabriel and the other guide who we were to meet later that day was Uriel. They are both tough Spanish speaking guys standing in at 5 foot 4 inches. Tiny but strong!
20 minutes into the trek, we made our first of many swimming stops at a pool in the river. Since we were hiking in the heat of the day, it was very good to cool off. Soon after we started a big ascent to gain 120 vertical meters. With the sun blazing down at over 30 degree celsius and large 30 pound backpacks, this was a very strenuous beginning. Fortunately, after 2 hours of climbing we were blessed with overcast to finish our final 2 hours to the first cabano.
Upon arriving to our accomodation, we got our hammocks ready and then proceeded to play some cards and enjoy a dinner. After the card game, we were all quick to go to bed.
The next morning, we were given our wake up call with the sun at about 6:30am. Coffee preceded breakfast and shortly after we fused with another group to make a quick walk to a terrific waterfall. Matt dubbed it his favorite place in the world, so I will leave a spot for him to describe the magic in better words than I could come up with.



{Matt} Well like Mitch indicated, I have found my own personal paradice. Just upstream from where the trail meets the stream is a water fall that empties into a deep pool with high, smooth rocks rising up on all sides that you can dive off. I entertained myself with back flips from the lower ledges which was such a blast, but many of the others ventured to the highest points for an exhilerating jump. Then, just down stream is the most beautiful spot I have ever seen in my life. The water splits initially into two falls, one major falling down to the bottom and the second that splits into many others forming a natural water slide park look as they wind and weave inbetween the rich green vegetation. Then, at the bottom you can climb up under the curtain of hammering water of the major fall where you are thoroughly showered by other strong streams that was nothing shy of magical. Once inside the waterfall I did not want to leave, it was so incredible. Oh how I loved it there... Ok, back to Mitch!

After enjoying the rejuvination of the falls, we had a lunch then geared up to make our next walk. This was another 4 hour trek, including frequent breaks. Views of the lush, tropical valleys were abundant and if we didn´t need to watch our footing so carefully, would´ve enjoyed gazing upon the greenery the entire time.

Not Matt's favourite spot, but one of the many beautiful sights along the way.

Near the end of this stint, we passed a Indigenous village where we handed treats and gifts to the children. It was wonderful to have them accept the gifts and smile for some photos.
By 5pm, we reached our next cabano, where again we could swim in a refreshing river. I managed to spend too long in the waters, because got a chill which left me stuffed up and unable to sleep soundly. The plan was to eat, go to bed and burn it out the next day of walking.

The final stretch to the lost city before 8 river crossings.

We got up at 6:30am again, ate breakfast and got geared to start our long 7 hour journey up to the lost city. We climbed a couple of ridges and had plenty of breaks before reaching a riverside for a sandwich lunch. After getting sufficiently fuelled, we started our final hour of the stretch to the Lost City. This meant crossing the river 8 times and then climbing nearly 1200 stone steps to our lodge within the city. Despite having a walking stick, my legs were still shot and rather than exploring the city, I just got my bed set up and layed about until dinner.

The final river crossing to the base of the stone step access point.

This brings us to Monday, where we enjoyed a sleep in til about 8am, got up for breakfast and then went on a tour in the hot, morning sun. Our guides were only Spanish speaking, as mentioned before, so we had most of the tour translated by a German fellow from the other group. Very interesting tale of the history and discovery of the city that you can check out on wikipedia I am sure.
Lunch proceeded the tour, and then we got ready to start our return trip. On our way down the steps, we passed an amalgamation of groups which must have consisted of 50 people! The site is really taking off as a popular trek, despite its difficulty. Because of the masses of tourists everyday, the route is well patrolled by the Colombian military, most of which consists of soldiers no older than 20 years.


The walk down was easier than it was going up, but still was hard work for the legs to help the backpacks down all those steps. In just over 5 hours of walking and riddle pondering, we made it to a cabano just passed the Indigenous village. Meals were becoming lower quality with the food running lower and getting older, but we enjoyed a basic dinner anyway before going to bed.
Originally we were meant to go to another city site, Alto Mira, but because the guides noted that we were becoming visibly beat from the first few days, the discouraged us and we opted to spend our 5th day just relaxing. This is exactly what we did. The group we had fused with was only a 5 day trek, so they had to end their Lost City adventure the day we got to relax at the beautiful waterfall. Before the relaxation time, however, we had a short but very hard stint to go between cabanos. In my mind, it was the hardest day of the trek. With a steep ascent that nearly matched the first one, legs extremely tired from 2 back to back big walking day and the morning heat, I was glad to not have another 3 hours to go like the other group. Infact, I was content to swing in my hammock the rest of the day, but glad that we made another trip to the cascades.
On the final day, we got up, ate and made the last bit of our return journey in great time. At the place we had started our trek 5 days earlier, we had another decent lunch and then caught our same 4x4 back to Santa Marta.
We have been lazing infront of the tv in our hotel between meals, and tomorrow we finally make a move out of Santa Marta and on to Cartagena.