Days 24 and 25... Rough Roads and Relaxation
Remember the fall I had on the slippery planks???
Well I awoke on Day 24 in Coca in a nice hotel with a huuuugggeee lump surrounded by a dark purple bruise!
And boy did it hurt.
Today I had to get back to Quito and my extravagances over the last few days coupled with my desire to see public transport up close, meant I was going to take the bus back to Quito.
If you read the government travel advice on Ecuador, there are many warnings about the bus system... don't go on overnight buses, don't go on ones that pick up passengers on route, keep your bags close to you, watch out for armed robbery etc etc
I was on travelling in the day, but only because I wanted to see the scenery as I missed it in the way out because I was travelling at night. From my experiences of that journey, the greatest hazard would be the state of the roads and the driving, not armed robbery! In fact ... this could well be the most dangerous stretch of the whole adventure.
I got a taxi to the bus station early in the morning, having googled the bus times. I arrived at a very new looking bus station, well ordered, with different counters for different bus companies, which all advertised different routes. I made my way to the Banos company and asked for a ticket to Quito... the reply, in Spanish, was just about understood. Apparently this section was for cargo... passengers to go to the other side of the hall... so off I trotted. I purchased a ticket for the 0700 bus to Quito for the wallet wrenching sum of $12.50! I can't get to London from Reading for that price!! Bargain!
I found the bus slot easily... the bus was already there, and I boarded a comfy seated, air conditioned bus.
With few other passengers we stretched out, reclined seats and settled in for the 6 hour journey.
The journey wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, though several times we were pretty close to the edge of a precipice, as our side was blocked by a landslide.
The scenery however was spectacular, miles and miles of jungle stretching up mountains as far as you could see. As we went up, the weather changed in a heartbeat.... from scorching sunshine and 35°C to hail and a plummet in the temperature. The hail blanketed the road and the mountainside in white and the road quickly became a river of rushing water ... at this point I was more than a little concerned. It was also a stark reminder before I headed into the mountains again of just how quickly the weather can change!!
The driver slowed right down and carefully navigated the treacherous hairpin bends..... no ... no he didn't... actually he skidded round them causing my heart to be in my mouth more than once and at one point he overtook a lorry and just managed to pass before the oncoming car got too close.... but that's Ecuador. For the most part I felt pretty safe, and the buses certainly were efficient and good value for the money. I arrived in Quito around 1400 at the southern bus terminal and then got a taxi back to my hotel, where I would be staying for my last week here.
I had splashed out (still paying hardly anything) for a terrace suite, but I was still surprised by the size of my room.. s!!
I spent the rest of the day blogging, posting photos and generally chillaxing.
The following day I woke early again and decided to crack on and dismantle my bike and pack it in the bike bag, ready for home on Saturday. I went to the storage room to retrieve the bike and the bag, and to my delight found the package of kit that I had posted to myself from Otavalo. Woohooo! I had my gillet back which would be invaluable for climbing Cotopaxi. I also had a clean pair of socks... small mercies!!
The bike packing went fairly smoothly save for the fact that one of the pedals remained obstinatly stuck and refused to come off... so I put it in the bag with one pedal on and one off. The rest went in fine.
After bike safely packed away, I went for a wander round some of the old town of Quito, more to get out than with a purpose in mind. On this walk I found an English bookshop, minded by a chap called John, who had been here for over 25 years. Obviously I bought a book, but it was nice to chat to someone in English after weeks of halting Spanish supported by google translate!
Back I went to the hotel and sorted out my kit ... I have a plan for tomorrow... watch this space....
Night all x
Well I awoke on Day 24 in Coca in a nice hotel with a huuuugggeee lump surrounded by a dark purple bruise!
And boy did it hurt.
Today I had to get back to Quito and my extravagances over the last few days coupled with my desire to see public transport up close, meant I was going to take the bus back to Quito.
If you read the government travel advice on Ecuador, there are many warnings about the bus system... don't go on overnight buses, don't go on ones that pick up passengers on route, keep your bags close to you, watch out for armed robbery etc etc
I was on travelling in the day, but only because I wanted to see the scenery as I missed it in the way out because I was travelling at night. From my experiences of that journey, the greatest hazard would be the state of the roads and the driving, not armed robbery! In fact ... this could well be the most dangerous stretch of the whole adventure.
I got a taxi to the bus station early in the morning, having googled the bus times. I arrived at a very new looking bus station, well ordered, with different counters for different bus companies, which all advertised different routes. I made my way to the Banos company and asked for a ticket to Quito... the reply, in Spanish, was just about understood. Apparently this section was for cargo... passengers to go to the other side of the hall... so off I trotted. I purchased a ticket for the 0700 bus to Quito for the wallet wrenching sum of $12.50! I can't get to London from Reading for that price!! Bargain!
I found the bus slot easily... the bus was already there, and I boarded a comfy seated, air conditioned bus.
With few other passengers we stretched out, reclined seats and settled in for the 6 hour journey.
The journey wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, though several times we were pretty close to the edge of a precipice, as our side was blocked by a landslide.
The scenery however was spectacular, miles and miles of jungle stretching up mountains as far as you could see. As we went up, the weather changed in a heartbeat.... from scorching sunshine and 35°C to hail and a plummet in the temperature. The hail blanketed the road and the mountainside in white and the road quickly became a river of rushing water ... at this point I was more than a little concerned. It was also a stark reminder before I headed into the mountains again of just how quickly the weather can change!!
The driver slowed right down and carefully navigated the treacherous hairpin bends..... no ... no he didn't... actually he skidded round them causing my heart to be in my mouth more than once and at one point he overtook a lorry and just managed to pass before the oncoming car got too close.... but that's Ecuador. For the most part I felt pretty safe, and the buses certainly were efficient and good value for the money. I arrived in Quito around 1400 at the southern bus terminal and then got a taxi back to my hotel, where I would be staying for my last week here.
I had splashed out (still paying hardly anything) for a terrace suite, but I was still surprised by the size of my room.. s!!
I spent the rest of the day blogging, posting photos and generally chillaxing.
The following day I woke early again and decided to crack on and dismantle my bike and pack it in the bike bag, ready for home on Saturday. I went to the storage room to retrieve the bike and the bag, and to my delight found the package of kit that I had posted to myself from Otavalo. Woohooo! I had my gillet back which would be invaluable for climbing Cotopaxi. I also had a clean pair of socks... small mercies!!
The bike packing went fairly smoothly save for the fact that one of the pedals remained obstinatly stuck and refused to come off... so I put it in the bag with one pedal on and one off. The rest went in fine.
After bike safely packed away, I went for a wander round some of the old town of Quito, more to get out than with a purpose in mind. On this walk I found an English bookshop, minded by a chap called John, who had been here for over 25 years. Obviously I bought a book, but it was nice to chat to someone in English after weeks of halting Spanish supported by google translate!
Back I went to the hotel and sorted out my kit ... I have a plan for tomorrow... watch this space....
Night all x
Sitting by the fire at midnight waiting for the All Blacks game against Canada to start...soon I hope. Another great story, stay safe.
ReplyDeletehope you enjoyed the game .. the fire sounds nice... always as safe as can be xxx
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