Mountaineering has got to be one of the dumbest sports to get into, and one of the hardest to pull yourself away from once you’ve started.  It’s expensive and not particularly fun; most of your time is spent in horribly cold and windy conditions, walking for miles uphill, on ice, and usually in the dark.  The environment tries to stop you with avalanches, crevasses, windburn, snow blindness, and piles of loose rock called skree just waiting for your foot-step to start a landslide.  On top of this your body and high altitude don’t particularly get along.  At these heights the air is thinner, digestion slows, pulse increases, sleep evades you, and AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness, a serious and potentially deadly reaction to altitude) starts to show itself.  Really there are only two small moments that are rewarding:  the 10 seconds or so that you can stand the cold on the summit, and of course bragging to your friends about it once you’re done. 

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Categories: Climbing, Ecuador, Photos
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So another week has passed, and life is going pretty well in Quito.  Most of my day is taken up with some new pursuits, and my accommodations are the best I’ve had in a while.  I’ve got myself set up in Quito’s Old Town in a place called Casa Bambu, and for 7$ I’ve got my own room with a shared bath and kitchen.  The rooftop patio has a amazing view over the city and goes great with a beer and a bit of homework in the evenings.  There are a few other long-term people staying here and we all get along pretty well.  Evenings have us dodging each other in the kitchen and sharing movies in the common room.  Nights and weekends are spent with beers and wine one the roof before heading out to bars and clubs in town. 

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Categories: Ecuador, Photos, Travel
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As most of you know I’ve been taking a little break from traveling the last few weeks.  After visiting Nepal for a couple months I made a marathon push through India (30hrs on busses, 30hrs on a train, followed by a 20hr flight) to make it home in time for a family reunion.  I arrived smelly, black-eyed, and 20lbs lighter, and definitely ready for a few days off.  While I love traveling (obviously), after 7 months on the road I was looking forward to spending a little down  time with friends and family. 

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Categories: Ecuador, Travel
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