The Highest I've Ever Been

The last few days we have woken to clear blue skies and sunshine. So much sunshine, in fact, that the puddle on the playground that I use to tell how much it has rained in the last few hours has completely dried up.

On Wednesday morning we decided to take advantage of the clear skies by heading to Quito's newest and greatest attraction - the Teleferiqo. The Teleferiqo, opened in 2005, is a cable car system that transports you from around 3050 meters (1 meter = 1.09 yards) to 4050 meters (roughly, 13,000 feet) and the peak of Cruz Loma. About halfway up in the cable car, I learned that my mother-in-law (PoPo) is afraid of heights, so we passed the rest of the time in the cable car by pretending every noise we heard was the cable breaking. And my father-in-law (Opa) kept sticking his head out the window because there was a picture that told you not to do that. Maya didn't like when he did that so he stopped.

Anyway, Cruz Loma is one of the hills on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano that looms over the Western side of the city. Pichincha has two volcanic peaks, the inactive Rucu Pichincha, and the active Guagua Pichincha (which last erupted in 1999). From the cable car station at the top of Cruz Loma, you can ascend on foot another 300 or so meters to various other lookouts. As Jonah and I ascended, he asked me if I smelt a stinky fart. I did, and told him I did. I asked if he did it and he said yes. Then we laughed. I love that we can already enjoy fart jokes together.

Once you get to the highest designated lookout, if you are game, you can cross the barriers and ascend an additional 300 or so meters to get to the summit of Rucu Pichincha. I had two children in tow who were not game, so we didn't do that part. I'm hoping that gazing into Rucu Pichincha is not as dramatic as the movie "Joe versus the Volcano" would make you believe gazing into a volcano can be.

Actually, if I hadn't read about it, I would not even have known Pichincha was a volcano. It's covered in trees at the base and as you ascend, the paramo (high altitude grassland of the Andes). It has none of the evil cone-shapes, snow-peaks and gaping-holes I expect from my volcanoes. It looks rather benign.

Incidentally, Quito is in something that is called Volcano Alley. The Western and Eastern Andes ranges that lie on either side of it include something like a dozen other volcanoes (many active), including Cayambe, Antisana and Cotopaxi. These 3 volcanoes are supposedly visible from Pichincha if you know what you are looking for. I didn't, so I probably saw them without seeing them.

But what I did see; the views of Quito, the valleys, and the surrounding mountains, was pretty spectacular. And 4050 meters is the highest altitude I've ever been at (it was seriously cold and windy up there) so overall, it was a pretty cool experience. I didn't feel any effects of the thinner air just standing around, but was definitely winded when climbing the small parts that we did. And it was pretty numbing to think that Everest is twice the elevation. I can only imagine the cold, wind and desperation one must feel trying to summit that mountain. Especially since it costs about $10,000 bucks. The Teleferiqo was only $4.

At the base of Pichincha is an amusement park called VulQano Park. It doesn't rise to the level of say, Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens, but it kicks Sesame Place to the curb. Because we were there on Wednesday at two in the afternoon, there was hardly anyone in the place. But, because we were there at two in the afternoon, Jonah was in no condition to do anything but nap, or cry if he wasn't napping. Since he wasn't napping, we couldn't really hang around and do the rides, even though Maya really wanted too. She did get to go on that swing ride that I remember all the teenagers used to go on at the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ, when I was a kid. She waved most times that she went around and was real excited when she came off of it. I have to give Opa credit for that, because I was ready to split without letting her go on any rides (something about carrying a crying kid). But, Opa kind of insisted that he and Maya go on that ride together and I'm glad that he did. Maya seemed like she enjoyed it so much that it makes me want to take her back there. And since Rebecca was doing whatever it is she does at work and missed the whole fun part of the day, we probably will go back there.