El Cajas part 2

Let me just tell you this, I was extremely lucky. The weather was pleasant and clear, unlike most days when it is foggy and rainy. I thought I ended up catching a trail a didn't mean to, complete mystery because on the map they are well apart. I surely did not want to spend the night alone on a wet cold mountain, with no supplies and no light. I surely did not mean to run out of water, my plan was sufficient for a days trip but not longer. 
I never carry unnecessary weight on me, and water is heavy. :| My 650ml was OK but at the end of the day I had only small bit left.

The hike up was strenuous but not out what I expected. I was happy that there was no need for trail watching as there seemed to be only one way up. Or two ways shall I say - the hikers trail and the horse trail. Following in the same direction though. In my previous post on El Cajas you could see a basic trail mark - the color and positioning.

After the steep climb that was indicated in the trail description, the road at the highest point was going down north to the village of Patul and my trail was south east. This view is of the valley where Patul is.

Never-ending stripes of lakes and wetlands, clear horse tracks and donkey tracks,

...Occasional riders here and there on the first part of the trail leading to village of Patul...

I was stopping often partly to catch my breath but most importantly to admire the views and take pictures. Even though the motorway was still visible, I felt really adventurous just by being there and hiking up where tens of local people hike every day.

Adrenaline rush in El Cajas part 1

On the trail, breathtaking views I could never tire of

On the trail, breathtaking views I could never tire of

The main attraction in El Cajas National Park is its 275 plus Andean lakes. That is something I really wanted to see first-hand. There is also a special high altitude grass lands that I have not seen before. The type of ecosystem is called páramos. In the west there is a cloud forest that must also be a great place to hike, however I have not gone that far. The weather itself is a challenge as well: "A typical day often begins cloud-free, cold, crisp, and occasionally windy until mid-morning; then increased cloud cover from lower elevations, caused by convectional and orographic uplift, brings rain, sleet, fog, and drizzle for much of the afternoon; clearing often occurs in the late afternoon or early evening.  Nights are always cold and usually clear with stars filling the skies; however, frost is frequent in the high páramos and snow is common at the highest altitudes. 

The waterfall valley, I called it that because there were waterfalls coming at me from all directions.

During any given day of the year rain, ice, snow, and fog may alternate abruptly with clear sunny skies and elevated temperatures; in one moment the wet cold necessitates heavy clothing, raincoats, and gloves, while in the next moment, lotion is needed to protect against sunburn. " So that is the kind of setting I was getting myself into. Not to mention the elevation of course. 
Check out this little chart with list of all trails and their parameters:

Trail list - http://www.parque-nacional-cajas.org

http://www.parque-nacional-cajas.org/tracks.html

The elevation profile of my trail. Actually I went higher, as I went off the trail to hike the tallest mountain near by. 

In Tena and moving to Macas, Cuyabeno memories

I have had a great time at the Cuyabeno Lodge. The animals were plentiful, the river was overflown and the laguna water level was so high that all of the sign posts were practically under water. It is hard to imagine that in a few months time the whole lake will be completely dry and all the trips will be made on foot.

Blue and yellow macaws flying in the direction of sunset.

Sunset over the small laguna - everything was still, no movement anywhere.

the tower observatory, view on the Amazon jungle and Great Laguna

on the way to Ecuador first taste of drama

The thing is that you never expect things to go wrong before you hit the road. If you are familiar with risk management you may try to build complicated mitigation plans and alternative plans in case you plan A does not work. The truth is that while on the road anything and everything can happen. 
When I was on the bus to Cape Tribulations I was forewarn specifically that land slides and river floods were not uncommon. In the event of unlucky weather conditions one can get literally stuck, separated from any means of transportation. God forbid if a life threathening injury occurs during this time. You'd better have air evacuation purchased with your insurance premium. 

my anti mosquito artilery

Equipped with all past learnings and experiences I did purchase evacuation package with my premium ;) I dont intend to get friendly with anacondas or piranias of this world, but better be safe than sorry. Even a simple injury can become deadly if not treated and prolonged for a long period of time. I feel I am loaded with all the first aid medicments, the stuff I never use in a daily life. Antiobiotics, oitments, 6 types of tablets for all sorts of medical problems, bandaids, headcold infection, nasal infection, throat soureness, headache, pain... makes me feel sick just writing all of it. You are probably wondering. All this because I dont speak local language and from what I udnerstand it can be quite challenging to obtain meds that are legitimate. A lot of medical products get forged or is simply unavailable. It was even stronger case in South Asia. Besides who wants to spend time looking for GP recommendations when I can simply diagnose myself and take what I think is right for me at that particular time. You need to know yourself, this is also true. Are you prone to indigestion or infections? What are the typical symptoms that make you look for medication and what symptoms are known to sort themselves out? Are you pain-sesitive or can you cope? 
This time I decided to take Malaron with me. As you may know it is a globally known anti-malaria drug. In the past, when i Mekong Delta or up country Burma I was taking a risk with not taking this drug. The side effects of the drug scared me and the number of people who suffers from side effects seems greater than other drugs (it is ~5%). Not this time, I have a feeling there will be lots of options for me when I arrive in the Oriente and I may decide to stay in the lowlands for longer time that all my previous times in malaria reported areas. 2-4 days I can risk, but if I go longer say 5-10, I think the risk goes significantly up. Using DEET at least 40% (lower % does not have sufficient protection from amazonian mosquitos) reduced the risk, also knowledge what species of mosquitos are active at what times and what diseases they can spread. All this fun stuff to learn! ;) 
I dag out my mosquito repellent I brought from Burma. By average a 150-200ml DEET container lasts me about two weeks. By the time I was on my third week in Burma I run out of my American DEET and I was forced to go and explore local options. It turned out that this India produced repllent did excellent job, so I brought few tubes with me and now I have it with me here in Ecuador. Backup plan, tested. 

Ecuador trip preparation, general information health and safety

This time I chose a new continent to bite on. Close proximity from North America and general country indicators made me believe that from all the choice, South America and Ecuador in particular, are going to become my new travel destination. The story of my slight fascination about Ecuador goes back to my Australian trip. An amazingly giving person I met on my way there, was and Ecuadorian. He made part of my Tasmanian Overland hike very special, made me feel more confident and welcomed in Tasmanian bush. After that trip I started thinking about destination ideas and doing research for feasibility. Yes, I know, I went to Myanmar first, a totally different direction, but from the feasibility perspective it was a better choice at that time. I was based out of Poland EU, now I am based out of USA East Coast. I will not get any closer to South American continent in the near future. So Ecuador it is. 

http://www.ecuador-travel-guide.org/

Not many people know that Ecuador is the first country to recognize Rights of Nature in its Constitution (2008). A small thing but it makes it a very interesting destination because it means the nature in Ecuador is so unique that it required its own voice. 

Check this video about Ecuador constitution Nature's Rights https://youtu.be/9i4EexIF_3E 

Yes it is diverse and very versatile. A relatively small country but packed with unbelievable number of rare attractions. Interestingly, it has also been recognized as a retirement heaven for Western expats (check the Global Retirement Index - Ecuador is no 2 for 2016, out placed by Panama).

But what about health and safety?