ARGH! SOUP!

Day 6

Sorry for the lack of posts, you'll understand why when you've read this one. Best start in chronoligical order, so here goes.
On Day 3, we started by visiting the equator line, which had an interactive museum. This was fascinating, and I can't wait to tell people about some of the experiments there. I know some people won't believe some of them, so I recorded a couple as proof. After that, we went to look round old Quito, where we looked round some old cathedrals (and climbed one) and tried an alcoholic drink called chica (sp) which is 100 per cent proof, so was obviously watered down with a juice, and it was vile. While we were out and about, the heavens opened for about 20 minutes. Now this isn't ordinary poxy english rain, this is rainforest terrential downpour. 20 minutes caused mas flooding (the streets of the old town are like San Francisco, mostly hills) so we dived in a shop and watched the vehicles and the odd person flow down the street. This apparently happens almost everyday, so wasn't a big deal for the locals. Follwed was our last night in Quito, we couldn't be bothered to go out so ordered in pizza.
Quito really was a beautiful city, combining the very old and very new, and very poor and very rich. You walk down a street that could only be classed as slums, and round the corner is a brand new plaza with massive TV screens and modern eateries. At 2,800 meters up, its not easy to breathe and the weather is totally unpredictable, but still worth going.

Day 4

We set off from Quito in the early hours of the morning to go to the Jungle. We stayed in a lodge for 2 nights next to the Napa river, the main tributary for the amazon. Don't be fooled by the word tributary, the river was massive, nearly 100 meters wide at points. The lodge was fantastic, it was exactly what I had wanted to experience. We had a wood cabin each which was just that, a wood cabin. No electricity, no hot water. Only two gas lamps would guide your way around your room and bathroom; an amazing experience which I just loved. After we settled in our cabins, we went to visit a local tribal village, where they showed us how they panned for gold, made pottery and how to shoot blow darts, which isn't as easy as it sounds. On our way back, there were some children from the tribe playing football, so me and Murray decided to give them a run for their money. Four young boys with no shoes, versus me, Murray and Vanda (in their 50s), Yeti (40) and Joanna in goal. We kept up the pace for a good 20 minutes but in the end, the boys with no shoes beat us 1-0. Was a good laugh though. Funny how football solves a language barrier.
That night I had far too many beers (i'm with alot of aussies remember) and we discovered that I was the baby of the group, as Amy is 26 and Joanna 27.

Day 5

The best day so far. We spent an hour nd a half trekking through the thick rainforest, with our local guide showing us all sorts of interesting uses for plants, and some amazing animals. We crossed rivers and mud and finally arrived to what we like an oasis to us. It was 35 degrees while trekking, and the humitidy was just awful, and all of us were exhausted, but at the end was a beautiful waterfall and plungepool where most of us stripped off and dived straight in. I was the first one in and the last one out, it was glorious. Joanna told us that if you went right underneath the waterfall it felt like a massage; lies, it bloody hurt. A couple of people didn't go in so they should have some pictures of us in it. Trekking back from the waterfall, we got back to the boat we arrived in and they told us that instead of boating back, we were going to get in a rubber ring and drift the mile and a half back down to the hotel. Parts of the river were calm and it was so relaxing, apart from one section which was more like white water rafting. Very fun, but got very sunburnt on my back.

Day 6

I was sad to leave the Lodge because I (and infact all of us) loved it so much. Living with all the wildlife (tarantulas, snakes, beetles etc) was such a different experience. But we set off on a four hour bus journey to go to the city of Riobamba, where I am as I write this. We've had a quick look round the place and its nothing special, but this stop wasn't planned, as we were suppost to be staying in Banos, and trekking up the Volcano, except the Volcano has started erupting and all our governments have told us we arn't allowed to go there. So its just one night here in Riobamba, then we're travelling to Cuenca tomorrow, where we will spend 3 nights.

A quick word on us as a group (and I mean quick because this post is far too long as it is) we have all become even closer than before and all get on so well. There seems to be no friction between anyone, and we all have a great laugh and the conversation is always flowing. I couldn't have asked for a better group.

Off for some tea now. Oh that reminds me, every meal in Ecuador starts with soup. I hate soup. I have had more soup in the last 6 days than I have had in my entire life.

Out