I have just shared an extremely traumatic experience with my climbing partners (including fellow summitposter mattyj) in Quito which is causing us to abandon our plans to climb the major volcanoes here and return home tomorrow. The following is a brief account of what happened. I will provide more details when I am back home (and I´m sure that the others will chime in). I sincerely hope that anyone with immediate plans to travel to Ecuador will take a moment to evaluate the risks beyond what you might have previously read. It may sound like I am a ranting crazy person and that this is a one in a million occurrence, but please take the time to read the entire account and comments.
This past Friday afternoon, December 7, we took the Teleferiqo out of Quito and continued to Rucu Pichincha. We had heard and read many things about the dangers on the approach to the peak out of the city, but also that taking the Teleferiqo and going to the summit was safe. Mattyj sprinted ahead on the descent, but about 20 minutes down from the summit the other two of us were confronted by a bandit with a machete and a revolver. We jumped off the trail and scrambled down steep slopes (where my friend took multiple long falls over cliffs). We noticed another 6 people slightly across the slope, caught them, and found that they too had seen the bandit. The 8 of us proceeded to walk/jog cross country in an attempt to escape. Unfortunately, one of the 8 had altitude sickness, requiring us to half carry him and making our pace slow. We were eventually caught by the bandit because he had a trail to go on whereas we were trying to move across bad terrain. We submitted assuming it would be a simple robbery. Unfortunately, the bandit just became more and more agitated over time. Despite having all of our money, having searched all of our bags, and gotten more things from people´s pockets, it clearly wasn´t enough. He began marching us again, further away from civilization. He repeatedly sat us down frantically waving his gun and yelling. Eventually, perhaps 90 minutes after he caught us, he split the group and demanded that three people leave down a valley. Shortly after that he forced the remaining three men (myself included) to leave at gunpoint. He left with the two girls in the opposite direction. We eventually made it back down into the city. Extremely unfortunately, the girls were then assaulted. Extremely fortunately, the girls were then set free and everyone is now safe and alive.
There are many more details to this story but that is all I have time to share for now. I have nothing but the utmost respect and praise for the response of the American Embassy and the DEA cops they sent to help us after we finally got in touch. The Ecuadorian emergency phone services do not work at all. Calling an embassy is the only way to get any results. An armed Marine guard can be reached at the American Embassy by dialling 02 223-4126 or 02 256-1749 in Quito.
After talking to many people (several other girls on an extended visit), as well as Embassy officials and other Quitenos, it appears that this violence is becoming more and more widespread. This is at least the third such incident on Rucu Pichincha in the last 2 months, and similar violence is becoming more and more commonplace even on all the other volcanoes in the country.
I have travelled through Argentina and Brazil, as well as sections of South East Asia and have always felt safe (even in places where I was warned of danger). I can only try to emphasize how different Ecuador currently feels to all of my previous experiences, and how seriously you should take all warnings about violence here.