Chimborazo

I drove up to Chimborazo which is the highest volcano in Equador. It was like seeing an old friend. I rode through the rain and when I approached the climbers hut the rain stopped and the clouds parted. I could see the snow and the steep slopes that led upwards. I also felt the altitude and the lack of oxygen as the climbers hut is at 4800 meters (apx. 14,500 ft). My body has thus far aclimatised to apx. 9 or 10 thousand feet.

My motorcycle did well, though it had a bit less power. Restoring the carbeurator jetting to the factory settings seems to be doing the trick.

When I was satisfied, I rode down the mountain. The clouds had lifted and I could see the vast alpine landscape. I saw some wild Alpacas that live on the lower slopes of Chimborazo. They sort of look like llamas.

As I rode towards the coast, the landscape dropped continually and before long I was engulfed in the clouds again. The visibility was poor and the road was loose gravel with water running down it. I rode slow and when I made it below the clouds I was deep in the jungle. Banana trees, sugar cane, birds and people in shorts.
When I had been on Chimborazo, I had been wearing many layers of warm clothing. Now I couldn’t wait to take the layers off.

I found a hotel and had some dinner at the only restaurant I could find. Dinner was thin a pile of rice, a piece of chicken and some broth. It was the only meal that she served. On my way to dinner, an old lady endearingly called me a Nino (boy) and asked me where her parents were. I told her that they were in the United States and she didn’t seem to mind.