On Sunday afternoon we arrived at the Tambopaxi Acclimization Center where
we would be staying for a few nights prior to climbing Ruminahui and Cotopaxi.
Located a couple of kilometers north from the base of Cotopaxi this lodge is
at an elevation of approximately 12600 feet. It is on some small foothills east
of Ruminahui and offers a spectacular view out the front, eastward, to Sincholagua,
and south to Cotopaxi. Domesticated llamas used as pack animals roam freely around
the property. An unofficial pet, a very friendly stray dog named Colmiallo, adopted me -
at least while I was there and giving him treats and rubbing his belly. His name
meant something about his teeth, which were not aligned due to a deformed lower jaw).
The Tambopaxi Lodge offers several sizes of sleeping rooms, an excellent
kitchen staff who will prepare incredible meals, and very importantly, hot showers.
It is a very friendly and comfortable place and the time we were there we nearly
had the facility to ourselves.
Following the evening meal we sat near the fireplace for a while talking and
then went to bed rather early - in part because they shut the generator off around
8 or 8:30 p.m.
At around 4 a.m. the next morning, Monday, Edison and I went outside to do some
star gazing and with a spotting telescope, and had remarkable views of
Saturn, Mars, the Orion nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy. We returned to the warmth
of our beds and then arose again around sunrise. I went outside and played with the dog
for a while and had some incredible views of snow covered Cotopaxi and the
surrounding area as the sun came up.
After breakfast we headed off to climb Ruminahui.
When we returned from Ruminahui later that afternoon we had another incredible
dinner of fresh trout, and again the company of a few other people staying there.
That night I got terribly sick and after a night a losing food from both ends
Edison and I decided to hold off on going to Cotopaxi until I felt better.
Unfortunately that did not happen so Tuesday, one of my planned Cotopaxi day was
spent drinking Oregano Tea, eating rice and bread, and sleeping. Later that afternoon
I felt well enough to go for a short hike with Edison to see some Inca ruins and a small
valley where an underground stream surfaced. That night it again rained and on
Cotopaxi the weather conditions deteriorated with an accumulation of several additional
inches to a foot or so of fresh snow and very strong winds. In retrospect, we may not
have attempted the summit due to the bad weather even if I had not gotten sick.
Back to Ecuador 2005
