We did a mountain bike tour with the 'Biking Dutchman' yesterday, which was great fun. We were driven to the car park just below the ice sheet on Cotopaxi and then mounted our metal steeds and held on for dear life for 50km downhill while hoping that out hands didn't freeze off, and eyes not fall out of their sockets due to the bumps and bumps and the bumps. Great fun!!
Cotopaxi is located about 75 kilometres south of Quito and is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching 5,897 m. Cotopaxi has an almost symmetrical cone that rises from a highland plain of about 3,800 metres, with a width at its base of about 23 kilometres. It has one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world, which starts at the height of 5,000 metres.
Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. There have been more than 50 eruptions since 1738 with the last one in 1975. Numerous valleys have been formed by the powerful mud and lava flows over the years (we biked down one) and it will prove a great threat in the future. A future Survival Imperative story perhaps.
(Obligatory Conquest story)
During a war between the Incas and the Spaniards in 1534, the volcano erupted and put an end to the fighting as both fled from the battlefield.
(Didn't manage to find out where that was)
The volcano is on a 120 year cycle (from the Biking Dutchman) which means the next major eruption is some time off. However, if it was to go through another significant eruption, large numbers of villages will be destroyed including the far southern suburbs of Quito. Time will tell.
Caught a chicken bus home this afternoon which was OK. No one tried to rob us.
It’s been a great weekend away, and heading back to Lima on a ridiculously early flight in the morning for a week or so before heading to Cuzco for a bit.
(Photos stolen from the net. Camera wouldn't have survived the bike ride)
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