How often in recent weeks I recently spent another night at tio Pedro and family, which consisted mainly of common meals, homework help for Wendy and great mobile games for primo Zaul. Even the stories of the work in English is not quite perfect listening always like to talk about the general here seems not to be too large, so that a change is seen by the subjects of family and village life like always.
I wanted to make almost back to the ten-minute walk back to the valley, as Wendy still quickly interjected: "Do you really know El Chaco?
El Chaco, is well known by the rafting reports from my former teaching colleagues in the Oriente of Ecuador Diego, about four hours drive east of Quito and is one of the first tourist stop shops for jungle tours. The next question in the negative told Wendy that she wanted a school trip there and invited me to make a short hand to come along. Counterstrike also inviting Reisekumpan Paul I accepted the offer and we found ourselves last week by 6 clock in the morning on the edge Cumbayas to the school bus to be expected of the Colegio Militar.
After the usual in Ecuador-five minutes after appointed time then we could finally put on the bus and there were about 50 curious Eighth graders in full uniform expected, which could make the journey over barely an eye on the two white men. It proved once again to be extremely pleasant to travel with Paul, as a tall, blond German is of course much more interesting, dark-haired than my humble self. After the usual stories about the origin, comparisons Germany - Ecuador and conversations with the accompanying teachers, we came to the goal of the educational tour: An oil pumping station in the Ecuadorian jungle to negotiate on which the principal of the school to first with the responsible engineers admission had before it went. We heard a short, chaotic and completely content-free presentation of the system by an engineer, it was drowned out to make matters worse still for the most part of the next working pumps and then quickly left the facility. Not without first examine the excellent recycling pool, which was supposed to escape not a drop of impurity in the nearby river.
Of the large chimneys, which dismissed the exhaust of the pumps in the air, the noise to be heard for miles across the pump, the frequently occurring fractures due to deficient maintenance of the oil pipeline, or even the promotion methods, of course, no question. Sun
we finished, I think, without any value for the students, this section of the school trip and went lunch. Then we said goodbye to the Primitas and their classmates because they wanted to spend the rest of the day in west Papallacta, while our way to go back east to Reventador led.
With the good old thumb-Out method, we soon found a pickup that drove us to the front door of the only hostel in the vicinity of the Reventador. On the way we were able to examine with my own eyes what happens to the students was not realized. We passed an oil accident and the driver told us that was here a few months ago everything was black from oil. Even now, after 8 months of cleaning work were still some black laugh to see. No one knows how long had the time to seep into the soil and poison ground water, before the state oil company saw the need at all to begin the restoration measures.
Arriving at the hostel waiting for us first of all a shock. According bellhop and cooking from the other side, there were no rooms. We looked puzzled, how could a hostel outside the normal public holidays are booked as here down to the last bed in a relatively un-touristy place?
With the glimmer of hope that the absent boss might just raise a room, we visited first the highest Waterfall in Ecuador, the Cascada San Rafael. An ill-walk, half hour road leads there, in between, we went past a doorman, to remove the $ 10 we really would have, but we left without purely demand Sun Soon we reached the viewpoint of the waterfall and were both - impressed.
Huge masses of water are rolling down the 140 meters, seem to fall so slowly that you can track individual clouds there. Given a huge roar echoed through the boiler, hidden in the middle of which a falling water in the spray of the lake meets.
admiration we paused for half an hour, looking at the waterfall before we went back to the hostel.
Here we awaited the good news is that still a twin room is available and would be the explanation for the full occupancy: The oil for the accident-relevant employment were all housed in the same hostel.
After all we had now secured accommodation for the night, would not have been in this hostel free, we would probably have to spend the night under the stars.
We were able to eat dinner but reassured us arrange a guide for the Reventadorwanderung the next morning - which turned out to be the bellhop - and after a refreshing dip in the pool fed by fresh river water to go to bed early. After all, we had
with our guide for 6 on the next clock Morning appointment. So we stood
As the day before at 5, and jumped again to wake up in the pool, ate breakfast there wont Toni-jam-pan breakfast and found us punctually at 6 at the appointed meeting place. As usual, our guide in Ecuador was of course present only at a quarter before seven, after which we loswanderten but expeditiously. Finally, we promised the boy that afternoon to be back again. So it went through the deepest mud in rubber boots borrowed from the oil pipeline passing into the jungle.
was true to our altitude of 1800 meters still not right to speak jungle, which one imagines as Mitteleuropaeer so, but it came to mud volume and humidity, making the path its name. After two exhausting hours
mud hike, to make matters worse, also went mainly uphill, we had finally reached our destination. A wide, wet plain lay before us, covered with moss, lichen, and some low shrubs. That was the outbreak of 2005, Flo said to us. The trail went through the lies there as if by magic, misty landscape in which glittered with dew draped spider webs in the bushes.
Complete silence lay over the whole image that I felt like in a fairy tale.
After another short walk through this landscape, pointing Flo at once forward and declared: "These are the remains of the outbreak from last August!"
front of us were huge piles of stones, and still sharp. With a grin on our faces Flo began the rise of the next of the 15-meter-high pile of stones and we quickly overcame our astonishment, and followed him up. The uncomfortable climbing over sharp stones, which seemed to solve with every step was worth it, however, when we arrived. Around us only fog and the dark, chaotic, cluttered over stones, I came before me, as at the end of the world. Steaming spread as far as the fog did not allow it as a black stone, no Felckchen green in between. For all columns of the rock pile rose kraueselnd hot steam. Even now, eight months later, the stones in the interior of these clusters were still hot enough to evaporate to the rainwater.
pleasurable putting us in the hot steam we brought to eat the snack and talked about the volcano and its eruptions. The only downside of the hike was that was to be seen because of all the fog no trace of the volcano itself. But at least we had the mysterious landscape around us, which our managers on the way back, he even lost briefly. In all the fog and the same everywhere looking Landschatf we lost all our short orientation, were then quickly back on track once more and entered the jungle.
The way back was much easier, because after all, mainly downhill, even if Flo suddenly a car chase restarting said, which ended with a twisted foot on my part. At last we arrived back at the hostel, all completely filthy and exhausted but very happy with the trip. With a glance at the clock, confirmed our Selbsteinschaetzung, because we had made the seven hours of walking only five.
reassured us so we could put on the bus home, the deposed me as even more pleasant not only in the south of Quito, but even in the neighboring Cumbaya ...
PS: Photos are up ...
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