Trip to Cotopaxi. Two days surrounded by greenery, with no internet connection or phone signal, an incredible view at the top of the Andes and a snow-capped volcano that greets you every morning with puffs of white smoke.
Everything perfect… except…
Departure at 10 a.m. on a bus packed with people, the usual break at the filling station to take care of physiological needs and then we start to climb up a cobbled road (badly). From then on, there is no telephone signal. You can tell this by the people stretching their arms left and right in a desperate attempt to reach some radio waves that have been lost along the way…
The bus is constantly jumping and shaking, while outside, little houses lost in the wilderness, accompanied by farm animals (yes, apparently llamas are farm animals here 😅), glide by.
We arrive at our destination and are greeted by the hostel manager, a hyperactive, wide-eyed guy who talks like a machine (yes, I too had the same doubt 😆).
The hostel is a rustic structure, partly made of wood and partly of concrete, with the dormitories in the style of a chalet surrounded by nature. This type of construction apparently literally drives the Germans, Dutch and so on crazy… they literally love it….
They serve us lunch (meals here are included in the crazy price we paid, there is nothing else within miles), finally accompanied by vegetables other than potatoes.
The plan for the afternoon is a walk through the forest to a waterfall.
In the meantime it starts to rain… all the signs to predict a perfect outing… 😆
We set off covered each as well as we can, with rubber boots provided by the hostel, in a rainstorm that gets heavier and heavier.
The path follows the hills until it enters the forest, completely covered in mud (like our legs by now…).
And this is where the fun comes, it starts to hail!
So, wet, covered in mud and with the hail slapping us in the face, we continue up a stream with our legs soaking (yes, it looks like we needed some water…).
At one point at the front of the group the unthinkable happens!
Mutiny on the part of some Germans and Dutchmen who decide to turn back (a wise decision).
I finally decide to go back with them, I can’t take any more of this water! I hate the rain!!!
After about half an hour I find myself playing board games with three Dutch girls (I know, the most boring thing in the world, but better than being under water).
When the others return they are soaked to the bone. They show me pictures of the waterfall, but nobody dares to comment…. After all, to see that anonymous little 2 metre waterfall that is no different from the hillside waterfalls that can be found in our local woods, they have walked a two-hour trail in torrential rain, hail and immersed up to half a leg in a torrent!
Let me play cards that are better…..
The evening passes lazily, between one board game and another I meet a Swiss guy and girl (whom I will continue to meet more and more often in the following days), a Canadian girl of Asian origin and an Israeli girl. All very nice!
After a dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce (calling it meat sauce is an outrage😅) accompanied by vegetables and two slices of bread sprinkled with garlic (yes, obviously all in the same dish), me and my new companions spend the evening in a jacuzzi. Not too bad for a first day….