Quito was not a city which had been recommended to us but anywhere that serves hot chocolate with cheese as their speciality is an absolute winner in my eyes. In fact, even after taking their weird but wonderful cuisine out of the equation, we still found the capital of Ecuador to be well worth a visit.
Aside from the area surrounding the hostels (which is worryingly similar to Malia) Quito is actually very pretty, full of spectacular old buildings and well kept parks. We spent our first morning there exploring the old town and making the very most of how cheap everything is. By chance, we stumbled across a music festival with street vendors selling giant plates of food for just $2 each. How could we possibly not like this place?
Later that day we caught the cable car up Pichincha Volcano to view the whole of Quito from above. It was surprising to see the contrast between the cluttered city centre and the expansive green space in the hills which surround it. From every angle it looked fantastic, and we'd have liked to have stayed there to watch sunset but an inconveniently timed football match demanded our attention.
Not wanting to miss out on the World Cup action, we found a bar with a big screen playing the England game. There are few Brits out here compared to the rest of South America but enough to still create an awesome atmosphere. That said, I find it hard enough to follow football anyway and with the commentary in Spanish it was practically impossible. All I know is that by the end of the game, my Italian half was feeling rather more prominent.
One of our best discoveries about Quito was that Cotopaxi, the world's largest active volcano, is sat on its doorstep and so on our second morning we woke up early to tackle this trek. The bus was supposed to drop us at the National Park but as we were the only tourists aboard, the driver decided to dump as at the side of the road instead. Therefore, our hike started a little earlier than expected with a good hour's walk to the park entrance. Fortunately, it was a beautifully sunny day so we were able to view it as an additional pleasant stroll and a good warm up before the hard work began.
Once at the entrance, however, we learnt that the start of the trek was still another forty minutes away...by car. No matter which way we looked at it, we were not walking that so found a 4x4 which came fully equipped with an English speaking guide who'd take us to the top. We were lucky in that our guide, Carlos, was an absolute legend. He explained in detail the history of the volcano and continued to chat to us the whole way up which was great as we're yet to meet many Ecuadorians. Over the course of the journey, we learnt all sorts, from the country's current political situation, to his son's favourite subject at school. In fact, the only topic he didn't cover was the trek and how bloody hard it would be!
Whilst engrossed in conversation, we'd barely noticed the thick mist beginning to creep up around us. By the time we reached the start of the path, we could see nothing but a blank sheet of white out of either window. It seemed our beautiful sunny day had been overcome with cloud at the worst possible point.
Before long though we realised the cloud was the least of our worries. At 15,000 feet high, it was bitterly cold and the wind was so intense that we were being thrown from side to side with no control over our own direction. Horizontal hail then tore into our faces as we fought to keep our hoods up and shield our eyes. Wrapped up in five layers of clothing, it was impossible to believe that we'd been hot an hour earlier wearing just one. We wanted to cover our entire faces too but the altitude was making it difficult to breathe and we needed to leave our airways clear. It really wasn't terribly enjoyable but after coming all that way, the only option was up.
I felt the snow before I saw it, as the wind dropped for a fleeting moment and I face-planted into it. The only way to even attempt to move forwards had been to lean with my full weight into the gale, but once it withdrew its support I instantly fell. My numb fingers winced at the icy white surface but it was at least a good indicator that we were almost there.
I'd been concentrating so hard on not being thrown off the edge that the return of the blue sky took me quite by surprise. It was still a little hazy but at our highest point of almost 16,000 feet, we could just make out the vivid red volcano standing out amongst the otherwise perfectly green landscape. As always, the sense of achievement was amazing and we flew back down the hill with the help of the wind now behind us and the snow allowing us to ski rather than step most of the way.
On the drive back to the start, the sky totally cleared and so for the first time since arriving we saw the snowcapped summit of Cotopaxi. It looked stunning in the sunshine and it was as though this image was our reward for our hard work. Back in Quito though, the rewards continued: hot chocolates with marshmallows and nutella waffles! It was Treat Sunday, after all.
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