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Title image - BAI takes you to: Ecuador

Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch

November 13, 2010 – Steaming in the Hot Springs at 3300 meters (10,800 ft)

At Guachala, just before David started back to Quito, we got a group photo.

At Guachala, just before David started back to Quito,

we got a group photo.

This is Leila Silveira reporting from Termas del Papallacta. This morning we left Guachala around 9:30am and we had to say goodbye to David, who decided that it is time to go home. We stopped by the hacienda entrance and Antonio, our driver, had several cameras in his hand to take a farewell photo of the entire team. We all miss David already, his calm personality, his strength and his determination was a big part of our team. Right now he must be enjoying the luxuries of the JW Marriott, our Quito base camp, and getting ready to return home to his family.

After we said goodbye to Dave we drove through a series of small Ecuadoran villages and then over through a pass of 4100 meters (13,500 ft.) before we descended into the Amazon Basin side of the Cordillera.

We are actually doing quite well here, we are at a favourite place for Berg Adventures clients for many years. We always come down here to the upper jungle of Ecuador to rest and recover to slightly lower altitude and thicker air in order to recover our muscles and mind from the climbs and also to prepare ourselves to the new ones to come. A technique acquired from seasons of Everest: it is always good to come down to lower elevation before going high again; well, that’s exactly what we are doing. This is our Pheriche! (the Sherpa village in Nepal where climbers usually go down to recover before their Everest summit attempt).

Termas de Papallacta, only 40 miles east of Quito at the entrance route to the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle, is famous for its thermal baths. Here hot springs are all situated around our bedrooms. We literally have our own private hot springs right outside our own bedroom; 2 steps outside our rooms and you can jump in hot soothing water.

Today most of us also took advantage of their massages at the spa, relaxed and got ready for our next climb: Cotopaxi.

Relaxing in the thermal hot springs right outside our rooms, elevation 3300 meters.

Relaxing in the thermal hot springs right outside our rooms, elevation 3300 meters.

Steve enjoys the hot pool at our resort.  We are at the top of the Amazon Basin, with the mountains above us, the jungle below.

Steve enjoys the hot pool at our resort. We are at the top of the Amazon Basin, with the mountains above us, the jungle below.