Pic: Michnus Olivier
and another called Steve Perez both
travelling on bikes from the Canada
and the USA, plus a whole load of local
bikers including Martin, Andres, Sata
and Michele, who were all so helpful.
We also got to meet Esteban and Liane
from Colombia, who were on a short
trip and we’d been talking to on social
media. Yet again, another break down
meant meeting a whole load of amaz-
ing people again, and we were joined
by Steve for the next week.
We caught up with Michnus and
Elsebie for the alcohol-fueled ‘Mama
Negra’ festival in Latacunga and then
we all headed to Cotapaxi volcano,
which was truly spectacular, especial-
ly the view from the cosy hostel we
were staying in, with toasty log fires.
Kelvin, Steve and I decided it would be
a great idea to go hiking up the volca-
no with a guide from the hostel, which
despite being a real challenge on the
body due to the altitude (up to 5100m)
was an unforgettable experience. We
only walked as far as the glacier, but
that was good enough for us, but on
the way down Kelvin started really
feeling the effects of the altitude and
that was him down for the rest of the
day.
Michnus and Elsebie had to return
to Quito so Kelvin, Steve and I head-
ed off to do a loop of the volcanos in
TRAVERSE 95
the area which, not being in any rush,
would take a few days and cover about
350km. First stop was the famous
Quilotoa crater lake. We found a little
place to stay in, albeit with outdoor
parking, however there was no other
option and it was a tiny village miles
from anywhere. We all headed off to
the crater and it didn’t disappoint. The
view was quite astonishing, especially
with the volcanoes in the distance and
the clouds rolling in all around us. We
stood there for a while, however none
of us keen enough to hike all the way
down to the lake and back up again...
beer and food was calling!
The next stop was a small town