Ecuador, the Land of Volcanoes
Living in the cities with electricity, hot water, cars, and the subway, we do not stop to think about the fragility of our civilization, about how dependant we are on nature, on our Earth – Gaia, about how used we are to her calm breath. This is this is what our entire civilization is based on – on the blanket assumption of on an equilibrium among all forces of nature. For the most part this is in fact what occurs, and only occasionally (fortunately for us) does Gaia stir – and earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods in the blink of an eye sweep away the fruits of years of human toil. And of all the manifestations of nature, one of the most spectacular is the eruption of a volcano. A volcano is a window deep into the Earth, it gives us direct contact with the belt of magma, it is a constant danger to humans.
People have always been afraid of volcanoes but nevertheless settled on their slopes. Magma and ash contain a range of trace elements which allow them to functions as fertilizers; in this soil everything blossoms and bears fruit. Until the next eruption…
We have all heard about Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna in Italy and about active volcanoes and geyser valleys in the Kamchatka Peninsula, but it turns out that there is a country which has more volcanoes than any other area of the world. On the 272,000 square kilometer territory of Ecuador there are 160 volcanoes, of which approximately 30 are active. Approximately – because at any moment, even as you read these words, a volcano that has been dormant for centuries can awaken and cover the sky with a mass of fire and ashes.
Our group travelled to Ecuador so as cross the country from north to south in two weeks, stopping at interesting places and measuring the energy of the different places along the way. Is it true that these volcanic mountains have a special energy, and how can this affect humans? There were 15 of us – nine Frenchmen, two women from the US, and four Russians. The French group was led by Christian Bordes and his wife Sylvia. We have already travelled with them in the Caucasus, Peru, the Alps and in the mountains of Aragon. One summer Christian and I climbed to the top of Mount Matterhorn – one of the most beautiful Alpine peaks on the border of Italy and Switzerland.
The journey began in Quito, a city sprawling 80 km in a narrow valley below the slopes of the Pichincha volcano. Quito sits at an altitude of 2,700 m above sea level, so the first night at this altitude is already a serious challenge. The body does not get enough oxygen, the head grows heavy, sleep becomes intermittent. Several of our friends lay in Quito for two days, unable to lift their heads from their pillows. Of course, this depends on the individual, and for a seasoned traveler this altitude is inconsequential.
Getting accustomed to the altitude requires acclimatization; the best method is to go up into the high altitude, then return – the lower, the better. It was thus very useful in our first few days in Ecuador to go up in a funicular to the slopes of the Pichincha volcano (4,100 m above the sea level) and breathe in the fresh alpine air.