So what better way to spend a Sunday than climbing a volcano...yes that?s just what I did. After returning to Quito from my week at the coast I decided another weekend in Quito was just too much as there?s really nothing happening there, so I booked myself on a day trip to Cotopaxi national park.

After an early start we were driven about an hour down the road to board a train that would take us to the national park. The train was similar to the one I went on at Riobamba, only this time we weren?t hanging off the edge of a mountainside! Instead the ride was very scenic but incredibly bumpy.

When we finally left the train we got our first taste of how cold the day was about to become...there was a really strong wind and the extra layers I?d brought along were soon adorning my body in an attempt to combat the cold. Fortunately it was a beautifully sunny day so at least that helped...

A short drive to the park entrance followed where we seemed to have to wait forever to get in, without any explanation. Eventually, however, a convoy or cards appeared with darkened windows and a police escort - kind of strange for a national park you?d think - until we were told it was actually the President of Ecuador, who kindly wound down his window to wave to us all! Not sure what it was all about but hey I feel privileged now...but the big question is, would I recognise him again - nah probably not!

So once inside the park we stopped for a short walk to aclimatise to the altitude. Already at 3,700m I could feel the tightness in my chest, so the chance for a short walk and a bit of a chat about the volcano was very welcome. Cotopaxi is not the tallest volcano in the world, but at 5897m it is the tallest snow-capped volcano in the world. We weren?t going to reach the top, as that requires proper climbing gear and plenty of training, but our destination at the base of the galcier (4,800m) was plenty high enough.

We actually only climbed up a distance of 300m to a refuge point at 4,800m, but the climb is a tough one and took over an hour. I really didn?t think I was going to make it; it was so windy that we were nearly blown off the side of the volcano and the usual direct path wasn?t an option, so we had to weave back and forth in a zigzag to reach our resting point. But I made it thankfully, and was rewarded with a big hot mug of tea and a large lunch.

But the best bit for me was yet to come. After lunch we headed back down to the car park at 4,500m; this taking much less time than the climb up. Then we all picked up mountain bikes for the somewhat treacherous, but exciting ride back down the volcano. The track was dusty, full of potholes and blind bends, but hurtling down on a rented bike, upon which you were entirely reliant on the quality of the brakes, was the best fun. Plus the afternoon turned out to be ideal weather-wise. More often than not the very top of Cotopaxi is covered in cloud due to it?s height, but on this particular day we were so lucky...there was not a cloud in sight and we had the most perfect view of the volcano - great kodak moments. And to top it off, a wild deer ran out in front of me just as were reaching the end of the ride. Apparently they are really rare in the park...

But the events of the day didn?t end there. I couldn?t avoid the crazy Ecuadorian driving style any longer...and some idiot decided that he?d pull across the road right in front of us. Needless to say we ended up facing the wrong way on the opposite side of the road but thankfully no one was hurt and we still had four wheels on the ground. We were very lucky not to have slid a bit further and right down the hillside...but just as we were all feeling relieved to be alive we looked up and realised that where we had ended up was right over the brow of a hill and hurtling towards us was a huge truck who clearly couldn?t see us in the dark. Fortunately someone found the horn in the van and the truck driver managed to swerve out of the way just in time. Our second flash of death within minutes and we needed no more to realise we were still in danger, so we all scrambled out of the van and ran across four lanes of traffic to the other side of the road and relative safety...

...but the van could go no further so we all piled into the other two vehicles that were with us and got as far as a local hostel where we could warm up and enjoy some coffee and cake while we waited for more transport to arrive and take us back to Quito. And eventually we got there, in one piece, a little tired and weary but glad to crawl into bed...