testmeat photoblog

i waited a while before i attempted to climb cotopaxi due to catching a cold when i arrived in latacunga. after my health improved i returned, found a partner and walked up to the refuge. i settled into my sleeping bag at 6pm and tried to get some sleep before the 1am start. after listening to a few albums on my ipod as well as the other people in the refuge go to bed i suddenly felt my cold return. combined with the actual cold which you can't escape when you're sleeping in a wooden shack at 4800 metres i only managed about 1 hours sleep before i set off for the ascent. my symptoms subsided on the way up, but then returned on the way down and have become stronger since. boy my immune system knows how to piss me off. also whilst i was hiking up cotopaxi i paused to get some energy sweets from my pocket, taking off my mitten to open the packet. a strong gust of wind then threw the mitten out of my hand, i turned and ran after it as it was disappearing into the darkness when i was suddenly tugged backwards. i'd forgotten that i was roped together to the guide and my fellow climber. the mitten was lost into the night so i had to do the rest of the trek wearing a thin cotton glove. the snow, ice and freezing temperatures meant my hand was really, really cold - and even now i have a numb feeling in my fingertips. so a cold... numb fingers... what else can i complain about? oh yeah, i went back to my favourite (south american) curryhouse today and they had no aloo gobi so i had to make do with bombay aloo. so a cold, numb fingers and i'm gobiless. life can be cruel sometimes.

here's the original