A Penniless Marvellous Day

I left Baños, a sweet town in the mountains surrounded by waterfalls, and hitched my first ride of the day with a policeman. There's been a quite a few of them lately!

My next ride was with two really lovely chaps who were on their way home to Quito after the Carnaval weekend. People had been celebrating in Baños by joining in the town wide foam fight. If you walked down the street with a foam squirting can, you were in. And even if you didn't have one, you were still attacked anyway. 

The lovely chaps took me via their grandad's farm in the countryside where I tried some delicious sweet green pears, the size of plums. They also took me for breakfast at a roadside cafe. Here I tried fritata: fatty fried pork served with plantain, huge corn kernels, popcorn and chicharron. The vegetables, of course, were only seen in the spicy sauce.

Off the highway, near the entrance to the Cotopaxi National Park, I was picked up by an animated Ecuadorian family, Soña, Ángel and Carlos. I rode with them through the park on their family day out, and up the perfectly coned, snow capped Cotopaxi volcano. The top of the volcano is closed to the public due to volcanic activity, but we were permitted to walk from the car park half way up to the refuge a little higher. We were some 3500m high and every step was taxing. And it was bitterly cold!

By the evening I had made it to Paraíso, a small village just east of Santo Domingo. I ungracefully fell out of the truck I'd been riding in and pelted towards some awnings to escape the torrential rain. Behind one of these awnings a woman was clearing up her patio. I asked where I could put my tent for the night and she suggested the police station, but told me to stay put and wait for the rain to stop. Twenty minutes passed. I was perched on the edge of her property and she emerged from her house to present me with a huge plate of rice, cheese, eggs and yucca, along with a cup of coffee. She invited me to sit at her table outside, and through the kitchen window I could see the whole family sitting down for dinner. Once I'd finished, an aunt came out to chat with me and give me even more beige food. 

I went to bed with a smile and a full belly, camped out on their patio.

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Cotopaxi Volcano

The Mechanic

Today I was picked up in Tena by two blokes in their pick up truck. I rode with them to Puyo where René took me to his little corner shop. We suited up in bright yellow rain gear and loaded onto his motorbike. He was headed to the coast for a family wedding and so was able to take me to Baños.

On the way, the chain of the motorbike kept falling off, and so we stopped at a mechanic's. I really want to include this photo in my blog. It's much easier than trying to describe the workshop...

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The Mechanic´s Outside Baños

A Three Day Struggle Up a Volcano

On Tuesday I was up early to meet my guide, Hector, a gentle 51 year old who spoke softly and smiled to reveal toothless gums. The two of us set off under the pink sky to first wind along paths through farm land and then through the jungle. The hike was tough but enjoyable. We reached the cabin just before the rain and I was still feeling energetic. I cooked us some spaghetti and then sat on the porch staring at a beautiful green lake nestled at the top of the mountain we had ascended.

That evening, a group of 20 school kids with a couple of teachers and their guide appeared and immediately filled the tiny wooden cabin with bodies, dripping clothes, noise and warmth. They were incredibly friendly towards me. I was asked so many questions by inquisitive faces, brought mugs of piping hot chocolate, dragged from stool to floor to play cards, moved back again to be presented with a bowl of steaming rice, had sweets stuffed into my hands, and I drifted off to the sound of giggles, clattering and banging. It was all rather endearing.

On Wednesday, Hector and I were up at sunrise, tiptoeing over bodies and blankets, to set of to the Sumaco Galeras volcano summit. This was a long and incredibly difficult day. The rain had turned the ground to mud and I fell countless times. Every ten steps I would come to a ledge at my hip height and have to grab a tree branch or root to haul myself up. It was hard work for my whole body. 

After about five hours, we surfaced out of the jungle, to terrain of grass and shrubs, which left us exposed to the rain and biting wind. By this point, we were nearing the 3813m high summit and I was panting at an almost comical rate. Two hours later we made it to the crater edge, marked by a fallen flag pole adorned with some shredded rags. I was impressed but totally exhausted.

The decent was just as long and just as difficult, but I fell over five times more frequently. Meanwhile, Hector was unbelievably nimble, energetic and totally unaffected by the altitude. Every now and then the path would be blocked by fallen trees or overgrown vegetation and he would bushwhack with his machete to clear the way. 

We arrived back at the cabin after dark. I washed my mud covered legs in the cold water from the tanker outside and was so relieved to sit down with a mug of hot chocolate that the teacher had made me. She had stayed behind while the rest had hiked up to camp in the volcano crater. She also presented me with an absolute mountain of rice and noodles. I couldn't even finish it (which is incredibly rare for me) and collapsed into bed.

The final decent was pleasant and I was able to forgot the horrors of the day before. It was a truly wonderful experience, if it did kill me a little bit.

Birds flying overhead at sunset

Three Years: Argentina to Canada

Today I hitched a ride with a very inspiring and interesting French family in their camper van. They were one and a half years into a three year long trip crossing the whole of the Americas from south to north. Certainly living their dream!

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Highway 10 in the North of Ecuador

A Traffic Jam in the Jungle

After a surprisingly long wait in a village where everyone whizzed around on motorbikes or sat totally crushed with ten others in one car, I got long ride all the way to La Hormiga, close to the Ecuadorian border. The highways through the mountains and jungle in this part of Colombia were stunning, if sometimes abysmally unmaintained. At one point I saw a tiny monkey dash across the road and climb up a sign post. I squealed uncontrollably loudly, to the amusement of my driver.

A couple of hours later I was surprised to find us approaching the end of a long line of stationary vehicles in the middle of absolute jungly nowhere. For the first time in my life, I was completely unbothered by a traffic jam. The views were incredible! 

That night was the second in a row sleeping on my mat on a hotel room floor after a fried chicken dinner, courtesy of a generous new amigo.

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Highway 45 in the South of Colombia

Third Wheeling a Romantic Day

This morning, as I was walking out of the Tatacoa desert, I got picked up by a young couple who were driving a long way home, in the direction I needed to go. Perfect! They were also making a few stops on route, at rivers and waterfalls, and I was more than happy to tag along on the mini adventure. 

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Tatacoa Desert at Sunset

How do you get two motorbikes on a canoe?

In Aipe, I had to follow a footpath through the fields to find the edge of the river where I could catch a canoe across to Villavieja. The footpath kept forking and as the cows weren't much help, I just had to guess. I ended up on the river bank where I found an elderly barefooted man fishing. He told me I'd gone wrong so he walked me back a bit to set me off in the right direction. 

I got back to the river, further up stream, to find a group fishing by dragging nets through the water. They told me I was in the right place for the canoe and, with immense gusto, all yelled and screamed to beckon it from somewhere out of sight.

Three Colombians on motorbikes also appeared. They were very friendly and we established that I could go with them to the Tatacoa desert once we crossed the river. They honked their horns and eventually the canoe arrived. The group who were fishing left, and I realised they had been waiting with me without needing the canoe themselves. How kind!

We loaded two bikes and the two women onto the canoe. I really didn't think it looked possible, but somehow it worked and off they went. The canoe returned and we loaded the final bike on and off we went. The canoe rocked in the fast running river and I couldn't help but envision the three of us, plus the bike, and my bag/life tumbling into the water.

My new friend Luis had a stuffed monkey called Fifi attached to his bike. For those that don't know, I travelled with a stuffed monkey called Norman attached to my rucksack for almost a year. I found him in Black Rock Desert at Burning Man festival, the first place I went to on this trip. One day in Mexico, after hauling my rucksack between pick-ups, cars and lorries, while standing under a bridge on the highway, I looked down at my pack and realised that Norman was nowhere to be seen. Of course, I was upset to have lost my little buddy, but after a year of travelling I was very accustomed to losing things, breaking things and having things stolen. I had been toughened up and hardened to bear this heartbreak with little pain. 

I relaid this story to Luis and he said he wanted to give me Fifi. 'I know you'll look after her well and will take her to all kinds of places.' And so now my rucksack and I have a new pal to bumble around with! 

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Three people, two bikes and one canoe

A New Crew of Mates

I spent a few days with Yensy and her crew of 20-year-old mates in Villavicencio. On motorbikes we ventured up into the mountains to clamber along creeks and find waterfalls, into town to hang out in the park (this took me back to my teenage years!) or to find decent pizza, and generally discover spots where my travel buddy could take plenty of selfies. One evening, five of us piled onto two bikes, precariously balancing enough stuff for all of us to camp out at an impressive view point overlooking the town. After staring at the view for hours and dining on crisps and beer, we all squeezed into one tent for a sleep over!

I really enjoyed hanging out with this lot, who were so open, kind and fun. Even if I did choke a couple of times on the smell of uber sweet and potent perfumes and aftershaves. 

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Up into the mountains near Villavicencio

Zapato de Oro (The Golden Shoe)

I often get rides from engineers, normally driving long distances to reach a project they're to work on. Like this morning, where my first ride was with two middle-aged men who were endearingly excited about passing their long journey to work by interrogating (in a friendly manner, of course) a random foreign lady. These two chaps were hilarious and for the two hours I was in the car with them we didn't stop chatting. They even took me for breakfast, where I struggled to get down a bowl of rib soup, a plate of scrambled eggs, another plate of thick fried cheesy pancakes, a hot chocolate which came with a slab of cheese and a croissant. This was another lesson in how Colombians can eat in vast quantities! And if I leave the ordering up to them, I'm waddling out of the restaurant with some leftovers.

Elder proclaimed that Ramón's true name was Zapato de Oro, which means The Golden Shoe, because of his to-die-for talent in salsa dancing. Unfortunately, I never got to see whether Ramón could live up to such a title. But if I had to guess, appearance is probably deceiving and he's a ferocious demon on the dance floor.

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San Augustine

A Night Under the Full Moon

This morning Yensy prepared me a chilled drink I'd never had before, and would never have thought of making: blended pumpkin, milk and sugar. It was delicious! After an incredible amount of faffing on her part, and waiting on mine, we set off with Iron, the ironically named tiny Shitzu.

Our first ride was with the police! Who were obviously bored, driving their pick-up around the dirt roads of this very small and quiet mountain town. I've no idea why this work required all four of them in the one vehicle.

A few rides later we were being driven by a wonderfully generous and friendly man who decided to take us via his aunt's house, up in the mountains, and then on to a road-side cafe for lunch. I had no idea what to order. New country, new food, all with names I did't know. My two companions navigated this potential minefield for me and I was happy to be presented with a large bowl of steaming potato, pork and veggie soup. They'd chosen well! Moments later, a huge plate with rice, grilled beef, carrot and cucumber salad, baked potato and a creamy pumpkin mush was set in front of me. And then a giant strawberry smoothie. Blimey. This was a lot of food. But of course, I followed suit, did as the Colombian's do, and finished this mega meal, my smile wide but my stomach straining. 

By the evening, still feeling full, we reached El Emblase de Neusa. The moon was so bright, we didn't even need the torch as we walked down to the lake side to find a spot to camp.

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Embalse de Neusa

My Number One Rule

Despite the insane heat, Yensy and I walked a couple of hours from her house, through some fields and down some dirt roads to a beautiful spot in the river. We were drenched in sweat and I immediately plunged in, between the rocks, to the surprisingly warm water. It was a gorgeous place to spend the afternoon.

On the way home, with the two dogs in tow, thunder began to rumble above us. The blue sky and sweltering sun had been quickly replaced by grey clouds, which I was zealously thankful for. However, my gratitude soon turned to horror as the heavens opened and an incomprehensible quantity of water rained down upon us. In no time at all, we were totally soaked to the bone, hair stuck to our faces, wading through the newly formed streams and backpacks sodden.

Fortunately today, as every other day, I did abide by my number one rule on the road. Always, always, ALWAYS carry zip-locks. 

Río Apula

Apulo

I escaped the madness of Bogotá to the small mountain town of Apulo. There I met Yensy, my new Couch Sufing host. She had already been planning a trip to visit some friends and some pretty spots in central Colombia, so I tagged along.

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The park and main square in Apulo

Bogotá

I was met at the airport by Fernando, my new couch surfing host. We took the bus back to his house, I dumped my stuff, and we went out to a cheap restaurant for lunch. I had a typical plate of rice, beans, fried egg, fried plantain, avocado, crackling and a fried slab of something like yuka. I covered it all in dollops of hot sauce, naturally. 

I stayed two nights in the city and was able to have a good explore. There is an area, beside the cathedral, which is pretty. Colonial buildings line the narrow hilly streets and it's all rather charming. The rest of the city is like any other: tall office buildings, people bustling from here to there and traffic up to your eyeballs.

A highlight was when Fernando took me on the motorbike up to a viewpoint after nightfall. It was beautiful to see an endless sprawl of twinkling lights swimming under Venus and Mars.

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Mirador over Bogotá

The Love Burn

Over the weekend I went to the Love Burn music and arts festival in Virginia Key, near Miami. The location was amazing: a long sandy beach with clear turquoise water on a lush, green, palm covered island. The event is a regional burn and so follows the 10 principles of Burning Man. For those that don't know, Burning Man is a huge festival that takes place in the middle of Black Rock Desert in Nevada. It's quite the spectacle! The first thing I did on this trip was attend BM in September 2015 along with 70,000 other people.

My favourite of the principles is: no money, no commerce. Attendees bring all that they may require for the event: food, water, booze: and spend the week participating in a "gifting economy", everybody sharing what they have for the sake of sharing, without expectation of receiving anything in return. This obviously makes for an incredible environment to be in. Another golden principle is: leave no trace. Everyone is responsible for removing all of their rubbish, down to the last cigarette butt and bottle cap.

My weekend was full of beach, bass and bacon (my camping neighbours were always cooking up a surplus) and finally capped off by the burn! After a performance from fire dancers and a firework display, a huge wooden love heart was set ablaze. The crowd howled and roared as we watched the flames rise higher and the embers sail up into the night sky. A long night of dancing ensued!

The Burning of the Love Heart

 

The Hitchhiker: a Totally Untrained Counsellor

It is not uncommon for someone giving me a ride to, almost immediately, share their life story, their darkest secrets, their worst fears and most treasured hopes.

I have some theories as to why that is.

Firstly, both of us have made a leap to take a chance on a complete stranger. That makes for an initial connection between us based on trust. Secondly, I have no relation to or knowledge about anybody in your life. Or you. I have no preconceptions on anything and so you don't feel a need to hold back in what you might say. Lastly, I will disappear entirely from your life very soon, and take all that you've said with me.

Today, amongst seven rides between St Augustine and Miami, I came across two people who particularly opened up about troubles they were having. I listened and hoped that they were somewhat relieved by being able to offload on a stranger.

Amongst the many things I've learned from meeting so many people, is the fact that everyone is suffering with something, big or small, always. So let's do our best to look out for each other. Always.

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Virginia Key Beach Park

 

The "Inoffensive" Request

This morning a middle-aged guy in his work van gave me a short ride out of St Augustine to the I95. He wasn't very talkative and we had been sitting in silence for a few minutes when we said, 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure.'

'But please don't be offended.'

'OK.'

'You really shouldn't get offended.'

'Right...?'

'Will you give me a blow job?'

'No!'

'Even if I pay you?'

'Definitely not.'

I returned to staring out the window, stifling my laughter, and trying, but wholeheartedly failing, to not be offended.

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Sunrise in St Augustine

 

The Tree Climber

This is Henry. He gave me a long ride down towards Miami. The back of his car was full of big green coconuts that he'd retrieved from the top of some coconut trees. Using a machete, he opened a coconut for each of us to drink the sweet water and then cracked one open so I could devour the creamy flesh. I felt like I was back in Central America again! Delicious.

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By a petrol station somewhere along the I95