Andinismo Trip

Last weekend, I went on a hiking-camping trip with my Andinismo (mountain climbing) class. It was quite the adventure, and absolutely incredible. We started out by renting 3 pickup trucks to take us partway up the mountain. But with 25 students and all of our heavy backpacking gear, tents, sleeping bags, etc., we were quite the load for a few old beatup trucks. So much so that the trucks all died about 10 or 15 minutes into the trip. So we all jump out and start pushing the truck up the mountain, until it can start again. Then it starts, and the driver doesn{t want to slow down, because it might die again, so we all take off running after the truck and jump back in the back as it gets going. So we go a little ways, and it happens again. and again. and again! And the last time, I was the last one to jump back in, and they were all a little too slow getting in, so the truck takes off, and I have to chase it up the mountain, until everyone can pull me back in.. The whole thing must have been one of the most comical things I{ve ever seen!

We finally got about 2/3 up the mountain, where the trucks left us and we hiked up to the place where we camped. Definitely no campsite or anything, we just picked a place and set up camp. We hung out for the afternoon, and it was a lot of fun to meet all the Ecuadorians in the class - much more down-to-Earth than most of the people at the university- It almost felt like the Allen Hall of USFQ or something. It was good. They went on a 10 PM hike, but I didn{t go, and probably good, because it sounds like they were basically rockclimbing in the dark by the light of the full moon and flashlights... didn{t sound fun to me. We had an awkward night in the tent, with 3 people in a 2 person tent... and a tent designed for camping at a much lower altitude - NOT on top of a mountain (at one point, it was raining inside our tent on us from the condensation, even though it wasn{t raining outside!) But the next morning we got up and hiked up to the top of the mountain, and it was so mch fun and absolutely beautiful! We could see all the famous volcanoes around (Cotopaxi - highest active volcano in the world!, Cayambe, El corazon, Las Illinizas, todos). It was amazing.

Life in Cumbaya{s still good. I went to my first futbol game in Quito the other night. Apparently the team from Guayaquil (big city on the coast) is called Barcelona (and they{re NOT the Barcelona rom Spain), so my host family had a good laugh at me when I told them I was confused as to why everyone was cheering for Spain. It was a fun atmosphere though, and lots of fun to watch. Including the fact that the vendors that walk up and down the aisles sell bottle rockets for people to set off from the stands... that would definitely never happen in the US!

Carnaval is hitting high season right now - the actual holiday isn{t for two more weeks, but the games of Carnaval have definitely begun. Basically, people randomly throw water and water balloons at random people passing by on the street. I think I got hit 3 times yesterday! I{ve yet to get a better explanation than "Its Carnaval!" for why people do that.

Off to eat lunch now. Then off to the rainforest and the cloud forest this weekend. Love to all.