March 2nd 2009 - Rolling down the river

Scrambled eggs for breakfast gave a great start to Tubing day. This time (as you can see in the blip) the rings were tied together and there were four of the group flying down the mountains together at any time. I was part of the second lot to go so we had a 20 minute or so wait looking at beautiful butterflies, snapping massive wishbone like sticks…and having tiny black mosquitoes bite the crap out of us! They were so small I initially mistook them for some mud on my legs. Then I saw them fly. Then I saw my leg was bleeding. The itching was the worst yet, it was still itching in the evening. I hated those little bastards.

The actual tubing experience was awesome. The rapids were so much harsher than before, and with no paddling necessary you could just sit back, hold on and enjoy! The thrill was immense, especially when going backwards as then you couldn’t see what was coming next! On my left was Chloe – who always seemed so calm and collected, it was very attractive – and behind me were Josefine and Katja shrieking or giggling depending on what was coming next. The one constant sound was Camilla’s screams from the other lot! We got drenched in cold water but it was so worth it.

We finished right outside the hostel and after a couple of hours relaxing we headed back to Quito. We were going to go to a butterfly farm but the bus couldn’t make it so we had to leave earlier in pick up trucks instead. There were 6 of us to a truck so we were a little squashed. We encountered another rock on the way home but this time there was a more efficient outcome – 15 minutes after being told 3 hours we were back under way! Although whilst waiting he Northerner of the group started playing in the mud…typical!

Back in Quito I called Mum and Dad (which was nice as I hadn’t spoken to them for a while) and checked the football and Oscar news. For tea I fancied something different so Chloe and I went for a romantic meal for two at the Magic Bean…with Helle. It was actually really nice – especially as Helle gave me half her steak to go with mine!