Day 3 - March 22
Chimborazo, Bolívar, Los Ríos and Guayas Provinces: Adventure!!
After my last post we decided to go back to the Chimborazo volcano route. On the way we decided to make an unplanned stop at Marcos Cruz’s Chimborazo Lodge (4.000 mts / 13,123 ft). This was going to be one of the places to stay the night. However, alternative accommodations were arranged in Guaranda due to concerns with the altitude. This unexpected stop turned into 5 hours… As we climbed the one lane cobblestone path to the lodge, a truck came flying down the hill and my brother who was driving had to make a sudden maneuver to avoid the crash. That put our car in the trenches and that was it. The right side of the tires fell on a gutter and we could not get the car out. We brought logs to provide traction to the tires, people from the place helped, we pulled the car with ropes… creativity and resourcefulness was all around. It was cold and rainy and remember we were at high altitude… We were all going up and down the hill looking for solutions, hoping to stop a car of a bigger size on the road and many other alternatives. Finally, a tow truck from Riobamba was called in. What was that moment teaching us? Unexpected things can always happen. How we react is up to us. We were in the middle of “nowhere”, no phone or wi-fi signal, and needed to find a solution. We learned that no matter what, a solution is always possible. We laughed, we worried, and we found a way to resolve it with the help of the locals. And now… we have a great story to tell and proof to ourselves that the altitude was of no concern. At the end, we got to enjoy this beautiful peaceful retreat in Chimborazo.
If you think that is where the story ends…. Nope… there is more… there was snow on the way to Guaranda where we spent the night at La Rustica Hostal… and look what I found! An old Mobil gas pump!! What are the odds. Of course a picture must be taken. ExxonMobil is always close by. After a night of sleep, we continued our journey… We went to Chimbo, the town where my dad was born. All these days we were stopping in provinces and places where my dad’s side of the family settled (Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Bolivar). We were remembering our grandparents and great-grandparents' places: The Aulestia Mena, Gaibor Mora roots, from where we come from. This has been a wonderful experience to see the sceneries and the places our ancestors came from and lived their lives. A great sense of appreciation and gratefulness in every sense possible.
This is not where the road trip ended… our final destination was Guayaquil, where my sister lives with her family… so we went ahead to Los Rios and Guayas provinces to arrive at our destination. We encountered: 1) thick, thick, super thick fog… those ones that you could not see more than 10 feet ahead… 2) flooding in different parts of the road, having two times to see our car become a motor boat through the water…. Hahahaha… you will not believe it…. So the pictures and videos are a testament of the ADVENTURES!!!
As a family, we have always loved road trips and the adventures these bring to us. This is what makes it fun and the trademark for our family of living and experiencing life… Finally, we made it safely to Guayaquil and ALL the family is together. I will tell you tonight…. What was all this trip about….