walkin on cloud 9

So today, Eamon Greg and I decided that we would go on the Teleferico, which is this cable car system that takes you to Mt. Pichinca, one of the tallest mountains around Quito. As some of you might know, Quito is already stupid high in the air, so going up Pichinca is no small matter. We figured we´d go up, take some sweet pics, and hang out. Little did we know we were gettin ourselves into one of our coolest experiences so far.

To start off, in true Ecuadorian fashion we didn´t meet in the same place. Our taxis took us to two completely different locations and luckily we were able to meet up. . .30 minutes after we said we would. We get into the cable car with a daughter and her mother who were from NORTHERN VIRGINIA . .such a small world. Anyways, we get to the top where they have this large center for food, drinks, and small trinkets.

We decide we want to take the small path up to where we can get a better view. After about 10 minutes of walking, we were all dying because the elevation is ridiculous. I think we were 4,300 meters above sea level. . .no big deal. We get to the end of the path, and we see that it curls around more upward into more of the mountain. So whatever, we get up on it and climb.

From up top, we see the view that I´m showing you pictures of right here. It was incredible. Such a clear day. . .and the mountains had these bright purple flowers along the way too. Coming from the city, which is loud, crowded and polluted, to a place where there is absolute silence, crisp clean air, and breathtaking views really puts things into perspective. Greg, Eamon, and I were all just stunned.

And to make things even cooler, as we were takin it all in, a cloud starting flouting directly into our direction. We took some video of it coming at us (I´ll post it next), and soon enough we were engulfed by a massive cloud that just overtook our sights. It was sooooo cool. . .but then it started to drizzle. So we started to walk back. . .and then a bit more legit rain. Still walking. Then it started to hail and rain harder. Before we knew it, the rain was coming down hardcore. . .which maybe would tick some people off, but I was just thinking of how cool it was to be experiencing HAIL IN ECUADOR. That crap never happens.

We got some hot chocolate and grub and headed back down. I´ll load up the pictures eventually when I have internet that isn´t so freakin slow. But I hope you liked the pictures, and more are comin your way!