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Whitewater,
White Knuckles: Rafting in the Middle of the World
By Brian McClain
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PICHINCHA, 2002. In cultures around the
world, river passages have long been metaphors for journeys
into the self. For a group of around 20 Ohio State University
students in Ecuador studying Spanish, this proved to be
no exception, as they gathered early one morning at Quito's
Plaza de Toros for a day of whitewater rafting on the Rio
Blanco.
For the white-knuckle ride which lay
ahead, the group would be in good hands with Ecuador Adventure
(formerly EcoAdventour) - one of the country's leaders
in outdoor excitement, with more than a decade of experience
in the field.
Everyone is jovial and filled with anticipation as we
settle into the tour bus and head out through the sleepy
streets of the capital. We cross zero-degrees latitude
and the famed Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) Equatorial
monument on the outskirts of town, before stopping for
a quick roadside breakfast of coffee and muffins and a
view of the rugged Andean highlands.
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The two-hour bus ride ahead provides an
opportunity for learning. Ecuador Adventure founder and
tour leader, Alfredo Meneses, describes the topography,
flora and fauna of the area. From the dry, semi-desertified
highlands at 2,800 meters above sea level, we will be descending
into the cloud forest zone at around 1,000 meters.
The change in elevation brings with it dramatic ecological
transformations. As the bus winds down the Western slopes
of the Andes, vegetation morphs from hardscrabble paramo
to lush forest, enshrouded in low-hanging clouds. This is
a micro-climate rich in orchids, bromeliads, birds and butterflies
- thousands of exotic native species, nurtured by up to
eight meters of rainfall per year, more than received by
the Amazon rainforest itself.
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