After spending a day checking out the city and acclimatizing to the altitude, I started a two day mountain biking trip organized by The Biking Dutchman to the Cotopaxi and Quilotoa volcanoes roughly 2 hours south of Quito, taking a day for each. At Cotopaxi, we were brought halfway up the volcano by jeep, below snow line, for an introduction to downhill biking. Blasted by cold wind and sleet, we combined all three processes of recalling how to ride a bike, checking the brakes, and figuring out how the gears shift, with the actual act of tearing down the mountain to arrive at a more comfortable altitude. The view was spectacular wherever we rode in the national park. Slowly shifting clouds reward keen observers with glimpses of jagged peaks while wild broncos frolic in the expanse of grassland with their young offspring. I completed the day by wiping out into a bed of wild flowers when my front wheel slid in lose gravel, throwing me off the path.
Day 2 was at Quilotoa, a volcano nested in the home of the Quechua indigenous community. As we made our way to the famous crater lake, we passed impeccably dressed Quechua ladies decked out in panama hats, ponchos and high heeled shoes. As they breeze through the mountainous countryside in their pumps, I started feeling the effect of the high altitude. Altitude affects people at varying degrees, ranging from mere breathlessness, to nausea,dizziness, and complete incapacitation. For me, it was a throbbing headache that downhill rides seem to remedy very effectively. The last leg of the trip was a long ride down a paved mountain pass on which you could be attacked by dogs if you're not riding fast enough.
Next up: Winter time on my left and summer time on my right
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