EP1 Title: "I Told You Less Martinis And More Cardio."

[georgiapeach]

What fun!

How did you find us??!  

Did your blog have a "stop thief" warning on it?  

And is Fernando as nice in person as he is on the phone?

We'll find you a way to see the show--maybe on youtube or if you have a US compatible VCR, I'll make you a tape and send it to you with our thanks and apologies!

And this has to be your new avatar!

[Whirley]

Yes, that's really really likely. there's a spectacle bear reserve there but you hardly ever see bears, they'll have been lassoing and branding's my guess.

NB the drive from Yanahourco to Quito is fairly long. about 3 hours to anywhere civilised. and another 2 to the airport.

[Whirley]

Yup, my blog recorded a number of visits from the forum, so I had a nosey around...

Fernando's cool. Although it's a nightmare organising the round-up tour, it's so isolated and the Ecuadorian's are forever changing plans.

And I'd love a copy digital or otherwise of the show.

Honestly wish I could help more!

[georgiapeach]

Listen, it was thanks to your great photos that puddin was able to photo match the Hacienda anyway! (Do you have more that aren't on Flickr yet?)

And Fernando can't tell us anything because of his confidentiality clause with CBS, but we still have two weeks to go before the show airs--so if you could put out some feelers with your friends that would be great!

Do you think the teams would have camped out where you did?

Have you ever seen the show? I know old seasons do air in the UK...

How is it being back home?

[puddin]

Yup, my blog recorded a number of visits from the forum, so I had a nosey around...

Oh My God we are pathetic  Thanks for sharing ecuadorgirl ! I truly enjoyed reading you blog and looking through the pictures.

Listen, it was thanks to your great photos that puddin was able to photo match the Hacienda anyway!

I plead the fifth  !!

[mswood]

Thats just so awesome.

You guys have been busted.  In the nicest possible way.  So very cool.

And yeah, I would guess that a rodeo based tasks or event is highly likely.

[mswood]

30 seconds of Super Bowl commercial time = $2.6 million!

That might be all we get....

Let's see the level of CBS commitment!

Well we might not get much Superbowl activity for the race.  But CBS will likely schedule ads throughout the day and night knowing they will have higher viewing numbers then usual.

[Whirley]

Okay, will see if any of my mates can get in touch with the guys who work there... no promises 

There are two campsite areas at the hacienda, and I remember discussion that they had one further away from the buildings and corals - it's still not that far though, only a few minutes walk. They might have had some altitude sickness if they were rushed in from Quito, as it's at about 4000meters and people suffer altitude sickess on arrival in Quito at 2800m.

At Yanahurco there is a main house and some other basic accommodation that visiting cowboy types use. The head cattle man there is a guy called Ernesto - if you can speak to him you might get more info than from Fernando... And I don't have any more pics really, all the decent ones are up there.

We don't get the show over here at all, as far as I know.

Will let you know if I get any info   

[georgiapeach]

Thanks, Whirley! (I'm having trouble with theecuadorgirl--you are Whirley to us!)

Thanks for being such a good sport about the blog and your pictures--we appreciate it!   

They do show old seasons of the show over there, but they are several seasons behind. But we'll figure out a way for you to get hooked on the show!

What an awesome experience you had....

[puddin]

Thank you so very much Whirley, your always welcomed here ..you can see how friendly we are  :ride: 

[puddin]

...

[georgiapeach]

That's a condor, and they have nesting sites at Yanahurco...

[georgiapeach]

More pics from Whirley's friend...

You can see the whole lot (350+) here but requires Kodak registration...

[georgiapeach]

More...

[georgiapeach]

More...

[georgiapeach]

More from Whirley in reply to "Do you think they drove themselves?" and "where were the photos from above taken from?"

they probably did drive themselves (out at least, in, I don't think so), there's only one road out, via a locked security gate, of the hacienda estate. it's a rough lava track and they'll have driven past the Yanahurco sign, it's pretty much like that for two hours and they'll go through Cotopaxi National Park to a town called Machachi then North up the Pan American Highway to Quito - if that's where they were flying from. It would be the nearest International Airport. I was riding along the road that day (it's complicated as we had two groups of tourists and I was escourting one group out whilst the others rode in, before coming back in via the road the following day) anyway, as we rode out there were 2 or 3 trucks driving steadily in convoy out. I don't know if they were contestants driving out or film crew. But yes, it's likely they'd drive out, and there's a check point to get out of the National Park before you get out to the town.

the ones taken up the hill are from a pretty little glass hut/viewing chalet, it's almost opposite volcanoes Cotopaxi and Quilindana - really great point to see the bulls and horses coming down the valley, and then into the corals.

That would have been on the 22nd...

[Slowhatch]

The innovative Cigarette was so successful that boats of that type, even by other makers, are still commonly called cigarettes.

I stand corrected; according to the link Chateau and Puddin provided, it looks like a Donzi 35zr. Donzi, Cigarette, Magnum and other boats of that type are lumped into the category "go-fast boat."
Peach, if you have access to the Kodak gallery could you look to see if there's a reverse view of the hilltop area where Phil's standing? 

[charlierose]

I saw moments ago a promo for the AMazing RAce during commercials of the SuperBowl.  BAsically it is the same as the pictures posted. The only thing differetn I notice was a couple - a man carrying a women with a bathing suite on its back -. I would have swear it was Rob and Amber. So with that we know they do something involving water.  

I really do not know how to capture it and post the pictures, but I hope someone else did it and can post the pictures.

[Kogs]

I saw moments ago a promo for the AMazing RAce during commercials of the SuperBowl.  BAsically it is the same as the pictures posted. The only thing differetn I notice was a couple - a man carrying a women with a bathing suite on its back -. I would have swear it was Rob and Amber. So with that we know they do something involving water.  

I really do not know how to capture it and post the pictures, but I hope someone else did it and can post the pictures.

that was from tar7 charlie

[charlierose]

Opppss!!!  Sorry about that.

[georgiapeach]

Slowhatch--I've looked and looked and  I can't find it....  :-\

Here are the ony different views I could find--one has that little shed on the slope but Whirley said it was a little glassed in chalet--so don't know...

You can register--they don't seem to care that I registered in the UK!

[puddin]

I saw moments ago a promo for the AMazing RAce during commercials of the SuperBowl.  BAsically it is the same as the pictures posted. The only thing differetn I notice was a couple - a man carrying a women with a bathing suite on its back -. I would have swear it was Rob and Amber. So with that we know they do something involving water.  

I really do not know how to capture it and post the pictures, but I hope someone else did it and can post the pictures.

TAR7 final promo Best Ever!! I use the song on myspace.

[michael]

ahh I remember that promo so well! 

[Slowhatch]

Thanks. This looks like a candidate.

[georgiapeach]

Yes, that was the little shed I saw, but I can't convince myself that that is a glassed in chalet. Have to ask Whirley tomorrow!