I managed to get up relatively early on the Saturday morning and with only a mild headache I was on my way to Riobamba. Riobamba only has a little to offer tourists, it's a really nice city, there's some remnants of an old train route that brings you over a part called the devil's nose which is meant to be stunning - however the train no longer runs there! Other than that there is the option of walking or cycling on Chimborazo, a nearby volcano, and the highest mountain in Ecuador (6310M). I really wanted to do a bike trip, which involves being driven up most of the mountain, going for a short hike and then cycling down the volcano. I tried to organise this trip before I got there, one of the few problems with travelling alone is that sometime you need more people to get on a trip. Luckily when I got to Riobamba, one of the bike companies was organising a tour for the following day! So I was really pleased that I could go on my bike trip. The following morning I got up and waited for the bus to pick me up, while waiting I met Marie who was also going on the trip!

We were driven up the side of Chimbarazo, on theway we stopped to admire a canyon which was fairly cool with a small waterfall at the end of it! We also got to see lots of Pequenas (wild llamas) which was also cool, especially watching them running up the sides of the mountains. We then carried on up the volcano reaching the 1st refuge on Chimborazo (4800m). From here Marie and I (With the guide) hiked to the 2nd refuge (5000m), the others decided not to join in. It was an enjoyable hike, although the weather was a bit against us (it was snowing). We all reached the summit without trauma though! Then we came back down and got our gear on to go cycling down the mountain. It was amazing, we set off on paths covered in snow and then sped back down the volcano, it was a tad treacherous because of the weather conditions but a lot of fun, there were a couple of "oh s***" moments (when you realise that you really are no longer in control of the bike) but that just added to the whole experience. Oh just a note, to add to my anxieties about biking (because I've had 2 decent falls, one resulting in 7 stiches in my head and the other in a broken arm), the brakes on bikes over here are the wrong way round increasing the likelihood I may go arse over tit!!

After the first leg of the bike trip we had a little break and went to visit a papertree forest. It was like an enchanted forest that you might see in Lord of the Rings or Narnia. It was really cool especially as we emerged from the other side of the forest into the clouds! It was really cool! We then continued on the bikes, this was when I took my only tumble, and it was in no way spectacular, a slow fall as the back wheel slid on gravel. Unscathed I carried on, after another spell heading downhill both on and off road we had our first (and thankfully only) uphill cycle, it was only a few Km but we were at approx. 3000m! I managed to make up to the top and was then treated to another rocky downhill trip! At the bottom we visited a small Inca ruin and a natural sparkling water spring!

From here we ascended back to 4000m (by car), and then after a little walk got to start downhill on the bikes again. This was even better, plenty of "oh s***" moments but a LOT of fun!! We then carried down on a dirt track which was pretty bumpy, passing some little farmhouses and plenty of domestic animals. I was treated to the strangest sight I have ever seen, a sheep towing a bull up the street and the bull appeared to be fighting him but carried on walking! Really strange. Then we finished the downhill trip on the road. I really enjoyed my biking trip on Chimborazo, it combined stunning views with a little history and a whole lot of fun from the biking! If anyone is ever going to Ecuador I'd highly recommend it. I had initially planned on going straight to Banos that night because of the busy day I opted to stay one more night and set off in the morning!